Hotel Union Oye, Norangsfjorden.

Deep in the Sunnmøre Alps at the head of Norangsfjord, Hotel Union Øye is a time capsule of 19th-century Swiss-style architecture. Since opening in 1891, it has functioned as a secluded retreat for European royals, explorers, and writers. Each of the individually styled guest rooms is named after a former guest—from Kaiser Wilhelm to Arthur Conan Doyle—and decorated with period antiques, heavy silks, and four-poster beds. The atmosphere is one of Edwardian glamour, punctuated by whimsical touches like "ring for champagne" bells. Beyond the velvet-draped interiors, the hotel serves as a base for scaling Mount Slogen or kayaking the fjord’s glassy waters. Evenings center on multi-course dinners featuring local game and seafood, followed by storytelling in the Sun Lounge. It remains one of Norway's most distinct historic escapes, trading modern minimalism for pure, storied maximalism.