Vann Spa Hotel and Conference

We’d stayed at the Vann before, which was lucky when our car broke down and had to be towed on the way to Norway. We were only 11 km away, found a taxi, and got to enjoy an unexpected spa weekend while waiting for the repair shop to open. The reception crew are so warm and kind, and the staff are amazing. The restaurant food is exceptional. Nothing beats a cold plunge in the fjord followed by a soak in the hottub when you want to forget your troubles for a while. Thank you Vann.

The food was delicious, the spa was lovely, and the staff were incredibly friendly. Going early in the morning might mean fewer people. The hotel itself was beautiful, and I appreciated the English translations and how fluently the staff spoke English, since Swedish is naturally everywhere in a Swedish hotel. Rooms were generally clean and came with robes and slippers. Our room had a run of problems, though. The beds sagged and felt unpleasantly squishy, which may come down to personal preference, but I had to put the mattress topper on the floor to sleep. The hotel should check the beds. There was also some mold on the wall, probably from someone hanging up a damp robe. The room was very hot, and with the window open all night and the little fan running, bugs got in. Window clips and bug nets would help keep bugs out and stop the window moving in the wind. I’m giving four stars because the hotel is very incredible and I think we had a bad string of unfortunate circumstances. This was just our experience.

The hotel is beautiful and very well located, with an amazing view and a great breakfast buffet. The spa was okay, with several pools, but they were all basically the same temperature, so it didn’t offer much variety. We especially liked the sauna with a view and the scented pools. The lunch buffet was a letdown. There was one fish option, one meat option, pork, and carrot soup. As a vegetarian, I was basically left with the soup, which wasn’t very tasty.

The beautiful views, varied breakfast, friendly service, and relaxing spa were the highlights, though the outdoor spa area was a bit small. A few things could be better. When I booked through Booking.com, there was no clear message that spa access had to be reserved in advance; a friend told me. I booked a two-hour indoor pool slot and was charged about 300 SEK, around $30 USD, which felt odd for a spa hotel. The room carpets looked a little dirty, and I had to ask to get a robe. There was no phone to call reception, and no information about activities available for a fee. I later found some on the website.