Luxury bespoke hotel holidays to the Hotel Ullensvang, Loftus, Norway
Facts in brief
Official star rating 4
Location Lofthus, on the edge of the fjord
Annual opening All year
Closest airport Bergen
Distance from airport About 2 hrs 30 minutes from Bergen by car
Closest railway station Voss
Distance from railway station About 50 minutes from Voss by car
Hotel facilities and services
Two restaurants, wellness area, heated indoor pool, heated outdoor pool, infinity pool, private sand beach, water trampoline, rowing boats, paddle boats, children’s playroom, excursions on offer.
Land sports
Tennis, squash, bowling, table tennis, pool table.
Out and about nearby
Lofthus is an excellent location for exploring the beautiful Hardangerfjord, either on foot or by boat. The most popular hikes include HM Queen Sonja’s Panoramic Hiking Trail, the only trail entitled to use the Queen of Norway’s name, and the world-famous Trolltunga, a challenging hike which is well worth it for the views you will receive at the end. The peaceful village, known as the fruit orchard of Hardanger, has inspired many artists throughout the years and still bears remnants of the small monastic community which once existed here.
Sports nearby
Hiking (there are good and varied paths that are well-marked and walking maps are available), cycling and fishing.
It was an excellent holiday - due to excellent planning on your side. Super efficient, very professional.Mrs F, Holiday to Norway, Oct 2023
Holiday price guide Sample prices are per person based on two people sharing a Standard double room for 5 nights
From about
£1,660 1 May-30 September
£1,440 1 Oct-31 Dec
Holiday Code EXH46401
The prices displayed here are a guide only. Each holiday price will be tailor-made at the time of booking to reflect all actual costs including up-to-date special offers.
Call us on 01392 441245
Luxury bespoke hotel holidays to the Hotel Ullensvang, Loftus, Norway
The Hotel Ullensvang is a luxurious resort hotel which has been owned and run by the same family for five generations. Founded in 1846 by 14-year-old Hans Utne, the hotel was used as a retirement home for citizens of Bergen during the Second World War and received multiple refurbishments across the decades whilst retaining the old and traditional features. Today, the hotel has an impressive range of facilities which capitalise on its unbeatable location on the edge of the Hardangerfjord. Rooms are spacious and most have a balcony with views over either the fruit gardens and mountainside or the fjord and the Folgefonna glacier. The Spisesalen dining room serves a large range of dishes comprising mostly local delicacies, whilst the Zanoni restaurant serves Norwegian and international dishes a la carte in a modern setting overlooking the fjord and glacier. The wine cellar on the lower ground floor is named after the ancient monastery in the local town of Lofthus, and can host a pre-dinner drink or a special private dinner. The hotel’s main appeal however is its extensive spa, the main feature of which is its indoor pool with one of Europe’s longest outdoor swimming channels, ending in an infinity pool. There is also a wellness area with heated indoor and outdoor pools for adult use only. Outside you will find a large garden with private sand beach and boating facilities. The town of Lofthus is within easy reaching distance and is often referred to as the orchard of Hardanger thanks to its abundance of fruit trees. The area is particularly beautiful in May when there are over 600,000 fruit trees in flower in the Hardanger area. The area was an inspiration to Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg, whose original cabin can be visited in the hotel garden.
Room descriptions
The Hotel Ullensvang offers 168 rooms and suites, all with complimentary Wi-Fi and TV.
It was an excellent holiday - due to excellent planning on your side. Super efficient, very professional.Mrs F, Holiday to Norway, Oct 2023
Holiday price guide Sample prices are per person based on two people sharing a Standard double room for 5 nights
From about
£1,660 1 May-30 September
£1,440 1 Oct-31 Dec
Holiday Code EXH46401
The prices displayed here are a guide only. Each holiday price will be tailor-made at the time of booking to reflect all actual costs including up-to-date special offers.
Call us on 01392 441245
Luxury bespoke hotel holidays to the Hotel Ullensvang, Loftus, Norway
The journey and how you get there
For a holiday to the Hotel Ullensvang we include scheduled flights with British Airways from London to Bergen via Oslo. From here we recommend using a hire car to drive the 2 hours 30 minutes to the hotel.
It was an excellent holiday - due to excellent planning on your side. Super efficient, very professional.Mrs F, Holiday to Norway, Oct 2023
Holiday price guide Sample prices are per person based on two people sharing a Standard double room for 5 nights
From about
£1,660 1 May-30 September
£1,440 1 Oct-31 Dec
Holiday Code EXH46401
The prices displayed here are a guide only. Each holiday price will be tailor-made at the time of booking to reflect all actual costs including up-to-date special offers.
Call us on 01392 441245
Luxury bespoke hotel holidays to the Hotel Ullensvang, Loftus, Norway
About Norway
Norway is a fascinating destination for a luxury, tailor-made holiday. The land and the culture of Norway lend themselves to a diverse and rich array of holiday experiences and a choice of mode of transport. At first glance, Norway offers magnificent, dramatic, severe and wild natural surroundings in its glaciers, Arctic snow and ice, majestic fjords, crashing waterfalls and mystical natural phenomena such as the Aurora Borealis and Fata Morgana. However, Norway also offers cultural ties, a shared history dating from the days of the Vikings, a cosiness in its orchards and pastures, brightly-painted wooden houses, folk tales and mythology, world-class art, literature and music in the works of Munch, Ibsen and Grieg, to name but three, and international philanthropy as exemplified by the Nobel prize. Many towns have superb museums, ancient wooden stave churches are well-preserved, the heritage of the Vikings is visible not just in major centres such as Oslo but all around, and seemingly small places are rich with music and drama festivals. Whilst the length of Norway with is 2518 km poses a challenge to the visitor, this also means that it makes sense to use a variety of transport modes to travel around; scenic trains, sleeper trains, boat rides, coastal cruises and car-hire can all be incorporated. The landscape lends itself well to hiking and cycling and there are many national parks that offer a variety of conditions depending on your ability. Norway’s cities are vibrant and manage to blend modernity with tradition. The iconic Oslo Opera House sits a short distance from the Akershus fortress, the Old Town Hall dating from 1641 is a stroll away from the Akrobaten pedestrian bridge, a near-futuristic construction of steel and glass.
Highlights of Norway
The numerous fjords: Eidfjord – branch of the Hardangerfjord, Geirangerfjord – precipitous, one of Norway’s signature images, Hardangerfjord – rolling hills and pretty villages, Jossingfjord – vertiginous fjord in the flatlands of the south, Lysefjord – plunging cliffs, cruises and look out points, Naeroyfjord – narrow and very pretty, Sognefjord – Norway’s longest and one of the most beautiful, Trollfjord – very steep fjord on Lofoten, Vestfjord – sheltered bays and pretty villages separating Lofoten from the mainland. The Hurtigruten ferry that covers over 2500 km from Bergen to Kirkenes with over 30 stops. The Midnight Sun and the Northern Lights. Stave churches, beautifully preserved in wood, dating from Viking times, for example at Borgund, Lom, Ringebu and Urnes. Viking ships and artefacts, burial mounds and trinkets in museums throughout the country. The red, wooden houses perched stilts over the sea on the Lofoten Islands. The modern architecture of Oslo. Picking wild blueberries, sampling aquavit made from potatoes and caraway, and tasting reindeer steak with cranberries. The charm of Oslofjorden with its pretty, arty village and towns, harbours with sailing boats, islands offshore and beaches. Hike over the Jotunheimen and relish the natural landscape of this stunning National Park.
Cultural highlights of Norway
The architecture of stave churches dating from the Viking era and Viking treasure in museums around the country. The literature of Henrik Ibsen and Knut Hamsun. Folk tales and mythology. The music of Edvard Grieg and the art of Edvard Munch. Contemporary jazz and folk music.
Gastronomy of Norway
Norway’s gastronomy is a clear reflection of its land and sea. From the land come reindeer, venison, lamb, cured meats and potatoes of all types: boiled, roasted and fried. From the freshwater lakes and streams come salmon served grilled and smoked, and freshwater fish. Sea fish is a vast array of cod, haddock, shrimps, mackerel, fish soup, fish balls, salt cod. From the orchards particularly around the Hardangerfjord come apples, cherries and plums as well as berries of all sorts including blueberries, cranberries, bilberries and, a great delicacy, cloudberries. Cheeses include Jarlsberg and brown cheese. Coffee is almost certainly the national drink, followed by beer, of which there are all sorts of craft beers brewed locally, and Aquavit is the national spirit made from potatoes and caraway.
Facts in brief
Capital OsloAirport Oslo Gardermoen
Size 323,878 sq km
Population 4.4 million
