Lodging and eats: Hotel Aak
A very cool historical hotel that has been hip-ly remodeled. We loved this hotel, it had many cozy areas to relax after a hike and great food. When we booked they didn’t have an online booking system, but I think they may now.
When we booked, the price we were quoted was per-person, because it included “full board”: breakfast, packed lunch, afternoon snacks/drink, and dinner. I assumed that this was the only option, but I think the “full board” was actually optional. So if you are not interested in having all meals at the hotel, you could explore that option! I believe you can also book dinner at the hotel even if you aren’t staying there.
Activities: The hikes we did here were:
Storaksla: A nice short hike we did when we got it, beautiful views for very little effort
Litlefjellet: Allegedly has great views, but it was so cloudy when we did it that all we saw was white
Romsdalseggen: We actually didn’t originally have this on our itinerary, but decided we could probably handle it! We are so glad we did, it was our favorite hike of the three big ones we did.
Driving into Åndalsnes, the mountain landscape became more extreme, with tall peaks all around- it reminded me a lot of Yosemite. We arrived in the early afternoon to a warm welcome at Hotel Aak, another historic hotel with super friendly staff (the nicest we encountered in Norway).
Welcome to Hotel Aak!
The only reason to come here is for the outdoor activities! It’s a very famous rock-climbing spot, but we stuck to hiking.
Our first day, we were still in recovery from Besseggen, but felt up for a short hike, and did one recommended by our hotel, which was flat and a little muddy, but led to beautiful views. Following that, we relaxed at the hotel and enjoyed a game of Ticket to Ride alongside a glass of wine.
Felt like the right moment for a “Sound of Music” twirl
Dinner at Hotel Aak is served at a communal table, and that night our companions were two Norwegian men who were there for some rock climbing, and who recommended that we do the well-known hike of the area": Romsdalseggen.
The loveliest dinner table
Our second day in Åndalsnes, we were hit with cloudy weather…we did another recommended sort hike, Litlefjellet, but all we could see was white clouds! Taking it as a sign to relax, we checked out the little town (which was pretty boring), then headed back to the hotel.
Not impressed by this vista.
Finally relaxing on this vacation!
Since it was a Friday, the hotel was much more crowded with Norwegians visiting for the weekend. We played some card games and then enjoyed another delicious Hotel Aak dinner where we met a Norwegian woman who had studied abroad in Lafayette, CA (Nick’s hometown)- what a small world!
Finally on Day 3 we were rested and recovered enough for another big hike! Romsdalseggen was one of my favorite hikes I’ve ever done- we got lucky with the weather, and were able to soak in some truly amazing views.
Going up!
We considered taking the “family route” for this hike, which bypasses the steepest climb, but when we reached the juncture, we saw everyone else going for the hard way, and I decided I could handle it! I’m really glad we did, because I don’t think the family route has the same views. We spent plenty of time at the top taking loads of photos and enjoying a PB&J.
This hike, like Besseggen, included a section where you have to use your hands to “climb” up the rock a bit. I felt a bit scared, but it looked worse than it was, and I’d already done something similar at Besseggen so felt more confident that I could do it!
One of the steep sections of the hike
While the ascent of this hike was steep, I found it manageable overall. The descent, however, was so so unpleasant. I’d read about it online and thought maybe people were exaggerating, but it was truly a knee-killer; a lot of it is through trees, so for most of the way, there aren’t any views that make it worth it. There is a gondola that you can take down instead, which I would 100% recommend- you don’t miss anything on the downhill!
The face of an unhappy downhill hiker.
After cleaning up and relaxing, we enjoyed one more group dinner at Aak, where we met a mother-son duo who told us a bit more about Norwegian life (and I was secretly hoping the woman would adopt me as her niece, she was so chic and stylish!).
Thank you Hotel Aak!