Norwegian would: Fresh air and fabulous fjords on a break in amazing Alesund

By Elinor Goodman
Updated: 17:25 EDT, 30 August 2010

What I wanted was a clean break: quite literally a clean break. after four successive holidays in the sun left me with Delhi belly, I wanted to go somewhere cool and clean, from where I would return feeling healthier. I found it on the Norwegian fjords. Standing in a valley, the mountains reflected in the water below, and the only sound the roaring of waterfalls, I have rarely felt such a sense of wellbeing. And that was before I spent three hours in the hotel's enormous spa.

Fjord focus: Elinor found fresh air galore - and no stomach bugs - in Alesund

I flew to Alesund. It is in a magnificent position on the fjords surrounded by mountains. What makes it unique is its art nouveau architecture. The old town was destroyed by fire in 1903. The building industry was in recession elsewhere in Europe so architects and craftsmen poured in to work on the reconstruction. It coincided with the independence of Norway from Sweden, which resulted in a new romantic nationalism, expressed in the architecture.

From the mountain above, it looks like Lilliput with its fairytale spires and turrets, and pastel painted warehouses beside the canal. At street level you can appreciate the ornamentation that made each house individual - a flowering vine on the brewer's house, troll-like masks on another and a marble facade on one of the largest fish warehouses, for then, as now, Alesund's wealth was built on fish.

The Hotel Brosundet, where I stayed, was on the canal with views of water and mountains. Had I really wanted to get away from everything, I could have stayed in the annexe in the harbour's converted lighthouse - a round room, 12ft in diameter, with a curved bed and minute en suite - almost entirely surrounded by sea. Breakfast arrives across the windswept jetty.

Alesund is one of three islands connected by tunnels, so you could perfectly well spend a short break exploring these and taking tranquil boat trips around the fjords. But I always want an adrenalin rush on holiday. So, dressed up like an astronaut, I joined a rafting expedition out on to the open sea. Sitting astride a seat like a motor bike's, I clung on for dear life as the boat - a huge rubber dinghy with powerful engine - bumped and crashed across the waves.

Much to my relief, we then turned in to a fjord where the water was so calm you could barely tell where the mountains ended and their reflections began. At the end of the Hjorund Fjord was the extraordinary Hotel Union Oye, built in 1891 for European aristocrats who also wanted healthier climes for their holidays. Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany was a guest.

Horse play: Elinor spotted Fjording ponies outside the village of Norddal

Having become very dilapidated in the Sixties, it was bought by three local enthusiasts who have restored it to its Edwardian grandeur; perfect in every detail. There is even a set of pipes in honour of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, who stayed there. But it closes for the winter, so as this was the very end of the season, I stayed instead at the modern Union Hotel in Geiranger. It has magnificent views of the fjord - and is very luxurious. Some rooms have en suite saunas and the spa has three pools, including an outdoor Jacuzzi. The massage was wonderful.

In the summer, around 160 cruisers visit Geiranger for a quick tour. It is a breathtaking place with waterfalls plunging down the cliffs. But I wanted to go off the beaten track.

We drove past icicles shining like Christmas decorations, to the village of Norddal. There, I had homemade apple pie at the traditional Petrines guesthouse before moving on to the 'summer village' where young herd girls used to live in huts. Now these can be rented. Around them, butter-fat Fjording ponies pawed the new snow in search of grass. It was as near to perfect peace as you can get.

Norway isn't cheap. a glass of wine costs around £5 and a coffee £2, and even a relatively modest guesthouse can cost £70 a night.

I was lucky with the weather. The sun shone on the new snow. It can be very grey and wet. But I would risk that to get this close to nature. And yes, I avoided a stomach upset.

Travel Facts

SAS (0871 226 7760, www.flysas.com) flies from Heathrow to Alesund via Oslo. Book by August 30 for £96 one-way. Inghams (020 8780 4454, www.inghams.co.uk) offers a ten-day Fjord Explorer escorted tour from £1,075 starting with three nights in Alesund and including a trip to Geiranger, return flights, half-board and transfers.