Lysebu — Hotel in Oslo

Retreat Hotel lysebu

The hotel is located on a quiet part of the mountain. It is cool here and even though you have not got a wide view on the Oslofjord, the view is still very beautiful.

The hotel consists of several buildings and has a very special feel. There is a lot of art in the buildings, as well as a grand piano. I think the hotel is excellent for private parties, like weddings. The most becoming however is the silence (even though a small group of people were a bit loud in the common room, as well as their baby).

The staircase in our building (to be fair, we had an upgrade to a more luxurious room) is made of concrete and smelled and felt like the concrete monastery of Le Corbusier. It had a bit of a ‘70’s vibe, in a good way, so it gave me a nice sentiment as well. The whole place felt like a nice retreat, excellent for meditation.

The swimming pool is worth mentioning. It is not a depressing smelly tub, but quite big with nice (smelling) and spacious dressing rooms. There is the sauna as well, also very nice. The gym is in that area as well. All included for guests. No fuzz with codes or keys.

Also worth mentioning is that the whole place is littered with quite excellent coffee machines Nespresso (the nice ones) or the WMF machines with beans. There is also quite a collection of tea available. There are nice common rooms to gather with your group. Our (pretty big) room had a nice couch, so we kept it private.

Also worth mentioning: the best breakfast buffet in Norway. There is a lot of choice, but also a lot of fresh and very tasty fruit. Even the orange juice (normally from a machine) tasted as if it was made from oranges. All standard things were there but also honey from the grate, special bread, knäckebröd, fish, vegetables, yoghurt etc. Not the standard stuff, but the good stuff and plenty of it.

Personnel is also very nice and shows a lot of interest. I love that, it means you care, even if it’s just about your business.

And they care. The hotel is in excellent condition, clean, well taken care of and very nicely designed. I loved the art. Need to mention that twice. It’s not cheap, but it’s the best and nice to be able to give them a full five stars (first time ever; I’m quite critical). They earn it in every way.

We will certainly return to the lovely Oslo, maybe even just for this...

Wow... what a special place this is! And what a lovely experience staying here is. I just checked out, and did NOT want to leave. This historic place is situated at the 'top of Oslo', and is surrounded by lush woods woods and gorgeous views all around. The charming restaurant serves up the most delicious food I've tasted in years. And then... there is the adorable and enthusiastic staff! Oh... - where do I begin!? Kit, a true hospitality professional, greeted and assisted me at checkin with much enthusiasm - clearly he's pulling from years of experience of traveling and working in hospitality as he enthusiastically interacts with guests - and his peers. When I inquired, he eagerly shared stories of his experiences hosting travellers in Norway, and has all kinds of wonderful and interesting projects planned. So inspiring! I was also assisted by the sweetest colleague of his, Christine, who was so kind and eager to host in the most genuinely wonderful way. I kept going back to the front desk for no particular reason at all! Just to engage in inspiring chats with her;-) She's a gem! And very helpful - she left me feeling that she certainly works in the right place. Additionally, I found the waitstaff in the restaurant, Daniella & Miros, very pleasant and they seemed to truly enjoy what they do and the service they provide is done so very well. Lastly, this morning, I met Maren, who was so lovely to interact with, having teamed up with Christine at check-out. She obviously fits right in here;-) I not only check out very happily - yet extremely reluctantly (ha!) as a guest, but can also easily imagine what a wonderful place this must be to work - what a treat it must be to be part of the hospitality team working there. They are obviously wonderful people who've all found a place that's a great fit for them, but I think the overall experience we enjoy as guests is also a testament to the solid and supportive culture management (Pernille) & owners have cultivated for all of them, and us, to allow everyone to feel right at home in such a special environment. This was an unforgettable and absolutely lovely stay for me. Thank you so so so much, dear Lysebu team! The Norwegian hospitality spirit and history we celebrate, evolves and lives on with you...

Never come here after new year, ever!

The turned to heat off during the holidays so now on the first day of opening and after 24 hours of heating up the hotel it's is still so cold we have to where full wool clothing and socks to be able so sleep warm. But we will get a cold because the air we need to breathe is so cold and we are not use to it.

It is ridiculous, we paid so much for a spa hotel with cold rooms, and a sauna that is basically not that warm 60 degrees. Rooms are beautiful, view is beautiful, staff is nice, food is good. I can't believe we paid this much for a spa hotel and now we are laying in bed with wool sweaters on.

The staff can't do anything about it, we told them at 12 that the rooms were cold. Now at 00:08 still cold as hell and on top of that, we have small duvets it’s a freaking joke.

Just so you know, we ordered a junior suite and we didn’t even get our flip-flops or the you know sandals for your feet it is so cold I have to wear wool socks to walk on the floor in the room. Just cannot believe that we paid this money for this experience .

This is so bad it is...