Aurora Borealis Observatory

Posto meraviglioso, ma che non sanno gestire. La stanza è molto grande, ma piuttosto sfornita (non ci sono i comodini, le prese sono distanti dal letto, niente tv o radio, un solo bicchiere per l’acqua…). La vasca jacuzzi “privata” è molto distante dalla camera, non c’è un posto per lasciare l’accappatoio (che abbiamo dovuto chiedere espressamente perché non era in stanza) e se c’è neve, tutta la piattaforma su cui è posizionata, così come gli scalini, sono ricoperti (e non vengono puliti). La stanza non è stata rifatta, né sono stati cambiati gli accappatoi. Non c’è un telefono per chiamare in reception ma solo un numero WA, al quale rispondono dopo ore. Colazione senza infamia e senza lode, molto buono il ristorante. Il personale non è di alcun aiuto per risolvere i problemi che possono accadere (ad esempio ci è stata cancellata un’escursione e abbiamo chiesto se ci fossero alternative per sentirci rispondere di guardare su Internet). Peccato perché il potenziale è altissimo, ma per il prezzo richiesto davvero non ci siamo

PLEASE READ BEFORE BOOKING! We have been trying to receive our $2,200 refund from this company for six weeks now. We were to go to the resort from November 30, 2024 to December 6, 2024. We canceled our trip with them on April 5, 2024. They canceled our booking on April 11, 2024; however, to date they have not refunded our money, and we have not heard from them since April 18, 2024. We have e-mailed them multiple times and have provided them with all of the necessary information for us to receive our refund. To get a full refund, we were required to give them one-month's notice. We gave them seven. They are keeping our money and they can also rebook the room. This simply is not right. I have read other reviews where people have or are having difficulties receiving a refund from them. Please avoid this company at all costs!

Prenotata un suite nuova ma poi arrivati ci hanno fatto un upgrade perché la nostra non era disponibile (mah! ) . A parte la vista splendida, la villa era inutilmente enorme, molto datata, poco riscaldata, senza comodini e luci su di essi, un vetro rotto, ventola bagno non funzionante e erogatore latte da decalcificare. Solo su richiesta fornito un kit di base x caffè e te. Colazione molto limitata e fruibile solo dalle 9 (a chi deve muoversi prima una mela e un sandwich) Peccato.. il posto è bello e il ristorante merita.

Aurora borealis observatory was a really beautiful place to stay and given its remote location, gave us the best chance of seeing the northern lights when visiting Norway. We saw them two nights out of four! However, there is information I wish we knew before visiting which would have made our trip a lot more relaxing, which I feel wasn’t very transparent on their website. The observatory has a restaurant - which does an absolutely delicious tasting menu, however this is their *only* dining option available in the evening. If like us, you don’t fancy the same tasting menu every night of your holiday, a taxi to the nearest town/village/civilisation is 10km and £60 away (one way). The observatory will not book you a taxi as they’ve apparently had issues booking for people before. If you have a flight from Tromso leaving on a Sunday, there is no way to get to back to Tromso other than the once per day ferry (on a Sunday) which arrives about 6-7pm! Given how important this information is, it really isn’t emphasised enough on their website. When we were there, none of the activities that were mentioned on their website Ie photography classes were available or advertised to book. In addition, the advertised “northern lights text messages” were unreliable - the night we saw them best we didn’t receive any message at all and just happened to spot them ourselves. Given how remote the observatory is and few facilities there are on site, hiring a car is really necessary if you want to do anything. If we had known this from the get go, we wouldn’t have had to book an extra night accommodation in Tromso on the Saturday night and pay for an extra night at the observatory which we didn’t use. The customer service in the restaurant area was great, however the customer service from one member of the hotel reception staff (Peter I think his name was) was hands down the worst I’ve ever received, having travelled to more than 60 countries in the world. The breakfast was very tasty and the rooms very modern and comfortable, albeit with basic cooking facilities. Despite all of this, we did have a really lovely time, and knowing what we know now, we would stay in Aurora Borealis Observatory again!

Excellent resort to see northen lights! You can literaly see them from your room! Just amazing! Not the cheapest place you will find on your search but I can assure you its completely worth the money! Staff kind and nice, very toughtful (Daren without question the best guy you can find and need on your trip to Norway)

We have just returned from a 2 night stay at the Observatory and I wanted to share how wonderful our experience was. All communication in relation to our booking, arrival, transport etc was prompt and helpful. We booked directly with the ABO so our pick up and drop off was included which was fantastic. The room [standard apartment] was beautifully put together and very tasteful, extremely comfortable beds and well equipped kitchen - a highlight was sitting in the lounge and enjoying the view from the large picture window that each of the accommodation options offers. Free breakfast was included and we found we had all that we needed. Buffet breakfast with hot and cold options and even when we ate later in the breakfast timings, there was still plenty availab;e. We ate dinner both nights in the restaurant - portions were very large [we did not go hungry] and food was delicious. No alcohol licence yet but not an issue for us anyway. You will need to bring groceries with you if you want to self cater but the staff also offered to take us to a supermarket after 1st collecting us if we wanted to get groceries. You will either need your own transport or join tours [either with ABO or other operators who will come and collect you] to maximise your experience of Senja. We didn't use or enquire about equipment on offer but did see children sledding while we were staying. We did not take any ABO tours so I'm unable to comment on them. We did take a day tour and a night tour to see the lights with another provider - there are no issues in doing this at all. On our first night, we had elected to stay at the resort [not go on a tour] and we were rewarded with a wonderful showing of the aurora borealis and enjoyed 2 hours of a light show from the hill behind the complex. Staff kept us updated via whatsapp during our stay to let us know when the aurora was visible. In summary, totally recommend and enjoyed our time. Really enjoyed the island of Senja too which is incredibly beautiful.