Balestrand

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Balestrand Hotel

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karly07
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5 out of 5
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Editor Pick

A Family Run Hotel with High Standards of Accommodation!

  • July 15, 2009
  • Rated 5 of 5 by karly07 from Belfast, United Kingdom
A Family Run Hotel with High Standards of Accommodation!

The town of Balestrand lies at the edge of the Sognefjord, known to be the longest fjord in the world, and despite its pretty location, it does not offer a huge amount to do. It is howeve,r an ideal stop over location for those wanting to break up a long journey, which is exactly what we used it as.

We had taken the summer ferry that day from Fjaerland, and arrived in Balestrand late afternoon. We had already prebooked the Balestrand hotel for our one night's lodgings, and coming off the ferry, it was not difficult to find, especially since the owners of the hotel, give good directions on both their website. The owners also offer to meet you at the harbour or bus stop and take you to the hotel at no cost.

The Balestrand hotel is one of only a handful of hotels in town. The best known hotel is the Kvikne's which I admit did look lovely, however it also had a lovely price tag as well, abnd being on a modest budget, and only needed somewhere to rest our head, we felt the Balestrand Hotel would suit our needs and our wallet much better.

This hotel is a family run business, offering 30 twin rooms, all with their own private bathroom facilities. The front of the hotel faces the beautiful waters of the Sognefjord, and the rooms at the front of the hotel offer balconies allowing guests to sit out and enjoy the terrific views.

The rates charged per person are average for Norwegian hotels, and we paid just over the 1000Nk (£100) again, for our twin room plus breakfast. To pre book a room, you have the option of emailing the hosts or phoning them. We decided to phone the owners at their winter home in California (phone numbers on the hotel's website) and book the room, since we wanting to check about parking facilites etc. (Parking was available in the hotel car park for no cost) Due to the fact that the owners spend half of their year in the US, the hotel is only open for business between May and September.

The hotel itself is very homely but modern. Our room was on the second floor, and these rooms looked to have just recently been refurbished. We had a room facing the back of the hotel, which I think was slightly cheaper at the time of booking, but we had our own little terrace with outdoor seating.

The room was extremely clean, as well as being bright and airy. There are no televisions or phones in the rooms, which to be honest we didn't miss since we weren't in the room that much.

The breakfast too was wonderful, with a great selection on offer, including some delicious jams and warm boiled eggs in a nice size breakfast room. You are not allowed however at this establishment to take any food from the breakfast room.

We found the owners extremely helpful, particularly Unni Marie. Whilst there we had trouble with our rental car. The car manual was not in English, so Unni Marie very kindly tried to translate some of it, which wasn't even in Norwegian! She was very kind and helpful, jsut as we found all of the family we came in contact with to be.

The hotel itself is also very well situated, with only a couple of minutes walk to the beautiful St Olav's Church. Although under reconstruction whilst we were there, visitors were able to walk through the small church, which even had its own resident cat! English speaking services are also held there, and times for these are listed inside the church. The hotel is also a short walk to some nice little cafe's/ restaurants, and there is a little supermarket in town as well.

All in all, the Balestrand Hotel is an ideally situated and priced place to stay whilst visiting this little town, whether as a stop over or as a base to explore further. Although there is little to do, Balestrand's location and scenery make it a wonderful place to visit and stay, and the Balestrand Hotel offers guests all they should need whilst visiting, providing a warm, homely, family atmosphere with the best of service.

From journal An Independent Tour of Norway on a Modest Budget!

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