An estate in development · Nordfjord, Norway
Little Hooves is a planned five-star hotel, spa and gaming lounge (subject to licensing) on an old hillside farm in Nordfjord, built around a rescue for Norwegian Fjord horses. Nothing has been built yet, and the opening date is to be announced.
Artist's impressions. Layouts, areas and finishes may change during construction.
The estate
Little Hooves is planned as a casino hotel in Norway that turns the usual model around. Instead of a tower beside a car park, the estate will sit on an old farm on a hillside in Nordfjord, where the pastures run down to the water and the mountains close in behind. Generations of haymaking and grazing shaped this kind of land, and the design is meant to keep that shape readable: the lodge will follow the contour of the slope, and the new Great Barn will take the place and proportions of a traditional red barn.
Most resorts of this kind are organised around the gaming floor. Here the organising idea is the paddocks. The Little Hooves Rescue, a planned home for older and rescued Norwegian Fjord horses, will take the best south-facing land, and everything else will be placed around it: rooms and suites with fjord views, three restaurants and bars, a bathhouse with pools and saunas, event spaces in the barn, and a separate entertainment and gaming lounge, subject to licensing.
The architecture will borrow from the farm buildings of western Norway: tarred black timber, turf roofs and local stone outside; oak, wool and linen inside. We would like a five-star hotel in Norway to feel as though it belongs to its valley, and we would like guests to notice the weather, the light on the water and the horses in the field before they notice the hotel.
The heart of the estate
The Little Hooves Rescue is planned as a permanent home for older and rescued Norwegian Fjord horses. It gives the estate its name, and it is the part of the project we care about most. The fjord horse is an old, hardy breed whose history is closely tied to western Norway, and Nordfjord has long been one of its home districts. Day-to-day care will be led by qualified grooms, working with a veterinary partner to be announced. The rescue will operate under Norway's Animal Welfare Act (Dyrevelferdsloven) and the supervision of the Norwegian Food Safety Authority (Mattilsynet), with its own team and routines that will not depend on how busy the hotel is.
The horses will not be an attraction. There will be no rides for guests, no photo sessions and no feeding by visitors. Stable routines and daily quiet hours will be set by the grooms and the vet, and the paddocks will close to guests whenever the horses need rest.
Guests will be able to watch the paddocks from footpaths and terraces at a respectful distance. Closer visits will only take place with a groom, in small groups, and only when the horses are settled and at ease.
Winters in Nordfjord are long and wet. The rescue is designed with a stable, open field shelters, frost-free water and hay stored on site, so each horse can move freely between shelter and pasture. The plan allows for up to 14 horses, so that every animal gets space and attention.
Artist's impressions. Layouts, areas and finishes may change during construction.
Rooms and suites
Six types of luxury accommodation are planned across the lodge, the old farm buildings, the shoreline and the summer pasture above the estate. Each will be built from natural materials, with good beds and a view of the fjord or the paddocks. Areas and details below are planned and may change.
Set in small timber buildings modelled on the stabbur, the raised storehouse of the traditional Norwegian farm, the Stabbur Rooms will be the most intimate rooms on the estate. Thick walls, oiled wood, a stone basin and a small balcony over the meadow are planned. They are designed for couples who would rather have quiet and a view of the fields than a large suite.
The Fjord Rooms will face the water through a single window that runs the full width of the room. A deep window seat, a slate-lined shower and a writing desk turned towards the view are planned, so the fjord stays in sight from almost everywhere. These will be the simplest of the planned rooms and, for many guests, the ones that feel most like a fjord hotel should.
Under the exposed beams of the old hayloft, these suites are planned on two levels. The bedroom will sit on an open mezzanine, with a separate bathroom beneath a roof window and a living room below, warmed by a wood-burning stove. The layout will suit two adults with a third guest on the sofa bed, or a couple who simply want room to spread out on a long weekend.
The Paddock Suites will be on the ground floor, each with a private terrace facing the rescue's pastures. The horses will graze behind a fence, at a distance, and the terraces will have no access to the paddocks: guests can watch, but not enter. Inside, a separate bedroom, a generous bathroom and a sitting area with armchairs turned towards the fields are planned.
Built in stone and timber at the water's edge, the Boathouse Villas are planned as the most private places on the estate: a boutique luxury stay with a living room that opens onto the fjord, a private jetty for evening swims and a private sauna. Two bedrooms will sleep four, and a short shoreline path will lead to the lodge, the restaurant and the bathhouse.
High above the lodge, on the summer pasture, the Seter Residence is planned as a cluster of turf-roofed cabins in the manner of a traditional mountain seter. A great room with an open fireplace, a dining table for six and a wooden hot tub looking down the valley will link three bedrooms. It will stand apart from the main estate, for small groups who want the mountain to themselves.
Dining
Three restaurants and bars are planned, all built around what the farm, the fjord and the neighbouring valleys can supply. The aim is seasonal cooking that could stand beside the best tables in the region, without imported theatre. Names, chefs and menus will be announced closer to opening.
The main restaurant will fill the long room at the centre of the lodge, with oak tables, candlelight and tall windows onto the fjord. Breakfast will be slow and generous. Dinner will follow the season, from spring lamb and early greens to autumn game, mushrooms and root vegetables.
A smaller bar in dark wood and brass will pour Norwegian aquavit, cider from the fruit-growing districts of western Norway and a short, careful list of wines. It is designed for a quiet drink after a walk or a sauna rather than for late nights.
From the fjord
Fish from Norwegian coastal waters, cured and smoked in the estate's own smokehouse, served with rye bread baked in the lodge kitchen.
From neighbouring farms
Lamb raised on the hill farms of the surrounding valleys, cooked slowly and served with roots and greens for autumn evenings.
Grown on the estate
Berries from the estate's kitchen garden, with cloudberries from the hills when the short season allows, whipped cream and biscuits from the lodge oven.
Below the lodge, a stone cellar is planned for cheeses, cured meats, preserves and wine, next to a small smokehouse for fish and meat. Guests will be able to see the kitchen team at work through the cellar door and, on some evenings, share a tasting at a long table under the vaulted ceiling.
Entertainment
Norway does not currently license land-based casinos, and gambling there is offered only by operators with exclusive rights. The gaming side of the Little Hooves lounge will therefore open only if the law allows it and a permit is granted. We are not trying to build a top casino resort in the Las Vegas sense: the lounge is planned as a calm room within the hotel, closer to a private club than to the busy floor of a hotel casino.
Until a permit is granted, and if that never happens, the rooms are designed to work as a quiet lounge and bar, with warm light, good chairs and no noise spilling into the rest of the lodge. The lounge will be physically separate from the rescue, the spa and the family spaces, with its own entrance inside the lodge.
A small room with a few card tables, planned for games run under the terms of any future licence.
A single table with a wooden wheel, designed as part of the room rather than its centrepiece.
A short row of restrained machines in timber alcoves, with plain screens and no flashing lights.
A smaller room with a fireplace, leather armchairs and one table, for private groups.
Gaming will always be optional and never the reason for a stay. If gambling stops being fun for you or for someone close to you, free and confidential help is available in Norway from Hjelpelinjen.
Bathhouse and spa
Sauna and a cold dip are part of everyday life along the Norwegian coast. The planned bathhouse builds on that habit rather than on imported spa rituals, with stone, timber and the fjord itself.
An indoor pool inside a stone hall, lit from above through a long roof light. It is planned as the calm centre of the spa, open to hotel guests all year round.
A heated outdoor pool whose edge meets the view of the fjord. On cold mornings, steam will rise off the water while the mountains are still in shadow.
A wood-fired sauna on a floating platform, with steps straight down into the fjord for a cold dip between rounds.
Quiet rooms in linen and wood with windows onto the forest, planned for massage and simple treatments using Nordic plants.
The bathhouse and spa are planned at around 1 800 m², with indoor and outdoor pools, several saunas, cold plunges, treatment rooms and a relaxation hall. The rhythm will be slow: no music over the pools, limited numbers at busy times, and a spa resort in Norway that feels closer to a village bathhouse than to a wellness centre.
Events and gatherings
The Great Barn, a hall and a loft are planned for weddings, company retreats and family celebrations. Each space will use the same materials as the rest of the estate and open onto the landscape. Events will never take place on the paddocks and will not involve the horses.
A conference and lecture hall with rows of seating and a panoramic window over the water, planned for meetings, talks and screenings.
A boardroom under the old roof beams with a single long table for 14, for board meetings and small workshops.
An outdoor ceremony site on a wildflower meadow above the fjord, well away from the paddocks, with dinner in the Great Barn afterwards.
| Space | Theatre | Banquet | Boardroom | Reception |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Great Barn | 320 | 220 | — | 360 |
| Fjord Hall | 180 | 120 | 40 | 200 |
| The Loft | — | — | 14 | — |
Guest numbers per layout. A dash means the layout is not planned for that space. All figures may change.
Tell us about it by email. We can note early interest, but we cannot confirm any dates until the estate opens, and there is nothing to pay.
Gallery
A first look at how the estate could feel through the year, from misty mornings on the fjord to winter evenings by the stove. Select an image to view it larger.
Artist's impressions. Layouts, areas and finishes may change during construction.
Nordfjord
The estate is planned in one of the most varied corners of western Norway, and much of what will make a Nordfjord hotel worth the journey lies outside its walls. These are some of the things the region itself offers, whatever the season.
Arms of Jostedalsbreen, the largest glacier on the European mainland, reach down towards the valleys of Nordfjord, with pale green lakes beneath them.
Long, deep and often still, the fjords here are good water for paddling in summer, from a short trip along the shore to a full day on the water.
Marked paths climb from the water to summer pastures and summits, many giving wide views over the fjord within an hour or two of walking.
Snow lingers on the high mountains of the region into early summer, and skiing in June is a local tradition in snowy years.
Nordfjord lies on Norway's western coast, between Ålesund and Bergen. The nearest large airports with international flights are Ålesund Airport (Vigra) and Bergen Airport (Flesland). From either, the journey continues by road through fjord country.
The exact location of the estate, distances, travel times and transfer options are all to be announced closer to opening.
The vision
Little Hooves began with a simple question: what would a luxury resort in Norway look like if it were designed around care rather than spectacle? Our answer is a farm estate hotel built around a rescue for fjord horses, where the daily rhythm of the paddocks sets the pace for everything else.
That idea shapes the architecture. The buildings are planned in local timber and stone, low enough to sit below the tree line and turned towards the water. Turf roofs, tarred walls and old farm proportions should let the estate feel like part of the valley within a few seasons, rather than a new object set down in it.
It also shapes how we intend to work with the region: hiring locally where we can, buying from neighbouring farms and keeping the shore open and quiet. Done well, Little Hooves could become a Norwegian coast resort that the people who live nearby are glad to have next door.
We would rather build a quiet place that earns its valley than a loud one that merely occupies it.
Questions
Straight answers about the project, the rescue and the planned gaming lounge. Anything else, write to [email protected].
Not in the usual sense. Norway does not currently license land-based casinos, and gambling is limited to operators with exclusive rights: Norsk Tipping, which is state-owned, and Norsk Rikstoto, a foundation with exclusive rights to betting on horse racing. Little Hooves is a project in development, and its planned gaming lounge is subject to licensing. It will open only if the law allows it and a permit is granted.
No. The estate has not been built, and reservations are not open. You can join the interest list on our contact page to hear when that changes. Joining the list is not a booking, a payment or a guarantee of a room, and we will never ask for a deposit before reservations officially open.
The estate is planned around a horse rescue rather than a gaming floor. Local timber, stone and turf roofs, a bathhouse in the Norwegian tradition and a kitchen supplied by the farm and the fjord will shape the stay. The gaming lounge, if it is licensed, will be one quiet room among many rather than the centre of the resort.
A gaming lounge is planned, subject to licensing. Under current Norwegian law, land-based casinos are not licensed, so the gaming side will open only if the rules change and a permit is granted. Either way, Little Hooves is meant to be a hotel with a casino rather than a casino with rooms attached, and the lounge is designed to work as a bar without gaming.
It is a planned home for older and rescued Norwegian Fjord horses. No horses are in our care yet. Once the rescue opens, guests will be able to watch the paddocks and join quiet visits with a groom, in small groups. There will be no riding for guests. This website does not accept donations, sponsorships or rehoming requests.
The opening date is to be announced. The project is still in development, and the timeline depends on planning, permits and construction. We will share dates with the interest list first and publish them on this website once they are confirmed. Until then, please treat any opening date you see elsewhere as unofficial.
Little Hooves is planned in Nordfjord, on Norway's western fjord coast. The exact location is to be announced when planning allows. The region is reached through the international airports at Ålesund and Bergen, followed by a drive through fjord country. Travel times and transfer options will be published closer to opening.
Join the interest list on our contact page, and we will send occasional project news by email. You can stop receiving it at any time by writing to [email protected] or by replying to any of our emails. This website uses no analytics, tracking pixels or advertising trackers.
This is an editorial comparison only; Little Hooves has no connection with either property. Large destination resorts are usually built around the gaming floor and its entertainment. Little Hooves is planned the other way round: a small estate around a horse rescue, with a bathhouse, a farm kitchen and a quiet lounge whose gaming side is subject to licensing.
