Planning a honeymoon or couples trip to Lofoten

Hattvika is run by Kristian and Guri, whose family has been in Ballstad for six generations. The cabin called Bendiksenbua is named after Guri's grandfather, who worked there for fifty years. It's also their most romantic option. The room has original timber walls, soaring ceilings, a massive double shower, and a private outdoor jacuzzi on the terrace overlooking the harbour. Just imagine sitting in that jacuzzi in February with the northern lights overhead.

If you prefer more modern design over historic character, the Hillside cabins are worth a look. These are ten fairly new freestanding units built into the rock above the main lodge, with clean, minimal interiors, and floor-to-ceiling windows framing the harbour and the mountains behind it. In winter, the northern lights are visible from the bed. In summer, the midnight sun pours through the glass and the blackout drapes earn their keep.

A note about the rooms: While most rooms feature scenic outlooks over the water and mountains, the biggest negative about this place is that some rooms face industrial buildings across the bay, read more in our full article about Hattvika Lodge. 

Restaurant FANGST has its own fish landing quay on the harbour, and the menu is built almost entirely from what comes off the boats that morning. Tasting menus are from three to seven courses, with separate options for seafood, meat, and vegetarian. The breakfast is equally strong, with a buffet that goes well beyond the usual hotel spread. 

After dinner, the pier sauna seats eight or nine people with a wall of glass facing the bay. The full experience involves sweating until you can't take it anymore and then climbing down the ladder into water that hovers around 5-10°C most of the year. 

Ballstad is a working fishing village, and the harbour looks like one. The view from the terrace includes boats unloading cod alongside the scenery. 

The difference between Nusfjord and everywhere else on this list is that the resort covers the entire village of Nusfjord. Nusfjord consists of a cluster of preserved fishing buildings around a sheltered harbour, which all functions as this hotel. It's a member of Small Luxury Hotels of the World, which gives some indication of the level, but walking through Nusfjord still feels more like wandering through a living museum than checking into a hotel. Five buildings carry heritage protection from the Norwegian Directorate for Cultural Heritage. A bedtime story from Arctic folklore gets placed on your nightstand each evening.

For couples, the standout booking is The Isolated Fisherman, a private cabin on its own small island, reached by a ten-minute boat ride from the village. It has a fireplace, a full kitchen, a terrace, and complete solitude. Champagne upon arrival and Sprekenhaus toiletries add to the exclusivity.

A more practical option is a Harbour Suite, built on stilts directly over the water in Nusfjord Village. Here you will get the soothing sounds of waves against the pilings underneath the cabin at night.

Three restaurants keep the evenings varied without having to leaving the village. Restaurant Karoline occupies a former dried fish loft and focuses on local seafood. Oriana Tavern has exactly three tables in an old whiskey cellar, serving pizza with a Nordic slant. Given the limited number of tables, ensure you book early. Finally, the Landhandleriet Café operates from the original 1907 general store (Landhandleriet means the Country store), where the antique till and weighing scales are still in use.

As befits a romantic trip, this place has a full spa. Nordic Spa sits at the edge of the village with a wood-fired hot tub filled from a natural spring, a steam room, a sauna designed by graduates of the Oslo School of Architecture, and therapist treatments. 

Nusfjord is remote which is the point, but it also means no spontaneous bar-hopping or restaurant explorations beyond what the village offers. For couples who want to completely disappear for a few days, it's hard to beat. 

The cabins are authentically compact. If you're used to spacious hotel rooms, the Harbour Standard cabins at 20 m² can feel tight for two people. For more space, book a Suite or Suite Plus, which will give more breathing room.

At this price tag you might expect everything to be perfect, but this is not a 5-star resort. With the correct expectations you will likely have a great time here, just don´t expect Ritz style services.

Read more in our full guide to Nusfjord Resort.

If the idea of being stranded in a remote village for four days makes one of you twitchy, Svinøya solves the problem. It's a rorbu property on its own small island, connected by a short bridge to Svolvær, the closest thing Lofoten has to a town, with galleries, shops, boat tours, and restaurants only a 15-minute walk away.

This is also the best place to book if you don´t have a rental car. Most guided tours start from Svolvær. For more read: Do I need a car in Lofoten?

The property dates back to 1828, and it's well preserved with original timber, and the faint smell of marine tar and rope. The cabins marked Rorbu S+ are the ones to book as a couple. There are only two such cabins, positioned on the best waterfront spots on the island with unobstructed views of the sea and the Lofoten wall. They fill up early, ensure you book well ahead.

The restaurant Børsen Spiseri is a reason in itself to stay here. It occupies a quayside warehouse from 1828, and the menu revolves around local sourcing, including stockfish, fresh cod and regional seafood prepared in such a way that the place has become a destination in its own right. In summer, the terrace opens for outdoor dining under the midnight sun.

Moored right outside the restaurant is a floating sauna with panoramic windows looking toward the harbour and Svolværgeita, the twin-peaked mountain that dominates the Svolvær skyline. 

The property also houses the Gunnar Berg Gallery, with the largest collection of the 19th-century Lofoten painter's work in the world. It's not essential, but on a rainy afternoon it's a better option than sitting in the cabin.

Read our full guide to Svinøya Rorbuer

Hamnøy is right at the entrance to the Reine area, which means the scenery is the same mountains and fjord views as Reine, but without the tour buses that crowds Reine village by mid-morning. Reinefjorden Sjøhus is a small, independently run property spread across several restored fisherman's cabins and apartments.

The Sea Houses are the best rooms to book as a couple. There are four units (Veines and Tennes, two of each), built for two people, with modern, clean interiors, and floor-to-ceiling windows framing the fjord and the mountains behind Eliassen Rorbuer across the water. 

Two saunas have been built right on the waterfront, both looking straight across the Reinefjorden, and there's a private jacuzzi which can be booked separately. Afternoons and evenings fill up, so grab a morning slot if you want to have it to yourselves. After the sauna you can jump right into the fjord for a cold plunge.

The cabins are self-catering and there's no breakfast included and no restaurant on-site, but Gadus at Eliassen Rorbuer is a decent option and only a 10-minute walk. Underhuset, a bit further away on Sakrisøy, is an option for a refined dinner. 

The property is small enough that it remains fairly quiet even when operating at full capacity. Check-in is handled by a quick walkthrough with the host, and after that the place is yours.