Hygge, and its cousin kos, are Scandinavian concepts relating to warmth and coziness and making sure to spend quality time with family and friends. These hotels were bjørn to help.
Hygge hasn’t been a niche idea in quite some time. The Danish concept of slowing down and enjoying the smaller, quieter pleasures of life has been exported worldwide. Pronounced hoo-gah, you’ll find it referenced these days in everything from Target home furnishings to the latest TikTok trends. Americans especially are guilty of fetishizing the notion, so difficult it is for us to incorporate hygge into our stretched and stressful lives. So foreign is the idea that we have time to take our time.
But we need hygge more than ever. Or maybe we need kos. Kos is a Norwegian concept that’s similar to hygge, except it’s more active, more social, and more rooted in the outdoors. Comfort and coziness are key, just like with hygge, but in closer connection with nature and community. It’s bundling up around a bonfire with friends and a hot drink after a long day of skiing.
The hotels featured here can hand you both hygge and kos. They’re warm, inviting, and intimate, while also providing plenty of easy access to rugged outdoor activities and chances for snug merriment with your companions and fellow guests. Don’t just buy a pillow or a sweater online. Book a stay.
Lilløy Lindenberg
Herdla, Norway
A wild, rocky island in the North Sea is home to Lilløy Lindenberg, a beautifully restored, food-focused farmhouse hotel. The house’s four rooms are decorated in what they call an “antique Scandinavian folk style,” paired with judicious modern interventions as well as hand-made local crafts, and each one is as different as can be.
Boen Gård
Kristiansand, Norway
An old timber farm and sawmill that traces its earliest roots to the 16th century, the quaint Boen Gård has preserved its buildings, parks, and outdoor areas through careful restoration and ongoing maintenance — with a mission to guard this place’s special history. The restaurant operates almost entirely from ingredients grown (or caught) on site.
Storfjord Hotel
Aalesund, Norway
It doesn’t get much more picturesque than the Storfjorden, on Norway’s west coast, where the Storfjord Hotel sits surrounded by thousands of acres of protected woodland. It’s constructed in the traditional lafta style, with whole timbers, and the interiors are ruggedly elegant, furnished with antiques and classic Norwegian furnishings.
Nusfjord Village & Resort
Nusfjord, Norway
Nusfjord is among Norway’s oldest fishing villages, its harbor lined with red stilted “rorbuer” that once sheltered cod fishermen. Today, many of the cabins are reimagined as guest lodgings. The experience is both immersion and escape, a rare chance to inhabit Lofoten’s fishing past without losing sight of the present.
Bekkjarvik Gjestgiveri
Bekkjarvik, Norway
On the island of Austevoll, Bekkjarvik Gjestgiveri has welcomed travelers since the 17th century. What began as a stop for sailors and traders now stands as a family-run inn where heritage meets quiet refinement. Local seafood, garden-grown produce, and sea air shape the experience, a true taste of coastal Norway, steeped in history and craft.
Allinge Badehotel
Allinge, Denmark
On the island of Bornholm, a Danish territory in the Baltic Sea, you’ll find a low-key and unpretentious little boutique hotel that’s a perfect exemplar of Scandinavian hospitality at its coziest. Allinge Badehotel comprises just 24 rooms in a beautifully renovated 18th-century house, updated with furnishings and decorative elements by contemporary Danish designers.
Helenekilde Badehotel
Tisvilde, Denmark
From Kølpin Hotels, the boutique hospitality concern headed by former ballet dancer Alexander Kølpin, Helenekilde Badehotel mixes classic aesthetics — the building dates to 1896 — with high-end contemporary design. It wears its stylishness lightly, and its luxuriousness as well — expect fine taste, relaxed service, and an atmosphere of unhurried ease.
Hotel Union Øye
Norangsfjorden, Norway
At the end of a fjord and under the jagged peaks of the Sunnmøre Alps, Hotel Union Øye has been welcoming adventurers since 1891. Once the domain of visiting royals, writers, and explorers, the hotel still carries the charm of its original timber structure, shipped in piece by piece, and carefully restored. Evenings bring piano music, firelit lounges, and a menu that changes with the fjord.
Hotel Brosundet
Alesund, Norway
The picturesque port town of Ålesund, Norway isn’t exactly one of the world’s style capitals, but it’s got a very hip family-owned boutique hotel in the form of the atmospheric Hotel Brosundet. The classic building’s wood beams and original architecture remain in place, updated with contemporary interiors and cozy furniture — the lobby’s fireplace is a particularly inviting space.
Walaker Hotel
Solvorn, Norway
Walaker is the oldest family-run hotel in Norway, well into its fourth century in business. While all of the rooms share a certain family resemblance, they’re also influenced by the eras of the buildings that contain them. You won’t mistake it for a luxury hotel, but the comforts are substantial and coziness, as you’d expect in rural Norway, is a priority.
Hattvika Lodge
Ballstad, Norway
In the fishing village of Ballstad, Hattvika Lodge has converted traditional fisherman’s cottages into guest accommodations with mountain and sea access steps away. The property works directly with local fishers, ski touring guides, and sea kayak operators to arrange year-round activities, from winter aurora chases to summer midnight sun paddles.
Mark Fedeli is the hotel marketing and editorial director for Tablet and Michelin Guide. He’s been with Tablet since 2006, and he thinks you should subscribe to our newsletter.