The lodge itself is small and intimate, with just 88 fully renovated rooms. All are en suite, of course, and feature complimentary internet, coffee machines, bathrobe, slippers and a full buffet breakfast. For the best views, look to those rooms on the upper floors while for families, the suites have a separate sitting area and plenty of space for the little ones. What’s more, between hours spent in the great outdoors searching for polar bears and walruses, there’s the chance to borrow one of the lodge’s kicksleds for self-guided tours closer to home.
Arguably, it’s the food here that really steals the show. Wholesome and delicious breakfasts are the perfect start to adventurous days in the wilderness. And, in the afternoons, freshly baked waffles served by a roaring fire are hard to resist. Come the evening, there’s a pub for light meals and drinks, while the much vaunted Funktionærmessen offers French-inspired tasting menus coupled with a range of dishes from the Arctic and fabulous views over the Hiorfjellet Mountains. Wash it all down with a glass of the good stuff from the lodge’s very own champagne cellar – a former alcohol store where miners would come to claim their quota.
