Hattvika Lodge

A rorbu that has been rebuilt rather than merely repainted, with a restaurant and breakfast on site and guided trips leaving from the door, in a fishing village rather than a resort. Guests rate it 9.2 across 517 reviews, the largest body of opinion in this group.

Couples and small groups who want a cabin with a kitchen and a restaurant both within reach, and active travellers using the lodge's guided kayaking, hiking, paddling, photography and ski touring. Families fit the larger Sørbua and Nordbua cabins, though no cot is available.

The arrival window is unusually tight: check-in runs from 16:00 to 17:00 only, check-out from 10:00 to 11:00, and the lodge asks for an arrival time in advance. Neither a cot nor an extra bed is available. Pets are refused. Upper floors in the cabins are reached by stairs only, though some units sit entirely on the ground floor. Booking conditions vary by unit, and extra terms apply when more than two units are booked together. A transfer from the airport can be arranged, though the lodge says only a few are available and recommends hiring a car, because it considers public transport around Lofoten difficult.

Booking.com lists eight bookable units, each named for its building: Sørbua #1, 95 m², eight beds; Sørbua #2, 85 m², eight beds; Nordbua #1, 50 m², four beds; Nordbua #2, 65 m², six beds; Nordbua #3, 78 m², four beds; Nordbua #4, 50 m², three beds; Myklebustbua #1, 35 m², one bed; Myklebustbua #2, 34 m², one bed. Bedrooms are laid out with two single beds each. The lodge's own site counts twenty-six units altogether — sixteen rorbu cabins and ten free-standing rooms at Hattvika Hillside — with modern bathrooms and fitted kitchens throughout, so more is available than Booking.com shows. Private bathrooms, linen and towels are provided; some units have an additional bathroom and toilet. No cot or extra bed is offered.

Some units are entirely on the ground floor; upper floors in the cabins are reached by stairs only. Booking.com makes no wheelchair-access claim.

Free WiFi, free private parking and three electric-vehicle charging points. Kitchens with a dishwasher, oven, hob, fridge, kettle and kitchenware in the cabins, with a kitchenette, minibar and coffee machine in some units. A restaurant is on site, with packed lunches and wine available, and there is a picnic area. Balconies, patios, terraces and outdoor furniture are listed, with sea outlooks. Heating, hardwood floors, drying racks, hairdryers and radios. The lodge is non-smoking and family rooms are available.

Restaurant FANGST is at the lodge, which the property confirms when guests ask about eating nearby. Breakfast is served and appears among the things guests mention most. Packed lunches and wine are listed. The cabins have their own kitchens, and the nearest shop, a Joker, is 400 metres away.

Hattvikveien 14 at Ballstad, the tettsted Kartverket registers in Vestvågøy municipality, about 340 metres from the lodge. The guide measures 0.3 km in a straight line to Ballstad, so this is the village itself, arranged around Hattvika harbour with sea outlooks from the units.

Booking.com gives Leknes Airport as 12 km away, Å as 70 km and Svolvær as 79 km. The lodge tells guests arriving at Bodø that they can fly on to Leknes, a quarter of an hour's drive away, or take the ferry to Svolvær or Moskenes and drive about an hour from either. It arranges airport transfers on request, saying only a few are available, and recommends hiring a car. A Joker shop is 400 metres away, five minutes on foot.