A Luxury Place to Stay on Bergen’s Historic Waterfront

We love hotels. Nice ones, that is.

Our Viking Ocean cruise was coming to an end, and we were getting off the beautiful Viking Star to stay for a few days in Bergen, Norway.

The bar had been set. 

Would the Hotel Havnekontoret in Bergen be as nice as the ship?

Hotel Havnekontoret

We only had a nugget of an idea, because we hadn’t come across any reviews about the hotel in Travel & Leisure, Conde Nast Traveler, travel blogs – or anywhere really, other than TripAdvisor.

The little we knew is that the hotel (full name, the Clarion Collection Hotel Havnekontoret), rated highly by TripAdvisor guests, is considered one of the best hotels in Bergen.

We needn’t have worried though.

The Clarion Havnekontoret turned out to be very nice indeed! (Actually, we can go so far as to say it’s one of our favorite charming hotels in Europe.)

Clarion Havnekontoret location

Right on the bustling waterfront (just across the road from the pedestrian promenade around the central Vagen harbor), this Bergen hotel is within stumbling distance of Bryggen.

We say “stumbling” literally because the streets are cobbled – perfect high heel traps!

Good reason to wear “sensible” walking shoes in Bergen :-).

Bryggen

Bryggen, if you don’t know, is the UNESCO World Heritage Site with those colorful wooden houses you see on postcards of Bergen.

It’s jammed with skinny wooden warehouses and buildings dating back to the 14th and 15th centuries, when the town was an important trading center in the Hanseatic League.

Airport bus

Another thing to note about the hotel’s location: The airport bus stops right outside the  Havnekontoret Hotel– super convenient, eh?

The bus, which comes every 10 to 15 minutes, is quick as well as being cheap. (It only made a couple of other stops after we hopped on to catch our plane to fly back home.)

Must-do in Bergen: Be sure to visit the Edvard Grieg Museum – you’ll be enchanted!

Funky interiors (in a good way)

Inside, the 116-room Hotel Havnekontoret will make you smile.

There’s also a narrow circular staircase to a tower on the roof.

Apparently you can sit up there in the open air and watch the sunset over the water – just ask for the key to the tower. (Unfortunately, in trying to see all we could in Bergen, we completely forgot to check out the tower for ourselves.)

Rooms

Guest rooms have very high ceilings and parquet wood floors (we peeked into several).

Our “Deluxe Double” room had chocolate-colored, leather-like wall paper covering the wall behind the king-size bed.

A wonderful bay window with lead-paned windows looked out over the waterfront – inset with a cushioned settee beneath a purple glass chandelier.

Thick velvet-and-silk drapes hung down over one bare wall and another wall was adorned with a gigantic silver-framed mirror.

The most whimsical feature was the sliding glass privacy screen separating the bathroom from the bedroom.

Decorated with footprints in the sand, it reminded us of the little sand-colored footprints in our own “Sand In My Suitcase” logo. (See the two little feet at the top of this post? Don’t you think they’re cute?)

If you’re modest, be aware that some guests lament on TripAdvisor about the lack of privacy afforded by this screen when showering or bathing (the toilet is totally private).

It wasn’t a problem for us though. Having been married for more than a few years, there aren’t too many secrets left between us!

Complimentary meals

Okay, let’s talk about the free meals, because this is what clinches the deal for a lot of folks.

Norway is quite expensive – one of the world’s most expensive countries to visit.

Eating out means you’ll spend a pretty penny on dinner – we figured a minimum of around $200 USD for the two of us (including a glass or two of wine), depending on the restaurant.

The Clarion Collection hotel group in Norway thus tempts travelers with free meals. A complimentary breakfast (not so unusual) as well as complimentary afternoon tea and complimentary dinner (unusual) are included in the rates.

At the Hotel Havnekontoret, the afternoon tea from 3 pm to 6 pm basically consists of make-yourself waffles, which you can top with Nutella or jam. (The hotel’s waffle maker is a bit slow, so be patient…)

Complimentary, help-yourself tea and coffee seem to be available all day.

Dinner (from 6 pm to 9 pm) is described as a “light evening meal.” A buffet, it’s really a full dinner, as we North Americans think of it.

Sure, the food isn’t knock-your-socks-off exciting. But it doesn’t claim to be. It is good, tasty and wholesome.

And the room that it’s served in is the same as the breakfast room – homey, with fairly simple and straightforward décor. But we didn’t have to venture outside (would it rain?) looking for a restaurant.

After sightseeing all day, we were happy to simply walk downstairs and have a casual meal. (We understand the hotel’s business travelers also like not having to fuss about going out.)

It’s impressive that the hotel offers complimentary meals as a service to its guests…

One of the best hotels in Bergen, Norway

Where to stay in Bergen? We loved our stay at the Clarion Collection Havnekontoret and would certainly return to this hotel if we visit Bergen again in future…

What we especially liked

The central location on Bergen’s historic waterfront, with the airport bus stop right outside, is a real plus. Also, the staff were very friendly; they were always patient, smiling and helpful, no matter how busy the hotel got.

And did we mention the free buffet dinner?

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Photo credits: 4, 5, 6, 8, 10 © Janice and George Mucalov, SandInMySuitcase | Remaining images Clarion Collection Havnekontoret

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We stayed at the Hotel Havnekontoret as media guests for review purposes. We didn’t let this influence our review, however. If you’ve read this and our other hotel reviews, you know we always write as we see it – the good and the bad. 

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