Rocking Norse
intermediates with only four classified as black (advanced). The runs are short and so are the lift ascents, making them ideal for children and less confident skiers, although there are only four chairlifts, the rest being button or T-bar drag lifts.
Geilo, in keeping with its reputation as a favourite of the wealthy, has some excellent hotels. On the same day as King Haakon VII opened the Bergen railway line, a Dr
Ingebrigt Holm opened the doors to guests at his nearby sanatorium for respiratory diseases, which is now a luxury hotel and spa, where we spent our visit.
Nicknamed the White Queen for its white-painted timber cladding, the Dr Holms Hotel has a colourful history. In the 1920s and 30s it became a magnet for rich city folk and visiting celebs. When the Nazis invaded Norway, it was used as accommodation for high-ranking German officers and as a maternity hospital for babies in the Lebensborn eugenics programme.
Reclaimed in 1945 by the Norwegian Resistance it resumed life as a hotel and has now been extended
with private apartments in addition to its 124 rooms.
It boasts a spa and pool, sports bar and even a tenpin bowling alley and American-style diner in addition to the atmospheric main bar and gourmet restaurant.
But beware, one of the rooms is rumoured to be haunted by the Grey Lady, a bride whose husband cheated on her with a chambermaid and killed herself. Luckily for guests, the ghost only haunts the hotel staff !
On the other side of town by the Vestlia ski lifts, there is another luxury hotel with a surprise in store.
The Vestlia Resort is stylishly modern with a stunning interior, spa and restaurant… it also houses the £35million Gundersen Collection of art and Norwegian peasant antiques, which includes graphics by Edvard “The Scream” Munch and Norwegian master Kai Fjell, a favourite of the hotel owner Pal Gundersen.
Children may be more interested in the pool, bowling alley and the huge soft play facility.
Geilo’s ski facilities came under new ownership in 2017 and a programme of upgrading is well under way.
Out on the slopes, there is a selection of themed restaurants. The upmarket Kikut Bistro, a short ski down from the top of the Kikutheisen Express chairlift, is a stylishly renovated traditional log building. Menu favourites include the Mont d’or Ham, melted cheese with cured ham, potatoes and cornichons (£44 for two), the K Burger (£19) and the Skagen Toast, grilled scampi on shrimp toast (£19).
On the Geilo side, the
Havsdalskroa restaurant serves excellent pizza and transforms into an apres-ski hub in the early evenings with live bands.
For a quirky coffee/hot chocolate stop don’t miss the Halstensgard Cafe, a slope-side hut decked out like a Norwegian granny’s house with vintage furniture and a cosy vibe. There’s soup and sausages but don’t miss the fresh waffles, home made to “Granny” Elin’s secret recipe and topped with jam or slices of local sweet brown whey cheese.
When the snow melts, this area is farming land and the resort promotes local produce including some world class, award-winning cheeses. I got
the chance to sample cow and goat’s cheeses made by local producers
Tim Reidar Stenberg and Jarle Rueslatten and they were so good I had to buy some!
With climate change making snow conditions in Europe less reliable, Norway could become more of an option. Crystal restarted charter flights to Oslo for the 2023/24 season and later this year is adding flights from Manchester.
It may not appeal to skiers who crave huge mileage or extreme descents and with beer at £8 for just over half a pint, it is no place to go on the lash. But it is ideal for families and those who want something different with no sign of snow shortages. It’s a white Christmas every
‘‘ It may lack the huge peaks of the Alps, but this is a true wilderness