Ytri Island Retreat, which bills itself as Norway's most remote island retreat, has opened on Husøya in the Træna archipelago, a 112-mile ferry journey from the northern coastal city of Bodø. The concept was mooted by locals a decade ago amid a hollowing-out of the regional fishing industry, with the municipality and local development company Træna 365 brainstorming alternative futures. After six years of planning, investors Asle Helgheim and Ellen Hestenes came on board.
The retreat has 38 rooms and suites, with floor-to-ceiling windows facing the Trænstaven mountain on Sanna island. Design firm Bonaparte Interiør used local materials, including a terrazzo floor made of sand, stone and shells from the island. Activities include hikes, kayaking, freediving trips, and drifting in flotation suits to see kelp forests and northern lights.
Since the retreat opened in April, Træna's population has increased by almost two per cent, a sign that the project's vision of social sustainability is already bedding in. The hotel's restaurant, Alma, offers a four-course dinner and a 12-course chef's table reimagining a journey from Hawaii to Træna.