Hotel Union Øye

Hotel Union Øye was built in 1891 at the head of the Norangsfjord, where the Sunnmøre Alps drop almost sheer into the water, to serve the first wave of alpine tourists drawn by peaks such as Slogen. Its early guest book was extraordinary for a village of a few farms: Kaiser Wilhelm II, European royalty and pioneering British mountaineers all found their way to this remote wooden hotel, and its rooms still carry their names.

The 62° Nord group's restoration has kept the house defiantly of its era — no televisions, candlelit salons, canopied beds, William Morris-patterned walls — while quietly raising comfort and cooking to modern luxury standards. A garden bathhouse and cold-plunge into the fjord supply the Nordic wellness ritual.

Days here are about the landscape: hiking to Slogen or the Norangsdalen 'hidden valley', kayaking the mirror-still fjord, or driving the short distance to the Hjørundfjord ferry. Dinner is a set menu built on Sunnmøre seafood and mountain produce, taken by candlelight as the peaks darken outside. Union Øye is small, remote and deliberate — one of Europe's most transporting historic hotels.