Walaker – Norways oldest hotel
One of my best hotel experiences so far came from the little gem of a hotel called Walaker hotel. It’s located in the tiny hamlet of Solvorn, right on the Lustrafjord, which is an arm of the longest fjord in Norway, Sognefjorden.
Walaker hotel is Norway’s oldest hotel, and it dates back to 1640. The current owners are the 9th generation from the same family to run a hotel here in Solvorn.
We were visiting Walaker hotel outside of the tourist season, in the middle of the week so it wasn’t busy. I had looked forward to this stay for a very long time, and could not wait.
Historic rooms
The whole main building of the hotel is very old and the rooms are kept in tradition with the style, but with all mod cons obviously. They do have an annexe with a little more modern style.
We had booked the «second best» rooms, since my husband’s work was paying for the room. But those historic rooms were one of the main reasons to stay there, so we had to splurge.
All the rooms are different, so I was extremely happy that upon check-in, I was given two keys and the possibility to check out the rooms and decide for my self which one we wanted to stay in.
What a treat! They were both beautiful, but it was easy to pick the corner room with views of the garden and the fjord.
The bathrooms were an inspiration for us when we later renovated our own bathrooms in an oldfashioned style.
Gourmet food
We enjoyed a drink in the garden before the 4 course dinner served in the dining room at exactly 7 pm.
Ole Henrik Nitter Walaker is the 9th generation from the same family running the hotel since 1640. It’s the oldest one still operating in Norway.
Waffles
The next day, I sat in the reception area to work while my husband went along for his job. I helped my self to the waffles from the breakfast buffet and raved about them to the cook who was passing by. -Do you want the recipe, she asked. Eh, of course, yes please! I said.
So to this day I still have the hand written waffle recipe from Walaker hotel in my recipe collection. It does not taste as good in Oslo as it did at Walaker, but this whole experience makes that hotel stay one of the most memorable ever. Can’t wait to go back there again!
Activities
There are a lot of things to do in the area if you want to move about and not just lounge in the garden with a cold beverage.
Right across the emerald green fjord is one of Norways finest stave churches, Urnes. It dates back to around 1130 and it is one of the oldest and finest remaining churches of this kind in Norway. The church has spectacular wood carvings and decorations both inside and outside. It was placed on the UNESCO world heritage list in 1979.
The region also offers hikes in the mountains, visits to fruit farms where they produce excellent apple cider, visit to glaciers and kayak on the fjord. Read more about it on the hotel web page.
Norway in a Nutshell can also be done not far from Walaker. It’s a great way to get the best of Norway in a day.
On the other side of the fjord you can find Undredal with Norway’s smallest stave church and famous brown cheese.
Følg Catrines reiser på Facebook og Instagram for å få med deg nye innlegg.
Seville is hot
