Juvet Landscape Hotel, Norway

Caleb Smith, a programmer at a huge Internet company, wins a contest that enables him to spend a week at the private estate of Nathan Bateman. 

Sound familiar? It's the awesome 2014 Alex Garland movie 'Ex Machina' starring Alicia Vikander and Oscar Isaac, and its partly filmed in the stunning 'Juvet Landscape Hotel' in Alstaad, Norway. 

Its to be the location for one of my first holiday's for over a year - a New Years Resolution to travel more. 

Booking the hotel cannot be done online, instead its done by hopping over to the hotel's website and emailing Knut (the hotel owner), no deposit, just an agreement with him directly of your arrival time and date, and how long you wish to stay. 

I had tried this the previous winter, but, unsurprisingly he was fully booked. 

First impressions, were that this felt personal, it felt unique, it wasn't like googling a package holiday, it felt special. 

Don't take a taxi

The trip was off to a very sweaty palmed start, as I grabbed a taxi from Alesund airport, and began the trip to the remote hotel.  We had barely left the carpark when i glanced at the metre, it was already at 200 NOK (£20).. a quick google maps check, oh - we were 2 hours from the destination.. gulp! 

In hindsight there had been several ft of snow recently, and even the taxi driver struggled to stop us going sideways for parts of the journey across the winding roads, snaking around fjords and under mountains, perhaps renting a car wouldn't have been such a good idea after all. 

The View

It's like nothing I had ever witnessed.  When I arrived at around 7pm, it was getting dark, the snow had turned everything white (obviously), making it practically impossible to take a picture, as you couldn't even make out trees or mountains, and the clouds were so low they covered the top 50% of the mountain anyway. 

Each morning, afternoon, and evening, I would just stop, and perform my own human 360 degree view, no phone, just me, taking in the breathtaking landscape.  Including the modern buildings designed by master architects Jensen & Skodvin that seem to fit seamlessly into this rugged rural un touched panoramic view. 

From speaking to the team (we will talk about them soon), their favourite time to consume the landscape is in the autumn, 'you get to see the amazing changing of the seasons', the colours, and the long nights.

I must admit I feel like I missed a small portion of the experience due to the snow, although each morning, more river, trees, and rocks would appear as the snow melted each night, creating an ever changing environment, perfect for peaceful walks and lazy mornings in the comfort of the steam room or hot tub.

The food 

It is beyond doubt one of the highlights of the hotel, Chris the head chef, is not only one of the nicest guys you will meet, but the food is magnificent. 

Locally sourced ingredients, all being brought to you with an accompanying story of where is was sourced, why, and what makes it so special, are all part of the nightly routine. Not a night went by when I wasn't pleasantly overwhelmed by each course. 

Whether is was the chicken broth in the afternoons, the whale starter, or the reindeer main course in the evenings, each looked, and sounded, as good as it tasted. 

You need to pay an additional 600 NOK on top of your room for a three course evening meal, but this is all part of the experience and you shouldn't be without - you WILL regret it if you miss out. 

The team 

I was the only person in the entire hotel for 4 of my 5 nights, and has the privilege of experiencing the service, food, facilities and landscape without anyone else (Oh this is how I later justified the £300 taxi fair to and from the airport haha - sweaty palms just thinking about it)

I also managed to share the table with Knut one evening, the story of the hotel's inception is an inspiration, an ex mathematics teacher turned hotelier, his aim was to create a retreat for like minded individuals to enjoy the natural beauty of Norway in the day, and gather around a communal dinner tables to engage in conversation in the evening.

But what I found more impressive was the team Knut had managed to create around him, they were ambassadors of him and his vision for the hotel, ambassadors for the hotel, but mostly, ambassadors for Norway, championing its natural beauty and its culinary delights. 

The hotel

In between savouring the views, the food, and the people, I'd almost forgotten about the hotel itself. 

From the fantastic architecture that sat in between trees and mountains like it had been there for 100's of years, to the way that what started as small two person rooms, evolved into additional some single rooms (birdhouses), plus a conference building, and soon, a three bedroom house, each with its own unique vista on the surrounding landscape.  The hotel was a masterpiece. 

Each room is simply designed on the inside and out, warm heating and comfortable beds are there, but everything is overwhelmed by the huge glass walls installed in each to allow you to feel like you wake up actually in the trees. 

The nightly trek through snow to the communal barn where dinner is served each night, allows one last glimpse of the sunsets, and the morning trek to the chilled house containing lounge, steam room, and hot tub (outside) is a joy each day. 

Trust me - plug in your iPhone and listen to Bach's Unaccompanied Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major, look out on the river neck deep in hot water, and you will feel like nothing in the world matters.

On leaving the hotel, the team prepared me a sandwich, wrapped it up in brown paper, with an apple, and left it in the main dining room, so I could enjoy on my trip to the airport. It's small but powerful acts like this that will be my lasting memory of the Juvet Landscape Hotel, I'll see you soon!