Aurora Borealis Observatory

We have just returned from a 2 night stay at the Observatory and I wanted to share how wonderful our experience was. All communication in relation to our booking, arrival, transport etc was prompt and helpful. We booked directly with the ABO so our pick up and drop off was included which was fantastic. The room [standard apartment] was beautifully put together and very tasteful, extremely comfortable beds and well equipped kitchen - a highlight was sitting in the lounge and enjoying the view from the large picture window that each of the accommodation options offers. Free breakfast was included and we found we had all that we needed. Buffet breakfast with hot and cold options and even when we ate later in the breakfast timings, there was still plenty availab;e. We ate dinner both nights in the restaurant - portions were very large [we did not go hungry] and food was delicious. No alcohol licence yet but not an issue for us anyway. You will need to bring groceries with you if you want to self cater but the staff also offered to take us to a supermarket after 1st collecting us if we wanted to get groceries. You will either need your own transport or join tours [either with ABO or other operators who will come and collect you] to maximise your experience of Senja. We didn't use or enquire about equipment on offer but did see children sledding while we were staying. We did not take any ABO tours so I'm unable to comment on them. We did take a day tour and a night tour to see the lights with another provider - there are no issues in doing this at all. On our first night, we had elected to stay at the resort [not go on a tour] and we were rewarded with a wonderful showing of the aurora borealis and enjoyed 2 hours of a light show from the hill behind the complex. Staff kept us updated via whatsapp during our stay to let us know when the aurora was visible. In summary, totally recommend and enjoyed our time. Really enjoyed the island of Senja too which is incredibly beautiful.

Just back from a trip to ABO and we had a brilliant time. The location and accommodation is spot on and feel really lucky to have visited. It’s a small site so there aren’t loads of staff but this wasn’t a problem, they were always lovely, welcoming and helpful. We had breakfast in the restaurant which was buffet style and was always enjoyable. We had a meal in the restaurant which was really good albeit expensive. But Norway is generally expensive and somewhere more remote like this will also cost a bit more so something we expected. We stayed in the studio apartment which has a kitchen (most others don’t have one). The apartment was beautiful, clean and comfortable. We thoroughly enjoyed the jacuzzi, even in the cold temperatures it stayed hot. ABO is 6 miles from the nearest town so a 15 min drive. We hired a car so we had the flexibility to get around. The location is spot on. We saw the northern lights on two of the three nights we were there and they were simply stunning (and matched up with the photos on their website). We were there on New Year’s Eve which was magical to have the Northern lights and to see all the firework displays in the distance over in Finnsnes. The Norwegians know how to put on a good display! The site is lovely and we borrowed sledges and snow shoes so we could play about in the snow and explore. We would love to come back at in future. A few improvements I would suggest for the studio apartment: - A few more utensils and crockery in the kitchen would improve it. - A drying rack for the bathroom where we could hang wet clothes.

PLEASE READ BEFORE BOOKING! We have been trying to receive our $2,200 refund from this company for six weeks now. We were to go to the resort from November 30, 2024 to December 6, 2024. We canceled our trip with them on April 5, 2024. They canceled our booking on April 11, 2024; however, to date they have not refunded our money, and we have not heard from them since April 18, 2024. We have e-mailed them multiple times and have provided them with all of the necessary information for us to receive our refund. To get a full refund, we were required to give them one-month's notice. We gave them seven. They are keeping our money and they can also rebook the room. This simply is not right. I have read other reviews where people have or are having difficulties receiving a refund from them. Please avoid this company at all costs!

Avoid at all costs!! This is costing us a lot!!! We had booked the Old Farm House in Dec 2023 for 4 nights stay in Sep 2024 and paid up the full amount of KR26,400 with the contract of a FULL REFUND if cancellation is more than 1 month before commencement of stay. However, when we wrote in to cancel the booking in mid Feb 2024, with constant weekly reminders since, we had heard absolutely nothing at all from the Aurora Borealis Observatory! NOT A SINGLE REPLY at all, not even to acknowledge they have received our notification of cancellation! Now it is already past mid Apr and all we get is total complete silence from them!!! It looks like nobody is working there or even present for the past 2 months (at least!), so beware of this place!!! Do NOT believe what you see on their website! We have noticed that it has been upgraded since last Dec, looking even more beautiful and professional now. They have also changed the cancellation policy of getting full refund from 1 month prior to commencement of stay (our agreement last year) to 2 months (this year). Another fishy aspect of this place is that the email handling the receival of money is different from the email we have to write in to cancel our booking. When we wrote in to the former, it totally rejected our correspondence! Due to this very expensive lesson, in the future, we will not be booking with any accommodations promising full refunds if payment is upfront. Furthermore, as we plan to see the Northern Lights end of the year, we will definitely NOT go to Norway to catch them. We will look at Iceland or Finland or Sweden or Alaska. This is to warn all not to fall into the trap of Aurora Borealis Observatory! Avoid at all costs!!

Getting there is easy from the UK - flight to Oslo then transfer to the military airport Bardufoss from there the bus awaits to take you approximately 1 hour to the stop where the ABO pick you up.Stayed for 4 nights with my daughter in the luxury apartment with private hot tub - stunning views over the mountains from the Panoramic windows. The apartment was warm and well equipped. We saw Aurora on our first night and for three nights out of 4 - it was amazing. The Fjosn restaurant serves beautiful tapas and we had the 10 course tasting menu with drinks which was gorgeous. Thanks to Michael who served us and Chefs Kenneth and Thomas. It would be good to also have a different menu running alongside the tapas as it’s quite restrictive if you want to eat in the restaurant every evening. However the apartments are self catering and there is a supermarket close by which Fred took us to. The Senja Scenic Tour is a must - breathtaking scenery. Thank you Darren and Fred for all your help with anything we needed - the memories will last forever. Julie and Sarah

We came during the polar nights where there only 4 hours of day light. Took the ferry from Tromso Prostneset to Finnsnes. It took 1 hour 15 mins, the ferries were always on time. Darren came to pick us and bought us to the supermarket to get food and groceries as there’s no lunch available at the place. You will have to get your own lunch. Booked the executive suite for 2 nights and the Aurora hut for 1 night. However, the executive suite is the only category that doesn’t come with kitchenette. Luckily the owners were kind to let us cook our lunch at another apartment. The suite comes with a bathtub, living and dining area. There’s a bedroom with king sized bed. Bed is comfortable and nice fluffy blankets. Unit comes with Nespresso coffee machine and kettle but there’s no tea bags. Kind of disappointed to experience this. There were no bath mat in the bath room as well. We had to step out dripping wet and floor were wet. Only shower gel provided and no shampoo available. Small hair dryer provided. Paid premium price but basic things were not available. Walk to restaurant took less than 5 mins. No lights around and we had to walk in the dark. The Aurora hut is on a small hill top, we have to trek up in our own in the dark. Gas stove with kettle provided. Heater, wifi and chemical toilet provided. Paper cups and plates as well. Nice view from on top. No power sockets but there’s USB ports to charge. Queen size bed. Nice experience but 1 night is enough. It could get claustrophobic if you stay long. Apartment was provided for shower and cooking of lunch. The only plus point is we get to see Aurora every night we were there. The staff will alert us via WhatsApp when there’s Aurora till 11pm when their shift ends.