In short… A privately owned island off Norway’s wild west coast, where seaweed hangs to dry above the Aga, strangers become housemates, and the elements shape how you spend your days.
The surroundings… Surprisingly accessible from Bergen (a 40-minute drive followed by a five-minute boat ride), but it feels worlds away. You arrive at a private dock in Herdla before crossing over to the island of Midtøy—known affectionately as Lilløy (“little island”).
Wind and water are ever-present here. Grasses ripple constantly, the sea wraps around you on all sides, and the weather shifts in an instant—from brooding greys to clear, crystalline blue. Sheep bleat from a neighbouring island, their calls carried faintly across the waves, and if you’re lucky, sea eagles or even whales might make an appearance.
The vibe… Like you’ve landed on a fisherman’s island with a boat full of friends and decided to sleep over. It’s communal, elemental, adventurous, and not for everyone. I say this with travelers in mind who don’t like to share their space, as you’ll be coexisting in close quarters with whoever happens to dock up. Unless, that is, you take over the entire island (exclusive use is very much an option for up to 12 guests, and would make one heck of a hideaway for friends and family).
There’s no hand-holding here. Instead, it’s for guests willing to embrace a shared way of life: cooking together, chopping extra firewood if needed, stoking the flames and playing board games. The main house’s ground floor is an open-plan kitchen, dining, and living space, with a cozy vinyl room tucked off the boot room if you want to shut yourself in and spin records. Whether you come for solitude or connection, you’re sure to find both here.
The rooms… The experience is split between the main house and a private boathouse perched directly over the water. All island arrivals drop anchor next to the boathouse—a self-contained, two-level cabin where you can quite literally step from the living room into the sea. It’s also where you’ll find Norwegian Rain (a Bergen-born brand) coats and OAS bucket hats hanging ready to borrow, along with snorkelling gear and wetsuits stored in a nearby shed.
From there, a steep rocky path leads you up to the seafoam-green main house. Bring Blundstones for walking around the island and Birkenstocks for sauna time. Originally home to local seafaring families, the house dates back to 1901 and has been sensitively restored by Bergen-based designers Vera Kleppe and Åshild Kyte (aka Vera & Kyte). Upstairs, there’s a master bedroom with its own bathroom, with another bathroom and set of bedrooms across the hall.
My twin room sat between two doubles, part of a section reserved for the owner’s four daughters when the family visits from Frankfurt (where the wider Lindenberg hotel group began). At the top of the house, tucked into the eaves, is another bedroom and living area with a bathtub taking up an entire wing — low ceilings and a narrow spiral staircase make it better suited to petite guests.
The attention to detail is dazzling. Pebbles used as doorknobs, hot water bottles and extra blankets placed by each bed, seaweed-stuffed mattresses, eco-friendly bathroom products arranged on a rock as if resting on the shoreline, blown glass decorations by Sigrid Rostad (her studio is in Bergen) dotted around the house, catching the light from window frame nooks and refracting the sea’s shifting colours. Don’t miss the “bits and bobs” drawer filled with beautiful writing paper and envelopes labelled “postcards from nowhere.”
The wellness… A wood-fired sauna inside an old WWII bunker is the island’s standout ritual, with juniper scrubs and botanical oils to hand. Nearby, a plunge pool can be filled and emptied by hand each time you use it, which is all part of the slow living experience. For the bold, there’s the North Sea itself. Wetsuits make it accessible, but if you’re feeling like a Viking, follow the Norwegian tradition of a midnight dip under the lingering summer light. Yoga mats, sound bowls, binoculars, and the surrounding landscape itself complete the offering—an effortless immersion into the Norwegian philosophy of friluftsliv (finding restoration through time spent outdoors).
The food & drink… Each morning begins with a generous plant-based breakfast that’s prepared for you: fresh bread, vegan cheese, rhubarb and raspberry jams, homemade granola with yogurt, tiny glasses of kombucha, and tea kept warm over a candle beside dishes of resting shells. It’s all prettily presented on Odd Standard ceramics, an experimental design studio and microfactory I enjoyed visiting on a previous trip to Stavanger.
Otherwise, the kitchen is yours to cook in, stocked with essentials and ingredients for vegetable-focused dishes, or you can time your visit for the island’s Kelp Club on select dates—a communal supper led by the island’s chef and forager, Antje de Vries. Her menus centre on what can be gathered locally—seaweed, herbs, berries—paired with organic produce from across Scandinavia and Europe, blending traditional Norwegian recipes with modern techniques and slow cooking over the Aga or open fire.
Come prepared with provisions from the mainland (there are several supermarkets in Bergen) and raid the island’s turf-topped shop for extra supplies—I loved the homemade seaweed pesto for pasta dishes whipped up by my friend, who happens to be an excellent cook. This allowed me proper time to peruse the honesty bar, which is lined with bottles of juniper-infused gin, Norwegian wood vodka, seaweed schnapps, and other interesting concoctions fit for castaways. Simply note down what you take. If you don’t fancy cooking yourself, the team can arrange a private chef for you from their impressive network.
Be sure to… Pull on a wetsuit and snorkel straight from the boathouse, then warm up in the bunker sauna. End the day with a drink by the campfire—it’s at the tip-top of the island, a look-out spot over the fjords.
Extra tip goes to… Magnus. I can’t believe I’m only mentioning him now, as he was our friendly, multitalented host throughout the stay. His parents still live nearby—he originally arrived as a carpenter to help finish the house, fell in love with the island, and never left. He does everything from boat pick-ups and drop-offs to preparing breakfast, cutting the grass, tending the fires, and a lot more behind the scenes to make everything feel seamless. Make friends with Magnus, he’s Lilløy’s main custodian.
Parting words… It’s dangerously easy to settle into island time here, so you could happily spend your entire stay without contemplating leaving. But if you do manage to prise yourself away, Lilløy makes an excellent springboard for exploring Bergen and the wider archipelago, where ferry-linked islands and winding coastal roads reveal a quieter side of Norway’s west coast.
Dates of stay… July 4th-6th, 2026
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.