Round 01 · A resort in development · Hardangerfjord, Norway
Mountain Streams is a resort in development: a country house between the apple orchards and the fjord, with evenings of quizzes, riddles and games of the mind. Opening date to be announced.
Artist's impressions. Layouts, areas and finishes may change during construction.
Round 02 · The idea
Hardanger has grown fruit on its fjord-side terraces for centuries, and the idea behind Mountain Streams starts there. The resort takes its name from the mountain streams that run down from the Folgefonna glacier, through the orchards and into the fjord. The plan is for a casino hotel in Norway that sits among working apple trees rather than in place of them: a group of low white and cream timber buildings with slate roofs, stepping down the slope between the orchards and the Hardangerfjord, with the Folgefonna glacier on the skyline.
Many resorts are designed to keep guests indoors. Mountain Streams is being designed the other way round. Paths will run between the rows of trees, rooms will open onto blossom or water, and the evening will begin in Kvasir's Hall, a long dark-timber building over the fjord where quiz nights, riddle contests and chess are planned — played for fun, never for money. The gaming lounge will be a separate, quieter room, and it will open only if licensing allows.
Four hectares of orchard are planned to stay in production, tended with local growers, so that the trees set the rhythm of the year: blossom in May, fruit through the summer, harvest in autumn and pruning in winter. The aim is a five-star hotel in Norway that feels as if it belongs to its valley — an orchard hotel first, with a spa, three restaurants and a hall of games around it. Nothing has been built yet; everything here describes plans that may change as the design develops.
Planned
Round 03 · The hall of wits
In Norse myth, Kvasir was the wisest of all beings: there was no question he could not answer. The hall that carries his name is planned as the social heart of the resort — a long room of dark timber at the water's edge, with lamps over long tables and a row of tall windows onto the fjord. Every evening there will be something to play: a quiz in rounds on nature, history and the valley, a riddle contest, chess by the windows, and card and board games from the puzzle library. The hall will be open to every guest, and every game in it is played for the pleasure of the game — no stakes, no money and no cash prizes.
Riddle of the day
I wear white in May and red in October, yet I never leave the spot where I was planted. What am I?
An apple tree: blossom in spring, fruit in autumn.
Shelves of board games, logic puzzles and jigsaws, free to borrow for an hour or an evening.
Boards set up by the windows all day, with a friendly tournament planned on quieter evenings.
Teams, pencils and a bell: rounds on the fjord, the orchards and the stars, hosted in the hall.
Kvasir's Hall is separate from the gaming lounge, and nothing in the hall is played for money.
Artist's impressions. Layouts, areas and finishes may change during construction.
Round 04 · The rooms
Six kinds of luxury accommodation are planned, from garden-level rooms among the trees to a house of its own. Every one will face the orchards, the fjord or the glacier — in a fjord hotel, the view is half the room.
A quiet room at garden level, with a deep window that looks straight into the apple trees. In May the blossom will be close enough to touch, and in autumn the fruit. A bathroom in pale stone and a small terrace among the rows complete it.
One wall of the room will be glass facing the Hardangerfjord, so the water and the light change the room through the day. An armchair by the window, a grey stone shower and a writing desk with a view.
Two levels under the roof timbers: a sleeping gallery above and a living room with a wood-burning stove below. A roof window over the bath will look straight up at the weather.
A corner suite with windows on two sides, one of them framing the white line of Folgefonna. A separate living room, a bedroom and a bathroom with its own view.
A suite inside the resort's small timber tower: a round room with windows on every side, a staircase that winds up through the tower and a balcony at the very top.
A separate house among the trees, planned as a boutique luxury stay for friends or family travelling together. A great room with a fireplace, a dining table for six and a terrace under the apple trees.
Round 05 · The orchards
Unusually for a luxury resort in Norway, Mountain Streams is planned around orchards that stay in use. Guests will be able to follow the trees through the seasons — and lend a hand when there is work to do.
In a typical year the Hardanger orchards flower in May, white and pale pink along the fjord, though the exact weeks depend on the weather. Guests will be able to walk the blossom paths with one of the growers and hear how the trees are cared for.
Through June, July and August the trees set small green fruit and the grass grows long between the rows. Planned activities include guided walks, picnics at the top of the orchard and thinning the fruit alongside the gardeners.
September and October are for picking. Guests will be invited to help fill the wooden crates, then carry the apples to the old press and taste juice made the same afternoon.
When the trees are bare, the gardeners prune them for the season ahead. Guests who want to learn will be able to join a morning of pruning, with snow on the branches and the fjord below.
An old wooden press is planned for the harvest weeks, turning the orchard's apples into fresh juice for breakfast.
A path will loop through the terraces with benches along the way — a quiet half hour at any time of year.
Round 06 · The orchard kitchen
The main restaurant is planned as a light room of pale timber, with long tables along windows onto the fjord and the orchards. Menus will follow the valley's seasons: fish from the fjord and the coast, lamb from the hillsides, vegetables and herbs from nearby farms, and fruit from the resort's own trees.
Three restaurants are planned in all. Their names and menus will be announced as the project develops.
The kitchen will be open to the room, so guests can watch bread come out of the oven and apples being peeled for the evening's dessert. The aim is simple cooking done carefully, with as much as possible grown or raised within sight of the fjord.
Breakfast will be served by the windows each morning: bread from the oven, local honey, yoghurt, fresh apples and juice pressed from the orchard's own fruit.
Round 07 · After the quiz
Every top casino resort has a room for after dark, and Mountain Streams is planned to have one too — but under Norwegian law it cannot simply open. Land-based casinos are not currently licensed in Norway: casino games and gaming machines are offered only by Norsk Tipping, which holds an exclusive right, and betting on horse racing is run by the Norsk Rikstoto foundation. The hotel casino described here will open only if the law allows it and the necessary permit is granted.
The quizzes in Kvasir's Hall are played for fun and never for money; the gaming lounge will be a separate room, open only to adults aged 18 and over, and subject to licensing.
A small room for card games, with a dealer at each table if a licence is granted.
A single table under glass lamps, set apart from the rest of the room.
A handful of machines in timber alcoves, kept quiet and low-lit.
A fireside room with a single table for small private groups.
18+ Play responsibly
Gambling should stay entertainment. If it stops being fun for you or someone close to you, free and confidential help is available from Hjelpelinjen.
Round 08 · Glacier water
The spa is planned as a sequence rather than a menu: heat, then cold, then rest, repeated as often as you like. Pale timber, grey stone and wide windows onto the fjord — a spa resort in Norway that takes its cue from the water around it.
A long indoor pool under timber beams, its far wall all window.
Built out over the water, so the fjord fills the window.
Clear, cold water in a basin of stone, for a few brave seconds.
Loungers facing the orchards, and a rule of quiet voices.
Planned 1 500 m² of spa, pools and relaxation rooms
Cold-water bathing will be offered only under clear safety rules, with guidance from spa staff and time limits posted at every pool.
Round 09 · Gatherings
The resort is planned with rooms for celebrations and meetings of different sizes: a banquet hall under exposed timber trusses, Kvasir's Hall for evening events, a smaller room for meetings and a terrace above the fjord. For a team away from the office, a private quiz night in the hall is one idea — played for fun, with no prizes.
Rows of chairs between the trees. In May, the blossom may be out — depending on the weather, which no one can promise.
A boardroom table for eighteen, daylight from the fjord and a quiet corridor away from the hotel.
String lights, the long northern dusk and room for a standing reception above the water.
| Space | Theatre | Banquet | Boardroom | Reception |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Truss Hall | 260 | 180 | — | 300 |
| Kvasir's Hall | 120 | 90 | — | 140 |
| The Fjord Room | — | — | 18 | — |
Capacities are design figures and may change as the plans develop.
Planning something for after the opening? Early questions are welcome at [email protected]. We cannot confirm dates or hold spaces yet.
Round 10 · Hardanger
Hardanger is one of the landscapes Norway is best known for: a long fjord between steep mountains, with the Folgefonna glacier above it and orchards along its shores. From a Hardanger hotel, days out could go in almost any direction.
Folgefonna, one of Norway's large glaciers, lies in the mountains above the fjord.
Meltwater falls from the plateaus in long white ribbons, at its fullest in early summer.
Marked trails climb above the water, from short walks to full days in the mountains.
Seen from the water, the scale of the mountains becomes clear — best on a still morning.
The largest airport in the region is Bergen Airport, Flesland. From there, the journey continues by road along the fjord.
Distances, journey times and transfers are to be announced.
Round 11 · Polaroids
Artist's impressions. Layouts, areas and finishes may change during construction.
Round 12 · Questions
Anything else? Write to [email protected].
Not at the moment. Land-based casinos are not currently licensed in Norway: casino games and gaming machines are offered only by Norsk Tipping, which holds an exclusive right, and betting on horse racing is run by the Norsk Rikstoto foundation. Mountain Streams is a project in development, and its gaming lounge is planned subject to licensing.
No. Nothing has been built yet and reservations are not open. You can join the interest list to hear first when plans move forward. Joining is not a booking and creates no obligation, and you can ask to be removed at any time by writing to [email protected].
Three things, mainly. The orchards, which are planned to stay in production around the rooms; Kvasir's Hall, where evenings of quizzes, riddles and chess are played for fun rather than money; and the water — a spa built around cold glacier water, warm stone and quiet rooms looking onto the fjord.
A gaming lounge is planned, but it will open only if Norwegian law allows it and the necessary permit is granted. The idea is a hotel with a casino rather than a casino with rooms attached: a small, separate room for adults aged 18 and over, with ID checked at the door. Without a licence, the room would be used for other evening entertainment.
No. There are no stakes, no money and no cash prizes — the games in Kvasir's Hall are played purely for fun. The hall is a separate room open to all guests, while the gaming lounge is a different room, open only to adults aged 18 and over and subject to licensing.
The opening date is to be announced. The project is in development, and the timetable will depend on planning, permits and construction. People on the interest list will be told first, as soon as there is a firm date to share.
On the Hardangerfjord in Vestland, western Norway, among the fruit-growing terraces the region is known for. The exact location is to be announced. The largest airport nearby is Bergen Airport, Flesland, and the rest of the journey will be by road along the fjord.
Usually in May, although the exact weeks change from year to year with the weather, and some springs come earlier or later than others. Nothing about the blossom can be guaranteed, but the orchards are worth seeing in every season, from summer fruit to the autumn harvest and winter pruning.
Large destination resorts are usually built around the gaming floor. Mountain Streams starts from the other end: the orchards, the fjord and a hall of games played for fun, with a small gaming lounge only if licensing allows. Editorial comparison only; no connection with either property.
Round 13 · The interest list
Reservations are not open yet.
