The West Coast Fjord Country - Norway - page 314

MODERATE
Hotel Vestlia This isn't a fancy hotel, but it keeps guests coming back. It's
almost a kilometer ( 1 ⁄ 2 mile) east of the train station, 180m (600 ft.) from the ski
lifts and cross-country slopes. Although originally built in the 1960s, it was dra-
matically transformed and updated in the 1990s with a major overhaul. Since
then, it's been supplemented by ongoing improvements to keep it up-to-date.
The regular guest rooms are furnished in an attractive ski-chalet style with lots of
wood; some large family rooms, with four beds, cost the same as regular rooms.
All the bathrooms come equipped with tub/shower combinations. About half the
accommodations are in comfortable annexes scattered about the grounds. In
addition to its obvious allure to skiers, the hotel is a good summer choice—guests
can go hiking, boating, or horseback riding nearby. Live dance music is provided
almost every evening year-round except Sunday. There's also a playroom for kids.
N-3580 Geilo. & 32-08-72-00. Fax [phone]. www.vestlia.no. 75 units. 990NOK-2,490NOK ($141-$354)
double including full board. AE, DC, MC, V. Free parking. Amenities: 3 restaurants; bar; indoor heated pool;
golf course; tennis court; fitness center; sauna; playground; babysitting; laundry service/dry cleaning; solarium;
rooms for those w/limited mobility. In room: TV, minibar.
WHERE TO DINE
Most visitors to Geilo eat in their hotels, but here are a few additional options.
Hallingstuene NORWEGIAN/INTERNATIONAL Set within a
red-painted antique house near the railway station, this is the most elegant
restaurant in Geilo. It's also the most famous, thanks to its chef/owner, Frode
Aga, who appears frequently on Norwegian television. You'll dine surrounded by
dozens of old-fashioned landscapes in an atmosphere evocative of a mountain
cottage in a Norwegian forest. Menu items, many of them composed from
locally available ingredients, manage to be simultaneously elegant and rustic.
Examples include grilled mountain trout; carpaccio of reindeer; and an old-fash-
ioned starter, rake fiske, which consists of boiled mountain trout that's marinated
(or preserved) for 3 months in a mixture of salt brine and sugar. Main courses
include a pungent version of grilled filets of either venison or reindeer, served in
a wine-flavored game sauce, with forest mushrooms. Dessert might be a delicacy
like boiled and sweetened cloudberries with vanilla ice cream.
Geiloveien 56. & 32-09-12-50. Reservations recommended. Main courses 250NOK-310NOK ($36-$44).
AE, DC, MC, V. Tues-Sun 5-10pm (until 11pm Sat).
Ro Kro NORWEGIAN This cafeteria is one of the most affordable
restaurants in town. Daily offerings include salads, sandwiches, pastas, stews,
and grills. Unlike many cafeterias in Norway, this one maintains a full bar and
a selection of beers.
In the Ro Hotell, Geiloveien. & 32-09-08-99. Reservations not accepted. Main courses 60NOK-125NOK
($8.50-$18). AE, DC, MC, V. Daily 9am-8 or 10pm, depending on business.

Kids

Value

10 Fjaerland: Artists & Mountaineers ™
62km (37 miles) S of Olden
Without road connections until 1986, Fjaerland lies along the banks of the
Fjaerlandsfjord, a scenic branch of the greater Sognefjord. Its population of 300
hearty souls hasn't changed considerably since the Viking Age. Many of its most
stouthearted citizens emigrated to America at the turn of the 19th century.
The center of the Fjaerland is a section called Mundal, with a church, school,
shops, and accommodations. Its population, incidentally, is the most well read
in Scandinavia, so it's not surprising that Fjaerland is called “the book town of