Balsfjord accommodation from NZ$125

Hotel is lovely fab breakfast and in a great location

Centrally located in the middle of Tromso its ideal for a single night but rooms are really really small and our room was unbelievably hot and stuffy and we couldn't turn the heating down.

We booked here because some family members stayed 9 years ago and loved it, so we weren't as careful with checking reviews as we would normally be. The resort is very far from 4*. The apartments are tired and basic. The soft furnishings (sofa, cushions and blanket) in the living room are dirty and smelly. The bedrooms are tiny, with just beds and no other furniture, not even a bedside table. The shower cubicles are cheap plastic. The only great thing is the view over the fjord. If the weather is good then I'm sure it's a fantastic place to see the Northern Lights but if it's cloudy, as it was during our visit, then you won't see anything and you're stuck in one location. The activities are run by a separate company and the staff are lovely but completely untrained. We booked a trappers experience day, where we were meant to learn about local flora and fauna, and how to make a fire. In reality, it was just a snowshoe hike, which was gorgeous and fun but not what we thought we were getting. Our guide had only been at the resort for a few weeks and had been given minimal training, so didn't know the area very well (not his fault, he was doing his best). We also found out that some of the activities staff live in tiny near the dog yard in extremely basic conditions. There was actually a fire while we were there - likely caused by unsafe electrics (no injuries thankfully). The sauna was also not working properly. On the plus side, the hotel staff were friendly.