A Beautiful Stay at Dyrøy Holiday

Growing up, I always imagined how nice it’d be to have a log cabin in the middle of nowhere. The peacefulness, the serenity, the slow life. Of course, living in the Tri-State area, this was only a dream. The opportunity to move far away from the hustle and bustle of “work mode” was never really an option so it remained that: a dream. Never did I expect that one day I’d say to myself, “Remember that time when your log cabin became a reality?” But that’s what happened when we found ourselves at Dyrøy Holiday when Norway went into lockdown due to the Coronavirus pandemic.

The Northern Lights dancing over Dyrøy Holiday

All photos in this article were taken by David Rocaberti Photography prior to the Coronavirus pandemic. We do not encourage travel at this time, but bookmark this article for later! This page contains affiliate links, meaning that The Five Foot Traveler may receive a small commission when you purchase any flights or accommodations using the links in this article at no extra cost to you. I appreciate your continued support!

Dyrøy Holiday

We had a snowy drive from Narvik to Dyrøya Island and arrived after dark. Because we had been driving for a few hours, we hadn’t heard the news. Essentially, during our two hour drive, the world changed. It went from talks of a virus that seemed no worse than the flu, to confirmation of an insidious virus that had to be contained immediately. Norway was put on lockdown, and – as foreigners – we were to be quarantined at Dyrøy Holiday for the remainder of our trip to Norway. Even though we learned that the rest of our trip was to be postponed, we were at peace because we were overwhelmed by the kindness of the owners at Dyrøy Holiday. 

This is how all of our days were spent — looking out from the inside of our cabin

As soon as we arrived, we met the owners of our new home for the next 8 days: Ragnar and Ragna. Despite knowing that we’d been traveling through Sweden and parts of Norway prior to our arrival, they still opened their home to us and greeted us with smiles as if it was any other day. And let me just say – given the uncertainty of our situation – it was greatly appreciated!

A Cabin Tour 

Our cabin was absolutely stunning! With 5 bedrooms, two full bathrooms, a fully equipped kitchen, large living room, fireplace, and wrap-around porch … it really was a dream. Add in the fact that there was high speed WiFi and a large TV hooked up to Netflix, and we were good to go! The cabin is set up to have everything you could possibly need, even for long-term guests. There’s a washer and dryer, dishwasher, and ample firewood to ensure that you’re clean and cozy. 

Here’s a peek inside:

Fully equipped kitchen – Dyrøy Holiday

Spacious living room where we spent most of our time – Dyrøy Holiday

Since the cabin is entirely self-serviced, I recommend that you stock up on groceries prior to your arrival. The closest grocery store is Coop, which is a 20 minute drive away (you virtually pass it en route to Dyrøy Holiday). 

The Views & The Property 

We arrived after dark, so we were certainly in for a surprise when we woke up the next morning to discover that we were surrounded by absolutely epic views! Everywhere we looked, there were mountains, and the sea was directly ahead. We witnessed just about every season and every type of light during our stay, and we were simply mesmerized by the views from the cabin. No matter what time of day – sunrise, midday, sunset, night time – the mountains blew us away. 

Views from our balcony – Dyrøy Holiday

If you visit during the summer, you will have the Midnight Sun where the sun never sets. If you’re like us and visit in the winter, you might just be lucky enough to view the Northern Lights dancing above your cabin like we did! The Northern Lights were visible to us multiple times and you’ll certainly never take them for granted!

I still can't believe we saw the Northern Lights over our cabin!

The property extends down to the waterfront, where you can sit and listen to the waves splash upon the shore. You will also find a wood-burning hot tub down there, and I highly recommend spending an evening soaking, relaxing, and (hopefully) taking in the views of the Northern Lights overhead. 

A quick walk down to the water at Dyrøy Holiday

Activities 

Had we not been quarantined, we would have gone out to explore Dyrøya Island. I’d definitely recommend hiking to Hagenes Coastal Fort and hiking to Dyrøygommen with Ragnar.  I’m bummed that we didn’t have the opportunity to do these hikes this time around, but I’m eager to do them next time we visit because we will definitely be back!

Dyrøy Holiday can, of course, arrange all types of activities for you, based on your interest. You can go dog sledding, snowshoeing, sea kayaking, kick sledding, go on a Northern Lights Safari, or evening barbecue by the sea. The options are endless, and I’m certain that there’s something for everyone. Of course, if you just want to relax in solitude too, there’s no better spot than Dyrøy Holiday as it is absolutely silent and serene.  I hope to return in the very near future and have my very own relaxing retreat at Dyrøy Holiday! 

A beautiful sunset at Dryøy Holiday from our patio

How to get to Dyrøy Holiday 

As I mentioned during our trip to Narvik, Norway is best discovered by car. We chose to rent out car from Hertz Narvik and drive up, however, you have a few options:

• Fly: The closest airport to Dyrøy Holiday is Bardufoss Airport, a little over an hour away. There are daily flights from Oslo to Bardufoss Airport so it’s quite easy. Once at the airport, you can either rent a car or hop on a local bus.  
• Drive: As you know, we chose to include Dyrøy as part of a bigger northern Norway road trip. I personally recommend renting a car so that you’re not limited. Get the lowest price on your rental car here. 

You can view all of your options on Dyrøy Holiday’s website here. 

A snowy, but very worthwhile drive to Dyrøy Holiday

Dyrøy Holiday Map

I’ve pinpointed on the map below where Dyrøy Holiday is located in relation to the rest of northern Norway. I have also marked the closest airports so that you can keep that in mind when planning. Please feel free to leave a comment should you have any questions. 

Know Before You Visit Dyrøya Island

Packing for Northern Norway

Now that you have a map on hand, make sure you’re prepared! While you definitely need the right gear and layers, I highly recommend Hestra Gloves, Floa Baselayers, LOWA Boots, and Burton Snow Pants. All of the gear I linked to, I own and recommend personally. Of course, there are many more things that I recommend packing for your trip though, and I highly recommend that you check out my “137 Travel Essentials” to pack for your trip to northern Norway. 

The Best Travel Card for your Visit to Dyrøya Island

Before you leave for your next trip, I highly recommend opening a free Charles Schwab High Yield Investor Checking account. I know that might sound a bit overwhelming, but don’t worry, you don’t need to be an investor to open an account! This provides you with your own Schwab Bank Visa Platinum Debit Card, which offers a ton of benefits both at home and overseas. I’ve been using a Charles Schwab Debit Card since 2011, and it’s honestly the best free travel card out there. Why is that so? Well, you can withdraw from any ATM around the world, and Charles Schwab will reimburse you any ATM fees! They also don’t charge foreign transaction fees either, which is, of course, important when you travel. It’s also worth noting that there is no minimum balance requirement and that they offer free online transfers between accounts (so it’s totally fine if you have another credit card, debit card, or bank account with another company) Open your Charles Schwab account today – FOR FREE – by following this link. 

Purchase Travel Insurance for your Trip to Northern Norway

I hope you don’t embark without travel insurance! If you do, you better think again. Travel insurance is arguably the most important thing to have on hand (after your passports and visas) for a trip like this. I’ve had to use my travel insurance multiple times on the road, even though I’m healthy. You never know when something might happen; take comfort in knowing that whether your flight gets cancelled or you wind up sick and in the hospital, you will be covered. I recommend World Nomads Travel Insurance for each and every one of you travelers. You can get a free quote here. Do note: I learned on this trip that Travel Insurance does not cover pandemics and I do not recommend traveling during the currently COVID-19 outbreak. 

Interested in Dyrøy Holiday? 

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