Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
partially destroyed in a fire, and when it was rebuilt about a year later, an archi-
tecturally daring, asymmetrical annex was added a few steps away to house the
conventional double rooms. What you'll see today is a trio of red-painted, wood-
sided buildings, one of which is exclusively devoted to the housing of the hard-
working staff. The more comfortable lodgings are within the artfully minimalist
conventional bedrooms, each of which has wood paneling and a no-frills decor
that goes well with the sometimes-savage climate outside. The hotel is the cen-
terpiece for a network of up to 22 different hiking, climbing, and cross-country
ski trails. Those that are clearly marked don't usually require a guide; those that
are not marked shouldn't be attempted by novices on their own. The dining
room serves hearty, two-fisted food, flavorful and plentiful, appropriate fuel for
the aggressive mountaineering that many of the clients of this place come to do.
N-6877 Fortun. & /fax 57-68-08-00. Fax 57-68-08-01. www.turtagro.no. 19 units, plus 50 dormitory-style
beds in a nearby outbuilding. 905NOK ($129) per person double; 495NOK-570NOK ($70-$81) per person for
bed in dormitory-style outbuilding. Rates include full board. AE, DC, MC, V. Closed Oct-Mar. Amenities:
Restaurant; bar; babysitting; laundry service. In room: No phone.
Vågå Hotel Country comfortable, big-windowed, and well respected,
this is the only hotel, and one of the most oft-recommended restaurants, in the
hamlet of Vågå, where about half of the county's population of 4,000 people
live. Substantial-looking and solid, it was originally built in the 1950s, then
enlarged and radically reconfigured twice, in the 1960s and again in the 1970s.
Its interior is cozy and richly paneled, in ways that make it seem older than it
actually is, with local pine. A fireplace, completely sheathed in heat-conductive
ceramic tile, throws off a welcome midwinter heat. The comfortably furnished
but rather minimalist bedrooms are small to midsize, each with a bathroom with
shower. There's a large indoor swimming pool, the kind you can swim laps in.
The staff is well versed in the outdoor sporting options of every season that are
available within the region. Since the local downhill ski lifts are about 32km
(20 miles) away, this hotel attracts fewer downhill skiers than cross-country
skiers, who have trail options within the surrounding countryside.
N-2680 Vågå. & 61-23-95-50. Fax 61-23-95-51. www.vagahotel.no. 51 units. 890NOK ($126) double. Rates
include breakfast. AE, DC, MC, V. From Lom, drive 32km (20 miles) east, following Rte. 15 and the signs to
Otta. Amenities: Restaurant; 2 bars; indoor pool. In room: TV (in some).
WHERE TO DINE
Fossheim Restaurant NORWEGIAN Set within the cozy, old-fash-
ioned dining room of the Fossheim Turisthotell (see above), amid a scattering of
19th-century Danish and Norwegian antiques, this is the most famous and well
recommended restaurant in the region. It owes much of its renown to head chef
Kristofer Hoyland, whose imaginative use of local fish and game has been pub-
licized, thanks to local and national newspapers, throughout Norway. Despite
frequent modernizations, at least some of the building's original late-19th-cen-
tury character remains, including lavish use of pinewood paneling and big-win-
dowed views of the mountains and the local stave church. Main courses vary
with the seasons, yet all are redolent of the bracing mountain climate of central
Norway. The best examples include baked wild salmon served with fresh veg-
etables and a creamy sauce; whole fried mountain trout served with herbs and a
sour cream sauce; and award-winning versions of reindeer filet and breast of wild
ptarmigan served pinky-rare, each with a creamy game sauce that's enriched with
wild mushrooms.
N-2686 Lom. & 61-21-95-00. Reservations recommended. Fixed-price menus 300NOK-1,250NOK
($43-$178). AE, DC, MC, V. Daily 1-3pm and 7-10:30pm (until 9pm in winter).
Value
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