Norefjell Ski & Spa

The resort is fine, and some of us used the spa and thought it was Ok. But there are downsides to the location. As there are no shops within about 20 minutes by car/taxi, you are largely dependent on the two restaurants and prices are on higher side, as always for mountain restaurants. If skiing be aware that if it is windy (if often is as the ski area is exposed) some lifts will be closed and you can be left with just one short blue run to use, happened to us. The ski area itself is poor, of the advertised 30 slopes there were never more than 24 open and it fell as low as 17. Some of those shown on piste map did not appear to exist/be maintained.

We’ve just returned from a great holiday at Norefjell. Would definitely recommend it to family’s. I would recommend hiring a car if staying in the self catered apartments as there isn’t a shop at the resort. There is a supermarket at the bottom with will have everything you should need. We had a ski lesson and gave to say the staff are some of the most helpful ski instructors we have ever had and also spoke very good English which helped our 5 year old very much. It was nice to go to the pool in the evening after a day skiing as this was included in the stay.

Drive from airport is fine and you stop at a Supermarket for 30 minutes, so you can collect groceries, but if travelling on a Sunday, you can’t buy alcohol. Therefore your only option is to drink in the reception lobby area or the Matbaren restaurant. Which was £15 a pint. Shopping from Spar delivery. Had to order the Friday before we arrived on the Sunday. Arrived on time and already to collect on our arrival. However please check items.. I was given 36 eggs, hot chocolate I hadn’t ordered and it was very expensive for what we got. However, if you’re self catering, it’s the only option, other than the 30 mins stop at a Supermarket from the airport to resort. Tried to order more food on Monday for a Wednesday delivery, but was told 10am was the cut off, so no more opportunities to order food to the resort. There is a new taxi service at 200NOK pp, but we didn’t use this, so unable to comment.. Rooms are on the small side, but clean and have most essential items needed to cook. Smaller 2bed apartments do not have a microwave. No drying cupboard for wet clothes. No signs in the room, so we didn’t get housekeeping all week.. Shower leaked onto floor, but didn’t cause us any pain. Towel rail didn’t work, but once we reported it, they fixed it. Bedding and towels didn’t arrive till 17.00 & then you have to make the beds up yourselves. Ski shop ok, if there’s no more than 2 families wanting to get their ski gear. It’s small with very little seating, which is essential when trying ski boots on. The staff are very friendly & helpful and make the process smooth.. There’s just not enough space. Know your height & weight prior to arriving, as there is no equipment to measure this in the shop. Communication is poor. There are no details instructions in your room explaining where to take trash etc. No communication telling you if slopes/lifts are open or closed. They opened slopes for a night ski on one of the evenings, but we had no idea this was happening until we looked out of our window and saw the lifts had been reopened. I feel like this resort is new to Crystal Ski and the processes aren’t as smooth as they should be.. Google translate is essential in order to understand read menus/signs etc.. Slopes Only open 9.30-15.20 Not as much snow as there should be, so slopes closed and the ones that were open became icy very quickly.. Even after a good snow fall, the wind blows the snow off the slopes. Some of the blues are very intense and I’d say probably are on the verge of being reds.. If you are a beginner, the only slopes available are the 2 close to the resort.. There are greens over the other side, which aren’t easy to get too, but once you ski back, you can’t get back to the resort, unless you take a red slope or you take your skis on and walk up hill, which is possible, but hard work.. If certain lifts close due to windy weather, you are the limited to the couple of slopes near the hotel, as you are cut off from the rest of the resort, unless you walk, but it’s not walkable in ski boots.. Entertainment New Years Fireworks Amazing.. One of the best displays I’ve seen Also did fireworks at 8pm to ensure the younger children got to see them, which I thought was a nice touch and then again at midnight.. One evening there was live music and that was it for the week.. Once the lifts close, there is only walking & sledging(if you have a sledge) Swimming Pool Collect towels from reception Nice pool that gets very busy with a sauna & 2x jacuzzi’s which are pleasant.. Changing room is time and there are no individual cubical to get changed, you have to use the single toilet that’s available.. Matbaren Nice simple food.. 3 types of burgers 3 types of fries & several pizzas.. Fine for 1or 2 nights, but very minimal choice.. Didn’t eat at 815, so can’t comment Olympique Nice restaurant, lovely views. None of the restaurants are cheap or reasonably priced, but that’s Norway.. The location of this hotel is amazing, as the views are stunning and it’s very peaceful. The staff are very friendly and try to help as much as possible, but it is very isolated with little to do except ski and the skiing isn’t the best. You are also very limited on restaurant choices, so if self catering stick up prior to arriving at the hotel.

Stayed here between Christmas and just after NY. Overall the Hotel was very good, its has a lovely ambiance. The food was very good and plentiful. The rooms were great apart from one of the rooms we had which was quite dark with not enough lighting. It also had good amenities for the kids with the games rooms and climbing walls. For me the only downsides were the size of the changing rooms in the pool were way to small. It was like a tin of sardines during busy periods. Housekeeping seems an issue in that we put the signs out for the rooms to be cleaned but waited 2 days for them to do it. Even then all they did was empty the bins. Location - Ski In/Out is great and for beginners/kids as having the green run outside is brilliant, however it is outside of the main ski area and you have to ski over to the other side. The lifts were very busy and if they were closed then you really have no way of getting to the other runs. There seems to be limited food options around there for lunch also.

"Hotel factory" without service. We stayed 4 people - two adults and two children - in a suite at the hotel at the end of December. We had been looking forward to the stay based on the very nice descriptions on the hotel's website. However, our experience was a "hotel factory" without any service at all. We had 6 nights and at no time did we manage to get the room cleaned. Even though we had the "Please make up the room" sign on the door continuously for 5 days from day 2, it never happened. Additionally, we personally went to the reception three times and asked to have the room cleaned a bit - for example, empty the trash and just vacuum a little. Each time it was diligently noted at the reception - but nothing ever happened. Our kitchen hood didn't work - and twice we had to ask to have someone look at it. No one ever came to look at it - and in the end, I fixed it myself. The breakfast is really good - but otherwise, it is not a great dining experience. The "Matbaren" at the hotel makes very simple dishes, with a very limited selection, which is really boring. In general, the hotel is very worn out - and very impersonal. The hotel resembles an old cruise ship that has run aground in the Norwegian mountains. It is isolated, and there are no opportunities to buy even the smallest necessities once you have boarded. Therefore, make sure to buy some snacks and drinks before you head up to the hotel. The nearest supermarket is 25 minutes away by car - and it costs a toll fee of 85 NOK each time you drive down the mountain. There is a nice little children's slope at the hotel and the hotel has good facilities for ski in/out.