I recently took my wife to Norway for her 40th birthday, as she's always wanted to see the Northern Lights. Booked with Ryan Air to fly to Oslo Torp and then flights with Norwegian the following day to Tromso for 2 nights hunting the lights before returning to Oslo for a final night prior to our flight home to Stansted. However, we weren't that impressed with Oslo and found this little gem through a google search and are really chuffed that we did. I chose the area as it meant that we could avoid another night on Oslo and be nearer Torp airport. Although, the journey from Holden Ferry terminal to Andebu is not as simple as certain websites or the map makes it look as you have to first get a bus to Tonsberg and then to Andebu.
The hotel itself is in an area steeped in beauty and history. The owners explained that there was a POW camp close by, which held Russian soldiers and that the hotel was used by the German officers.
The owners are absolutely fantastic, we were the only guests on the night that we stayed but they made us feel really welcome. We arrived late at night, by bus, and they came to collect us from the main road, about a 10 minute drive. After checking in, we went down to the annex to relax after a long days travelling and enjoyed a well earned bottle of wine from their cellar, expensive but lovely; like everything in Norway.
The rooms were more like hotel rooms than many of the similar places we looked at which have a 'hostel' feel about them. The following morning we woke to see the true beauty of this area. Absolutely stunning. I really wish that I'd arranged for a couple of days to explore this area and will return again to do just that.
