Hindsæter Hotel, Hindsæter

This was an excellent holiday with plenty of variety and interest in the activites. The hotel was clean and comfortable and the staff were friendly and helpful. We loved Frost the dog! The food was excellent - particularly the evening meals which were outstandingly good and a real chance to sample some Norwegian specialities.

I cannot praise too highly this winter activities experience at Hindsaeter. The friendliness and competence of all the staff allowed everything to run smoothly. I doubt that I'll ever make anything more than an incompetent skier, but the snowshoe opportunities are amazing, even though we're no longer youngsters... the silence of the forests, wide open mountain expanses, and of course 'the kiosk' with the hot chocolate and waffles after the dogsledding. After a day on the snowshoes, if you preferred time for a snooze rather than recover in the wellness centre, the hot strong shower in the room was a boon. Dinner is an experience of its own. Karola and Andre obviously care very deeply that their food is first class in origin, presentation and above all taste. My sister and I ran out of superlatives ending with sublime! and can't wait to go back next year to experience it all again

Hindsæter: A hotel with local atmosphere and stunning food, though be aware that meals can take up to 2.5 hours. Rooms are small and quite dark with not enough room for two open cases, but the shower was good. There is a lovely lounge with good views but it's cold after dinner. Snow shoeing is great, as is the guided ice canyon walk, but we didn't feel it was a suitable location for beginners' cross country skiing, better for intermediates and experienced. The snow was sadly very poor so we weren't able to ski anyway. The best feature of this trip is that there are a number of activities if the snow isn't good.  There is a great café down the road, otherwise one is dependent on the hotel and there is no free tea or coffee so it's quite expensive. It's also good place to go if you like group activities. However, we preferred both Fefor and Sjusjoen and we will be back to those, whereas we wouldn't return to Hindsæter.

Tromsø: superb! We loved the hotel and its location on the waterfront and the food is very good, with no fuss about it. It's worth pointing out the free supper which is more than enough though they call it 'light'. There is plenty to see in Tromsø and we happily spent five days there. Dan and the Aurora tour are the highlight - we were very lucky as we saw them from the hotel for two nights but Dan took us up into the mountains where we saw a wonderful display. Guests should be aware that the trip can last a long time and I have never been so cold in my life despite the fire and the polar suit. It's worth walking over to the Arctic Cathedral and I loved the concert of northern music in the Tromsø Cathedral.

Inntravel note: These customers enjoyed our Nordic Experience holiday in Hindsæter followed by our Northern Lights Break in Tromsø.

Hindsaeter as a location was ideal, being set in a magnificent landscape which we shared only with the local wildlife, and cross country skiing/snowshoeing literally from the front door. The additional guided trips such as the ice canyoning were very memorable, providing access to sights/activities that we would not have found otherwise. Andre and Carola provided a welcoming and relaxed 'home' for the week - being able to come and go as we pleased meant that we were able to fill our days as we wished, mixing activities and maximising the amount of 'snow time'. The evening sledging was a great laugh - not to be missed! 

Best holiday we have ever had, the food was exceptional and the hotel was brilliant, will definitely return.

We had a wonderful holiday with the best food we have ever had in Norway. Every member of the staff team was friendly and helpful, the equipment was readily available and the included activities were most enjoyable and sometimes challenging.

Skiing turned out not to be for me but the days spent on snowshoes both guided and non guided were great.The visit to Ice canyon is brilliant and we loved the dog sledding. The breakfasts and coffee were good and being able to make up your own lunches from the buffet was great. Overall the hotel and everything else about the holiday were excellent .The only downside for me was the Nouvelle cuisine type dinners but I was in the minority with that. The price of alcohol (approx £45/£50 bottle of wine!) was prohibitive but that's par for the course in Norway.

Experiencing a winter holiday in central Norway in the heart of a wilderness area but with the rustic charm of the cosy Hindsaeter Hotel is so very different from the ski resorts of central Europe.  a really great week.

A very traditional hotel, a stunning location, excellent equipment and organised activities, plus the opportunity to explore the surrounding countryside, combined to make this a fantastic Nordic winter sports experience. We now want to go back and see it in the summer.

The location is really magical - a pristine environment, remote from civilisation. Staff were so friendly and helpful throughout the week. The food and activities were excellent - good mix, clear instructions and plenty of options.

Fantastic taster for proper winter with deep snow everywhere.  Great variety of activities, five days sounded short but we packed a lot in.

This was an extraordinary holiday: the combination of genuine Norwegian hospitality and food, the remarkable setting and amazing array of activities which we had not experienced before made this a wonderful week in a welcoming community.  

The ‘add on‘ stay in Oslo was a great introduction to Norway and definitely enhanced the holiday. There was plenty of daylight (first week in February) for all the activities in Hindsaeter. The ice canyon outing was a real highlight. The staff at Hindsaeter were particularly friendly and helpful and the food excellent (a vegetarian might struggle as the menu is set and always involves meat). A thermos is useful and good snow boots and a small backpack essential. There is a drying room on the ground floor so it was always possible to have damp layers dry by morning

Hindsaeter Hotel provides an excellent winter sports holiday giving you a chance to try different activities. We particularly enjoyed the ice canyon trip with our host Andre and dog Sala, Snowshoeing and optional dog sledding activity. Wonderful and creative food in the hotel and great to be able to make your own lucnh up. Just don't forget your thermos for coffee on the slopes !

We were total beginners to this type of holiday and although we are quite fit and active we are both of mature years.  Had we made a dreadful mistake in booking this holiday?  Absolutely not!  We had awonderful time in the most beautiful of places.  Karola, Andre and all of their staff were so friendly and helpful and the hotel has great charm.  The activities were terrific, especially the ice canyoning, and the food was sensational. It was pure magic to follow the trails amongst the birch and spruce with just animal tracks in the snow for company and experience the silence of our surroundings.  

Two practical tips - At your first dinner present your (named) thermos flask in preparation for collection at breakfast the following morning.  Take a couple of small plastic boxes for your packed lunches.

Every part of the holiday was a highlight. Just throw yourselves into the experience and you will have the best holiday.

The highlight of the holiday was the ice canyoning which was not without risk but well worth the effort.  The frozen waterfall was amazing.  The snow conditions were good for cross country skiing and the trails were well signed and adequately groomed though not on a daily basis.  For older complete beginners it is probably not an ideal place to start cross country ski-ing but there is always snow shoeing to fall back on.

We had the most amazing holiday and will definitely do this again.  Hindseter offered such a variety of things to do which was just what we were looking for and we would have no hesitation in recommending both the hotel and area to anyone.  It was the first time we had cross country skied and was therefore a surprise that it wasn't all flat.  I have downhill skied before but still found it challenging and in hindsight we should have just taken off our skis and walked down the hills - would have saved a few bruises!!  We are looking forward to choosing an area with more flat trails the next time but would also love to return to Hindseter in the future (and even in the summer) when we are a little more experienced. 

The canyon walk was outstanding, a definite "one-off" experience and not to be missed, Andre, our guide, was extremely experienced, informative and entertaining.  Every day at Hindseter brought a new high and finishing it off with two days in Oslo was definitely the right choice.

Thank you for arranging our fab holiday. We will go back I'm sure as there was excellent cross country skiing for all levels and enough for the week. It was a very restful holiday (despite skiing 15-23km per day!) after the busy-ness of life. One of the highlights for us all apart from the winter activities and crops-country skiing was the excellent food; it is worth going just for that!! 

This is the perfect holiday for anyone who dislikes crowds. The Hindsaeter is a small hotel in beautiful, unspoilt countryside, with the nearest neighbour about 2 kms away (a dog sledding outfit with cafe). The cross country skiing lesson was very good, but the trails are not ideal for complete beginners (too many slopes and bends) - better for improvers and up. However the walking is great, and you have the trails pretty much to yourself (on one walk we didn't see a soul for the entire time). The highlight of the week was Andre's guided walk through the ice canyon, which was brilliant; and rather to our surprise we really enjoyed lighting our own fire and frying reindeer burgers for one of our lunches! The evening meals were exceptionally good - four courses with a noticeable Nordic slant - we ate some things that we'd never had before, and it was all delicious. In summary, a delightfully Nordic and thoroughly enjoyable week.

Tip; if you want a bedtime or early morning cup of tea/coffee; bring a travel kettle. Ice canyoning was a wonderful day out to see spectacular scenery + ice formations along the frozen river valley. The hotel staff, + particularly the owners were so friendly, welcoming and helpful. The food was exceptionally high standard; fresh local produce where possible, beautifully presented. The scenery is amazing; ski trails going through pine woods, old birch woods, along river valleys and over mountain moorland. I'm looking forward to going back in the summer sometime to walk in the same area.

There is a lot to do in the valley and it is worth asking the team about special recommendations, they are passionate about sharing their love of the place with the customers. 

You should aim, if you can, to participate in one activity a day that was programmed by Inntravel and then go explore on your own. Plenty of time to do that!

The Hindsaeter hotel location was stunning. It was most welcome to be able to snowshoe or ski right from the hotel door. The surrounding countryside was more varied than we had expected - pine and birch forest, moorland, frozen river bed with good views of the surrounding mountains. Highlights incuded- Walk 4 in both directions, the ice canyon walk, and the excellent Norwegian style cuisine. The scenery and quiet isolation made for a most relaxing week.

Sjusjoen - the X-c skiing is safe and easy and great for older people like me who think they are getting too old for it! The Rustad Hotel is very, very comfortable and the staff very helpful. The journey from Oslo is very easy.

Hindsaeter - the food was excellent but overall the holiday was a little disappointing; not just the lack of good, fluffy snow but in comparison the Hotel lacked warmth (charm really). The lounges are not places to spend the evening (too large and cold) and as the guest rooms are quite small this is not ideal.