How do you squeeze a luxury hotel resort into a cabin?
Norway’s Fordypningsrommet, on the remote northern island of Fleinvær, has come up with the answer – “deconstructing” everything you’d want from high-end accommodation into a cluster of beautiful buildings scattered across an outstanding Arctic landscape.
The property consists of nine separate cabins, each serving a different purpose and all with spectacular views. There’s four for sleeping (the resort accommodates a maximum of 12 guests) one for cooking, a sauna and a bathhouse.
“We wanted to push the guests out in nature and the building tradition out there is really small houses,” owner Håvard Lund tells CNN Travel. “So therefore we quite quickly ended up with what we named a mono-functional theory of houses.”
Stunning landscape
The landscape is the main attraction and Fordypningsrommet has been designed to complement the awe-inspiring panoramas of sea and sky.
“I was raised in this area,” says Lund. “We have the horizon, we have all the mountains of the famous Lofoten archipelago. We have amazing views and therefore also amazing skies.”
The eco-friendly, transportable cabins have with floor-to-ceiling windows to showcase the region’s sunrises and sunsets.
“Mindlessness”
The combination of dramatic landscapes and stunning architecture ensures a peaceful, tranquil ambiance – helping guests unwind.
“So many people today talk about mindfulness, but this is the base for mindlessness. You come into another state of mind very quick,” says Lund.
The isolated island adds to this unhurried atmosphere: “We don’t have any cars, no roads, no shops,” says Lund. “So it works very well for people – both for people who are into a piece of work, and for people who come out only to relax.”
Fordypningsrommet also hosts regular artists in residence. Potential applicants can apply online.
Lund is a musician himself and he designed the property to help inspire fellow artists.
“I work as a musician and a composer and something happens to you or to all your senses when you come out in the sea,” he says. “Your appetite gets better, you hear better.”
Rewarding experience
Lund says he wants guest to fully engage with the experience of being on Fleinvær.
“We don’t want to be a hotel where people come just because it’s on their bucket list,” he says.
An additional attraction of Fleinvær is the Northern Lights which, due to the northerly latitude, regularly make stunning appearances.
The open design of the cabins allows visitors to admire the Aurora from inside.
While the hotel is appealingly “off-grid,” Fordypningsrommet also provides a “host” to cater for the needs of guests and help with the sauna.
With Fordypningsrommet already a success, Lund and his team are looking to their next project.
“The Norwegian art council has given money because of a crazy project which is an underwater house,” he says.