Sorrisniva

Unforgettable experience in January 2025. We have fallen in love with Norway and its people! This beautiful lodge is located about 20 minutes out of Alta in a serene location by the river. The lodge is perfectly designed to provide a once in a life time vacation. We were treated to the story of the lodge told to us by Tor, who is one of the owners, as we admired all of the pictures and artifacts in the hallways. The Northern Lights were best displayed right outside the lodge and all of the experiences offered were spectacular. However, it is the staff that remain in our hearts, they made the trip so special. Everyone, including the young lady in the gift shop that told us about her Sami culture, was exceptional. We recommend this lodge to everyone. They even have wool slippers to wear in the lodge while you sit by the fire!! Loved every minute!

We stayed 4 nights at this lovely hotel in a river view room looking out onto the Alta river. The scenery is stunning including the majestic views of the Northern Lights on several occasions. We greatly enjoyed all the activities we booked: fjord fishing, dog sledding, Sami cultural experience with reindeer and King Crab fishing. Everyone very safety minded and ensured we were dressed well for the cold. We enjoyed the meals in both restaurants. While the hotel feels a bit “corporate”, we greatly enjoyed our stay there to experience winter activities above the Arctic Circle. An added unexpected plus was the Finnmarkt dog sled race going right by our hotel room!

A Magical Experience at the Ice Hotel! Visiting the Ice Hotel was an unforgettable experience! The craftsmanship of the ice sculptures and the overall design are truly breathtaking. The rooms, though cold, are surprisingly comfortable with warm sleeping bags provided. The atmosphere is serene, and the attention to detail is impressive. The ice bar, with beautifully carved glasses, was a unique highlight. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience that I highly recommend to anyone looking for something extraordinary!

After a long stay elsewhere in Norway’s arctic north, we ended our trip with a one-night stay at Sorrisniva’s Igloo Hotel. The welcome we received at check-in was exemplary. We were given a tour of the lodge’s facilities and an explanation of the practicalities of staying in a hotel made of ice. After viewing the Igloo Hotel, we were offered our pick of the themed suites. Finally, a dinner slot was found for us at the fine-dining restaurant Maku.||The lodge was a bustling place during our stay, which detracted a little from any sense of being in the wilderness. There was a cruise ship in port in Alta, so boat people may have added to the numbers at the hotel. Of course, you need only step out the door to escape the hubbub of the hotel. We enjoyed some stunning walks by (and on) the frozen Alta River (remembering to stick to the marked route!). ||The food and overall dining experience at the lodge was rather average. Breakfast was a low point – it was not bad, just solidly mediocre in terms of the quality and selection of the food. The tasting menu at Maku was better, although the food may as well have arrived on a conveyor belt. Receiving an explanation of the thought-process behind each dish, and a description of the ingredients, can add so much to a fine-dining experience. Little of that was offered at Maku.||Our suite at the Igloo Hotel was fabulous. Beautifully and whimsically sculptured, our rooms were a good size and very quiet. After a good night’s sleep, it was wonderful to wake up to a glimmer of daylight through the icy roof.

I’ve rated this as 4 out 5 rather than 5 based on what I felt was less than perfect service at the hotel. The hotel itself is situated about a 20 minute drive outside of Alta. It’s very picturesque in snowy surroundings and the riverside rooms are perfect for viewing the northern lights. The rooms are well appointed but there is no TV or speakers for music. The rooms are very comfortable and exceptionally quiet. There is also a small outside seating area too. ||Your food options are fairly limited; either a set menu fine dining experience or an a la Carte restaurant with fairly limited choice. Having said that, all of the food we had was good. Breakfast is included and there is a good deal of choice. ||You can book lots of excursions from the hotel but it might be worth trying to prebook as when we tried to book snowmobiling two days before we wanted to do it there was nothing available (we booked via Get Your Guide and were able to drive into Alta to meet our tour there). ||There is nowhere else within walking distance for food or drink so you are somewhat at the mercy of the hotel. ||The thing I think the hotel could improve is the quality of service. Don’t get me wrong, it was good but all felt very robotic and transactional. It wasn’t very friendly. We’d just come from another hotel in Finland where the service was exceptional and I think we were expecting something similar whereas what you get is something akin to any normal hotel. There were a few stand out members of staff .. Julia, the Australian guy in the Ice Bar, the lady with pink hair but other than that, everyone else seemed to just be going through the motions.

From the moment we were picked up at the airport (by the resort's owner, Tor) until we departed 4 nights later, we loved every moment at Sorrisniva. Each aspect of the experience was consistently high quality. The customer service is attentive and friendly. The lodge is cozy and luxurious without being stuffy. The same goes for the food: fine dining-level cuisine with the best quality ingredients but no fussy waitstaff, just knowledgable and casual servers. We looked forward everyday to the breakfast buffet and simple but tasty lunches (delicious fish soup!). It was easy to exit the lodge and simply walk around near the river's edge but we also enjoyed several excursions: dog sledding, northern lights, waterfall snowshoe hike, and reindeer sleigh with Sami experience. All of the guides were experienced, friendly, and they did their best to help us have a great time. Finally, although we did not spend the night in the ice hotel, it was fun to explore and enjoy a blue drink at the bar. Our room, a suite on the 2nd floor, was a haven. We watched the northern lights while sitting in comfy chairs; one morning a moose walked by the river's edge. Just unforgettable.

We enjoyed our 2night stay here in Sorrisniva. Wonderful room with great view. Everything was so quiet, which was good for the soul. ||Dinner was too expensive and not that great…make sure before arrival if you need to bring a sandwich instead, as we found ala carte limited.||Breakfast was , on the other hand, very good, with many choices…the best filter coffee we have had for years.||When it comes to sleeping quality, it could not be better…very nice downs…..well, maybe a mid sized pillow instead of a very big and very small……||We enjoyed the sitting area very much…..and were lucky to see northern lights through clouds.||We unfortunately, had light pollution from the hotel lobby/lounge area shining out, and from the skifer mountain in front of us.

We stayed here for three nights in March 2025. 2 nights in the riverside room and one night in the igloo (ice hotel). The location was great (as we were in a rental car so could easily get into Alta). The riverside rooms were lovely and well appointed. The buffet breakfast was good. The evening dining experience is either a “fine dining” set menu or an a la Carte restaurant. We had the fine dining one night and the a la Carte on the other two. The dining options are fairly limited but the food was good. My only criticism of this hotel is it ought to feel like a special experience but the staff were generally quite robotic and transactional. We had just come from a few nights at the Aurora Queen resort in Finland where you were truly made to feel welcome and made to feel very special during the stay. We didn’t experience this at Sorrisniva and it just would have been the icing on the cake. One of the waitresses, Julia, was very good and there was an Australian guy serving in the Ice Bar who was great too but all of the others just felt like they were going through the motions.

truely amazing!!! we are from sacramento, ca and took a cruise to norway and the arctic circle. one of the featured excursions was a night's stay in a hotel made of ice. whereas there is a fantastic main lodge that was wonderful, annually they contruct a separate wing of ice accommodations that are surrounded by outstanding works of art, made of ice. the bed is a block of ice , but covered with reindeer hide for insulation and comfort, then covered with a sub-zero sleeping bag. breakfast and dinner included, and a welcome bar in the ice hotel... no need for 'on the rocks', as the glasses are made of ice

This was the experience of a lifetime! Snowmobiling was so much fun and they provided all of the cold weather gear you needed to keep warm and comfortable. The Northern Lights van tour was the highlight of the trip. We had the same guide for this trip as we did snowmobiling and he was so knowledgeable and friendly! He knew the perfect spot to take us to have an unbelievable viewing experience. The same guide was also our driver for our transfers to and from the Alta city center. The transfers were timely and there was nothing to arrange or worry about! He even gave us a fantastic recommendation for our fiber in Alta when we were not at #Sorrisniva. We were nervous about how comfortable we would be sleeping in the igloo but there was no need to be! The sleeping bags are incredibly warm. I slept with thin fleece pants, 2 thin layers of shirts and a pair of fleece socks and I was sweating. The restaurant was amazing for dinner and breakfast. The service was fantastic and the food was unbelievable. I can't truly do our experience justice in this review, you have to go there and experience it for yourself!