Snowhotel Kirkenes Restaurant - Bjørnevatn

Vanja B. O.

Kjempe skuffet over maten.
Spiste bugøyfjordmeny:
Hval hvaltatar, vaffel med krem å tyttebær
Det va grusomt vi va 9 stykk å 6 som spiste det å ingen likte det.
Rein kjøtte va stekt for mye
Desseren va helt ok

Sinny A.

We had our meals eating King Crab at the restaurant after which we visited the snow hotel. The whole hotel is made from ice and if one were to stay overnight he would be given a sleeping bag. There is no door to the hotel rooms. The whole hotel are sculptured using various themes.

Hoyuten (.

aw man i’m a huge fan of seafood but honestly i personally was underwhelmed by the food experience here.

you have free flow of rice and crab thing soup substance. however the rice is very sticky and not very pleasant to eat, and the soupy whatever didn’t really help with in any aspect

remember that i really enjoy seafood, but only when i don’t get 7 cuts and poke marks on my fingers trying to break it out of the shell even with those scissors. it’s a massive pain and by the time i extracted all the crab meat it went warm and even cold 🙁 which sucks because it was the best tasting thing here especially with the bread/butter/mayo/lemon combo but it’s always better hot. i guess it makes sense to be cold so WE don’t burn our fingers but the legs were warm when we got them so…

also the crab fluids leak out very easily and go EVERYWHERE it made my cup of water undrinkable then it got on my pants aughhhhh which got stinky for the rest of the day

and even with gloves on, it still somehow manages to make your hands smell for several days.

in other news the guy was pretty cool (refer to other review) and the snacks and drinks selection was neat.

Rick M.

Very cool location. Our cabin had a great view of the northern lights.

Hamish W.

There was nothing overly terrible about our experience at the Snow Hotel, but neither was it a particularly pleasant or enjoyable time. Given how much we had spent on our night there, we had hoped that the staff would make some sort of effort to be welcoming and that they would provide reasonable service. Instead we were made to feel like we were in their way and taking up their time by being there.

The snow hotel is set in a great location and we enjoyed the opportunity to sleep in an igloo-like room. We also loved the delicious dinner and breakfast that was provided. Unfortunately, however, our stay was clouded by the very poor service and hospitality we received. The check-in experience was extremely complicated and unsatisfying. We had accidentally arrived an hour early due to the time zone differences and the receptionist made it very clear that we were too early which in turn made us feel uncomfortable (even though we were not expecting our rooms to be ready). We were then directed to put tags on our bags without being explained what these tags were for or what would be done with our bags. After many questions we still could not understand when or where they were being taken (which was important to us as we needed gear out of them for the afternoon's activities). In the end, nothing about this situation needed to be complex yet the receptionist made it painfully difficult to understand how the processes worked.

We were also dismayed with the hotel's service at dinner. While members of our family were still in the middle of eating their entree, those that had finished had their plates cleared making the experience feel very rushed and pressured. After pointing out to the staff that we would like our empty plates to remain on the table while the rest of the table finished their course, they followed up at the next course by serving desert to one family member while another member was still eating their main course! While these are in some respect just a small part of the experience, when you're paying such big money you would expect that basic things like waiting for everyone to finish their meal would be part of the service when instead we were made to feel rushed and pressured to eat to keep up with the server's timeline.

Unfortunately the experience at breakfast was not dissimilar. While they advertise breakfast until 10am, I would highly recommend you leave before 9 otherwise you will be surrounded by staff dragging tables and chairs around the room and grunting. It is hard not to feel like you are in their way and it is impossible to enjoy a pleasant breakfast. Again, simple but pretty basic things that when are not done well can really ruin the experience.

All in all, it's not a very class place. When we checked out and thanked the staff as we left, the receptionist couldn't even be bothered looking up when she returned the goodbye. If you're expecting a quality service commensurate to what you have paid then I would recommend looking elsewhere. There's nothing terrible about the experience, but there's nothing particularly to be delighted about. At the end of the day it's a beautiful location and the food is great, but don't go expecting much more from the place in terms of hospitality than what you would get from a relatively cheap hostel.

Paul R.

Had a fantastic experience eating the world's biggest Red King Crab at Snow Hotel Kirkenes! Took an RIB boat out to pick the crabs out of the trap. Then brought them back where they were cooked up right in front of us. We were served in the hotel restaurant - amazing. Then we toured the snow hotel. People were great.

Will F.

Poor staff. Below average food

John J.

Snow Hotel is a great place especially seeing for the first time. Also dog sledding, snow mobility and King Crab expedition.