Havsdalsgrenda Geilo Apartments

3.5 / 5 - Its 'Good'! Its somewhere between average and very good! there should be more stars! The positives: reception, access around property, pool, gym, sauna, cafe, ski-in / ski-out. The living rooms and facilities / decor / fit & finish. The views are exquisite (northern lights on the first night), and the staff were excellent. The negatives: Bedrooms, bathrooms, the communal steam room smelled awful (near the pool). Ski in access. And the ICE!! Review: Communal areas are lovely and the staff great. moving round the property is easy in the underground car park, but above ground, especially with the Ice we had when we got there was treacherous and wasn't cleared, many people fell, some hurt themselves. However this cleared later in the week when it snowed. The Ski out element is brilliant, either a green run down to Slaata (ski school and green slopes) or a short run down to the drag lift up Geilohovda. However, the Ski In options are not as good if your a beginner - just be warned. The blue 41 from GeiloHovda is ok if your intermediate but steep for a beginner (like me) and in fact ALL the runs are coloured easier than they are - so blues are harder than blues in say France/Italy and reds are in places more like blacks. The other ski-in option is drag lift H and a blue across into the resort (which is ok). Drag lift H is a death trap! and is far too steep for a button lift. there was a nasty accident while we were there when a woman came off the button and tumbled to the bottom (its a black run one side and a red the other). this should be a chair lift and is just plain dangerous!! To overcome this we took taxis at the end of the day, some days. Taxis from Slaata / town are about 200 Krone normally (although 300 Krone late at night or during the weekend if they have a special event / festival on) - that's about £15. The living space is lovely and the kitchen, lounge, TV area etc was nice, well equipped and with great views. There was only 1 x 3 seater sofa which wasn't amazing for 5 adults if you have a night in but not unworkable. We had a 3 bedroom, bottom floor apartment for 5 adults (20E) - but there is only one bathroom for 5 adults which is really poor !! The sauna is off the bathroom which makes it basically un-useable for any length of time - it essentially became a drying room for ski gear which was good as there isn't a drying room anywhere either in the room or reception for wet ski gear. The bedrooms are small and we had to move the beds around just to make space to walk round the beds. there are no wardrobes in the room or chairs/arm chairs. there are cupboards in the communal areas for clothes storage but that's not much use if your sharing with others to wander round the communal areas to get your clothes. The 3rd bedroom was bunk beds & again thats not much use for 5 adults (we were all 40+ except 1 who was 26 and got the bunk). The snow is the snow and there isn't much the resort can do abou

From December 15 to 21, I stayed at Havsdalsgrenda with 15 people from Singapore, the Netherlands, and Germany. Given our group size, we booked two adjacent apartments, which was an excellent choice. The setup allowed us to stay close while giving the kids space to relax and connect. Overall, I doubt we could have had a better stay anywhere else. The location was ideal, offering a perfect backdrop to get into the Christmas spirit. The shared facilities and well-organized management provided a level of convenience that a stand-alone cabin couldn’t match, all while maintaining the cosy, authentic mountain vibe. For instance, pre-ordering groceries from the local “Spar” store and having them ready upon arrival was a thoughtful touch. Additionally, Havsdalsgrenda offers excellent alternatives for those who don’t want to ski daily, such as a pool, which adds variety to our stay. A special shoutout to the management team, led by Gro, who went above and beyond to make our experience seamless and enjoyable. If I were to offer some constructive feedback, it would be regarding the facilities for ski gear. A designated space for storing and prepping skis and a proper room to dry ski boots and gloves would have been helpful. Another minor issue was with the main fireplace in the cabin. While it added a fantastic ambience, it seemed a bit old-fashioned. Some heat escaped through the chimney; if ventilation wasn’t managed carefully, smoke could occasionally drift into the living room. Despite these minor points, our stay was fantastic, and I highly recommend Havsdalsgrenda for a memorable mountain getaway.