Remote Scandinavian hotels that will blow your mind

When Scandinavians want to escape city life, many flock to tranquil lakes and snow-covered mountains, seeking solitude in the great outdoors. This – in addition to the clean lines and minimalist design aesthetic that they are known for – is why this Nordic region is the vanguard in elevating a humble cabin into an architectural wonder.

From a treetop hideaway in Sweden to a groundbreaking sustainable hotel next to a glacier in Norway, these future-looking stays all share similar principles, fusing high-concept architecture with deliberately stripped-back interiors that don’t detract from their splendidly remote surroundings.

Some appear deceptively simple in their choice of natural materials and structure; others are more obviously bold and brave, referencing local traditions of the past in a new, exciting way.

1. Arctic Bath, Harads, Sweden

The 19th-century tradition for transporting timber on the Lule River: that was the starting point for architect Bertil Harström when he designed this extraordinary holistic wellness hotel which opens mid-January. “Often when the timber was being transported to the coast it would get stuck in the rapids, causing a log jam; it could be a really interesting structure, so we took that as a motif,” he explains. Made from pine and spruce, the ring-shaped building is designed to float above the water in summer and become part of the frozen landscape in winter (activities at this time of year include husky sledding and snowmobile rides).

There are six rooms within it, and another six on land with spiky roofs that nod to the tools used to pull the logs apart; all are full of natural stone, leather and iron details, and Swedish-designed furniture. In the restaurant, Sami dishes made with locally sourced ingredients are on the menu, while in the spa, guests will be encouraged to try traditional sauna rituals, ending with a quick dip in the ice-cold river.

From 9,600 Swedish krona (about £780) for a floating room; from 10,500 SEK (about £855) for a land room; arcticbath.se

2. Svart Hotel, Meloy, Norway

It’s not due to open until 2022, but the ambitious aims of this energy-positive hotel at the foot of Svartisen, the second largest glacier on the Norwegian mainland, are already causing a stir. Snohetta architects (working with owner-developer Miris) began by mapping the movement of the sun’s radiation: the result is a circular wood-and-glass building on V-shaped poles in the Holandsfjord, topped with solar panels (energy consumption will be roughly 85 per cent lower than modern hotels), and with integrated terraces that shade the 99 rooms (meaning no need for  air con in summer).

“Being energy positive is all-encompassing,” says Snohetta architect and project lead Rikard Jaucis. “The geometry of the building is optimised to ensure plus-energy harvest and Svart will employ heat-pump technology to generate thermal energy from the fjord.” A boardwalk underneath will lead to a floating inner platform for cooking classes, yoga under the midnight sun and, in winter, warming fireside drinks after days spent ice climbing and trekking.

Room rates released in 2020; svart.no

3. Juvet Landscape Hotel, Valldal, Norway

“The whole concept is about putting contemporary design – these eye-opening, minimalist buildings with clean, straight lines – into nature,” says owner Knut Slinning of Juvet Landscape Hotel. Its seven secluded “Landscape” rooms and two more basic “Bird Houses” are scattered through a forest on an old farm estate less than an hour east of Alesund. The former are really just glass and timber cubes on stilts with dark, pared-back interiors; the latter, tiny 86 sq ft cabins inspired by traditional Norwegian log houses.

All were designed by architect Jan Olav of Oslo-based practice Jensen & Skodvin, and built without cutting down trees – which explains their positioning and the differing but equally soul-soothing valley and river views. In complete architectural contrast, meals take place in a cosy, restored 100-year-old barn (the cow shed is now the dining room, the pigsty the kitchen) and there’s a Bath House spa for a post-ski soak in the hot tub.

Landscape rooms 3,700 Norwegian kroner (about £316) a night for two people, including breakfast; Bird Houses 2,500 NOK (about £213) a night for two people, including breakfast; juvet.com

4. The Arctic Hideaway, Fleinvaer archipelago, Norway

Set on the car-and-shop-free island of Sorvaer in the Fleinvaer archipelago, this collection of 10 rustic cabins is the brainchild of jazz musician and composer Håvard Lund, whose vision was to create a place for artists – or anyone – to come and be inspired by nature (several residences take place throughout the year). Half the cabins are for sleeping; the rest comprise a bath house for showering, a changing room, a chill-out space with a piano, a sauna on the pier and a kitchen-dining area with a fully stocked help-yourself pantry, where guests can whip up their own meals.

Designed by TYIN Tegnestue Architects and Rintala Eggertsson Architects, each timber dwelling is raised off the ground on steel columns (the taller, narrow units have bunk beds; others twin beds) with interior plywood walls and large picture windows. Activities – sea eagle safaris, hiking, fishing – can be arranged but most simply come here to take in the tranquil, natural beauty.

From 2500 NOK (£213) per person, per night, including all food; thearctichideaway.com

5. Bergaliv, Vallsta, Sweden

When lawyer Staffan Michelson was looking for a piece of forestry land to invest in, he came across an abandoned slalom slope for sale overlooking Asberget Mountain in northern Sweden and knew it was just the spot to build four cabins. His architect daughter, Hannah, came on board and the first, Loft House, opened in 2017 (the second is slated for spring).

The 32ft-tall pine and spruce structure – which was based on traditional harbre buildings used to store grains – has a top deck to make the most of the valley views, and, below that, an open-plan 150 sq ft space with an L-shaped window seat, a kitchenette, and two futon mattresses that hang on the wall during the day. “The idea is simplicity; we wanted nature to talk and the house to be silent,” says Michelson, citing Japanese aesthetics as another design reference.

2,325 SEK (£189) per person per night, based on two people sharing, including breakfast in the Loft House and use of the Orbaden Spa & Resort; bergaliv.se/en

6. The Retreat Hotel at Blue Lagoon, Grindavik, Iceland

It was the natural formation of the once-molten lava plain on the Blue Lagoon’s south bank that determined the location of this sleek, low-rise 62-suite hotel, which opened last year. Founder of Basalt Architects Sigridur Sigthorsdottir worked to the guiding principle that the grey concrete, rusted metal and jatoba wood building should feel at one with the landscape.

All suites come with floor-to-ceiling windows: those on the upper level look out onto a moss-covered horizon, while on the ground floor, the best have a wooden platform and steps down to a private section of the mineral-rich waters for bathing. The slate and warm timber colour palette continues inside, complemented with tonal B&B Italia furniture. There’s also a cocooning subterranean spa, daily yoga sessions and guided adrenalin-pumping hikes, and the Michelin Guide-recommended Moss restaurant, where the seven-course set menu is a reimagining of Icelandic dishes.

Lava Junior Suite and Moss Junior Suite from 162,000 Icelandic krona (£1,010); bluelagoon.com

7. Vipp Shelter, Lake Immeln, Sweden

Danish design brand Vipp might be best known for its original 1939 pedal bin (now in MoMA’s collection), but these days the company has an entire range of products, including furniture, modular kitchens and a Swedish holiday cabin in the woods. The premise is simple: a black steel box elevated off the ground with a wall of sliding glass doors to blur the boundary between outside and in.

“We’ve deliberately used dark grey tones inside so that nature is the focus,” says chief designer Morten Bo Jensen, listing fishing and summer canoeing on Lake Immeln among the activities available. Two chambers rise from the roof: one is a skylight above part of the open-plan kitchen and dining area, the other is a mezzanine loft where guests climb a ladder to bed and lie under a window looking up at the stars – magic. And, as you’d expect, everything from the sculptural pendant lights to the organic cotton towels is by Vipp.

From €1,000 (£854) for two nights; vipp.com

8. The 7th room at Treehotel, Harads, Sweden

All the rooms at the Treehotel in Swedish Lapland – which include a mirrored cube, a bird’s nest and a UFO – have been designed by renowned Scandinavian architects. The latest addition, which opened in 2017, is The 7th Room by Snohetta architects: a charred, timber-clad cabin suspended on columns 32ft above the ground within the pine canopy and with views of the Lule River. Inside, birch plywood walls and blonde wooden furniture make a light contrast to the dark exterior.

There are two bedrooms with floor-to-ceiling windows and skylights, and a “Northern Lights Lounge” (an ideal spot for watching the Aurora Borealis) with a pellet-burning stove, and a glass door opens on to a double-layered net terrace.

The 7th Room costs 15,000 SEK (£1,223) a night during high season, 12,500 SEK (£1,019) in low season; treehotel.se

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