See inside an arctic Airbnb village that costs $190 per night and lets guests sleep under the Northern Lights

Jamie KillinMay 10, 2023, 18:49 IST

The arctic hideaway on a snow-covered hill.Pasi Aalto

The Arctic Hideaway, located in northern Norway, was created by composer Håvard Lund.
The village has all the functions of a normal home but is split into multiple structures.

Håvard Lund, the owner of an "arctic hideaway" in Gildeskål, Nordland, Norway, never intended to put his village — which sits on a remote island in the Arctic, without shops and cars — on Airbnb, and he's sometimes afraid of what guests' expectations will be.

"Despite my in-depth description on Airbnb, I still have bookings from people who don't read one word and just see the pictures and come. This can lead to bad reviews," Lund told Insider.

The tiny village has all the functions of a normal home but is split into multiple structures and can host a group of people while immersing them in nature.

"People breathe differently and see natural phenomena that they won't see if they're indoors," like birds, sea otters, and the Northern Lights, Lund said.

Here's a look inside and around the property.

The "Arctic Hideaway" is a tiny village of homes located at the arctic Norwegian archipelago Fleinvær, outside the city Bodø. It's on Airbnb.

Kathrine Sørgaard

The structures overlook the Norwegian Sea.

fyreMedia

At night, guests can see the Northern Lights.

fyreMedia

Accommodation prices are currently about $190 a night, but each stay is a minimum of two nights.

Kathrine Sørgaard

The island is remote, with no supermarkets or shops.

Oivind Arvola

It’s located in an old fishing village with very few residents.

Pasi Aalto

The Hideaway was imagined by Håvard Lund, a composer and part-time host. Lund has others care for the property when he's away.

Courtesy of Martin Losvik

He hired an architectural firm to carry out the project, and construction took two years.

fyreMedia

Lund wanted the village to serve as a destination for artists, and he reserves time on the schedule to allow large artist groups to use the space.

Oivind Arvola

The buildings were finished in 2016. They're made of materials like steel to withstand time and weather.

Kathrine Sørgaard

Since it's remote, the hosts encourage guests to enjoy the nature around them.

Jesse Beaman

The village offers all the functions of a home, but split into 11 different houses.

fyreMedia

It was designed for guests to interact with nature when navigating between buildings.

Martin Losvik

It includes a bath house, kitchen house, lounge house, crab shack, tower house, and four bedrooms.

fyreMedia

The kitchen and lounge houses are up on a hill and overlook the rest of the village.

Pasi Aalto

A deck extends between the kitchen house and the lounge house.

Pasi Aalto

Large windows allow a view into the kitchen.

Pasi Aalto

The view from the lounge house overlooks the water and mountains.

Håvard Lund

The bath house is one of the closest structures to the water.

Martin Losvik

The bedrooms are referred to as “sleeping pods.”

fyreMedia

Two of the bedrooms have two single beds for guests.

Pasi Aalto

Guests can climb up a ladder to access the top bunk.

Pasi Aalto

The other two bedrooms have double beds.

Martin Losvik

The entire compound sleeps 10 guests.

Jesse Beaman

The tower house, or Njalla, isn't usually rented out for sleeping.

Pasi Aalto

Instead, it's intended as a shared reading house.

Pasi Aalto

Each structure offers unique design elements, like this large window in the tower house.

Pasi Aalto

Guests walk on the pier to the sauna and crab shack.

Kathrine Sørgaard

The kitchen offers plenty of space for group dining and views of the island.

Jesse Beaman

Guests are encouraged to use the Arctic Hideaway’s open pantry to make lunches and dinners, and dine together.

Oivind Arvola

They can also swim.

Martin Losvik

Despite the cozy interiors, Lund warns guests that staying at the Arctic Hideaway doesn't offer the modern conveniences of a hotel.

Pasi Aalto

He describes it as "black coffee and rock 'n' roll without the frills."

Kathrine Sørgaard

As more people return to normal travel schedules three years after the start of the pandemic, the Arctic Hideaway is once again seeing more guests — both tourists and creatives — from all around the world.

Kathrine Sørgård

As more people return to normal travel schedules three years after the start of the pandemic, the Arctic Hideaway is once again seeing more guests — both tourists and creatives — from all around the world.

I saw how a no-frills garage got turned into a gorgeous apartment for cheap, and it made me realize how empty offices could easily get converted into housing, too

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See inside an arctic Airbnb village that costs $190 per night and lets guests sleep under the Northern Lights

The "Arctic Hideaway" is a tiny village of homes located at the arctic Norwegian archipelago Fleinvær, outside the city Bodø. It's on Airbnb.

The structures overlook the Norwegian Sea.

At night, guests can see the Northern Lights.

Accommodation prices are currently about $190 a night, but each stay is a minimum of two nights.

The island is remote, with no supermarkets or shops.

It’s located in an old fishing village with very few residents.

The Hideaway was imagined by Håvard Lund, a composer and part-time host. Lund has others care for the property when he's away.

He hired an architectural firm to carry out the project, and construction took two years.

Lund wanted the village to serve as a destination for artists, and he reserves time on the schedule to allow large artist groups to use the space.

The buildings were finished in 2016. They're made of materials like steel to withstand time and weather.

Since it's remote, the hosts encourage guests to enjoy the nature around them.

The village offers all the functions of a home, but split into 11 different houses.

It was designed for guests to interact with nature when navigating between buildings.

It includes a bath house, kitchen house, lounge house, crab shack, tower house, and four bedrooms.

The kitchen and lounge houses are up on a hill and overlook the rest of the village.

A deck extends between the kitchen house and the lounge house.

Large windows allow a view into the kitchen.

The view from the lounge house overlooks the water and mountains.

The bath house is one of the closest structures to the water.

The bedrooms are referred to as “sleeping pods.”

Two of the bedrooms have two single beds for guests.

Guests can climb up a ladder to access the top bunk.

The other two bedrooms have double beds.

The entire compound sleeps 10 guests.

The tower house, or Njalla, isn't usually rented out for sleeping.

Instead, it's intended as a shared reading house.

Each structure offers unique design elements, like this large window in the tower house.

Guests walk on the pier to the sauna and crab shack.

The kitchen offers plenty of space for group dining and views of the island.

Guests are encouraged to use the Arctic Hideaway’s open pantry to make lunches and dinners, and dine together.

They can also swim.

Despite the cozy interiors, Lund warns guests that staying at the Arctic Hideaway doesn't offer the modern conveniences of a hotel.

He describes it as "black coffee and rock 'n' roll without the frills."

As more people return to normal travel schedules three years after the start of the pandemic, the Arctic Hideaway is once again seeing more guests — both tourists and creatives — from all around the world.