We arrived at the hotel about 11pm and were very tired from the coach journey. When we arrived we fell in love with the place! it was so warm, cosy and welcoming. We sat by the big windows drinking hot chocolate and watched it snow outside. The room was on the corner of the hotel and we had the perfect view of the slopes and the frozen lake! It was also very cosy and clean. The food was fantastic. Breakfast was set up in the morning and lunch which we could take with us onto the slopes. There was a nightclub and jacuzzis. Recommended for a christmas holiday. Was the best christmas ive ever had.

We booked the Skogstad Hotel (of the Norlandia chain of hotels) with Crystal Ski, and arrived there on 2nd April 2006, staying for one week.
Having read the reviews of others before we went, we were prepared for some drawbacks, but overall we liked it so much that we hope to go again next year.
The hotel is comfortable. Everything is very clean. The brochures (it features in Neilson as well) give the impression that it is quite a lively hotel, with a lot going on. We found the hotel to be very quiet during the week. On the Sunday night, we had to wait about three quarters of an hour after dinner, for someone to come and serve at the very small bar. The hotel comes to life on Friday and Saturday nights, as the Norwegian skiers arrive for the weekend. There is a disco and live music (only at the weekends) and the bar opens properly. Having read the reviews on Tripadvisor, we had asked for a room as far away as possible from the disco. They put us in Room 411, under the eaves, on the top floor, at the back of the hotel, but every note was clearly audible (it was live music, and the male vocalist was truly appalling!).
As for booze, yes it is expensive! The cheapest bottle of wine in the hotel is £30, and a glass of beer is £5.40. You can buy bottles of beer in the supermarkets (there are 3 supermarkets in Hemsedal), for about £1 each, but apparently (according to the Crystal reps) Norwegian supermarkets don't sell wine because of Norwegian law.
We took our own gin and vodka, and kept it in the fridge in the room!
The food at the Skogstad is exceptional. There is a buffet every night, with a wide selection of meats and salads, and always two choices for the hot main course.
At breakfast, they give you bags so that you can make yourself a packed lunch to take skiing.
At the ski slopes there are 2 good eating places, and we were told that they are quite happy for you to eat your own food on their premises if you are buying a drink there for example.
There is not a lot in Hemsedal. 3 Supermarkets, a few bars (very quiet during the week), a pizzeria, a big Intersport shop. There is a very small 'souvenir' shop, a bank, a tourist info centre, and a shell garage.
You really have to take a bus to the slopes (free). They are very reliable, but not really frequent.
For example, in the morning, the buses leave from near the hotel at 800, 840, 920, 940, 1040, 1150, then the next one is at 1510.
It's a similar situation coming back.
You can walk to the ski slopes. There is a special footpath, which is a lovely walk, but you have to walk on the road for the last kilometre.
There is a boot and ski store room at the hotel, but my advice would be to hire a locker at the slopes. This costs only £1.90 for the week, and the room is heated. It means that you don't have to walk anywhere with your boots and skis, and when you arrive in the morning, skis and boots are dry and warm and ready for use.

Stayed at the Skogstad for a week. The rooms are not English 4* standard but are clean and sufficient space with great underfloor heating in the bathrooms. Very cosy. Food was fantastic, all you can eat breakfast, they let you make packed lunch with plastic sandwich bags for your days out and the evening meal is again all you can eat, hot and cold buffet. Lovely. Nightclub was only open twice when we were there and we didnt really hear it so cant complain. You can ask at check in and booking to have a room away from the club.

One tip for Norway, take lots of duty free as alcohol is expensive.

Just returned from a Xmas break in Hemsedal.

The Norlandia Hotel seems to be one of the main places in Hemsedal: the coaches pick up and drop down there, and at the time we went there it seemed to be the only bar and restaurant open.

Staff were very friendly, and the restaurant served buffets in the evening which were good. In the morning, they put out paper bags into which you can pop some things in for a days' skiing.

The hotel has a sauna, swimming pool, etc which was very nice after a day skiing.

The rooms were good, although our bathroom seemed to be in need of some attention, with the toilet seat coming off and the shower tray leaking so that it flooded the bathroom during a shower.

HOWEVER, we weren't warned in advance about the nightclub noise (we booked through Hotelclub so maybe this is not the fault of the hotel). The first night the noise from the nightclub was slightly audible, I noticed it but managed to sleep through it using some earplugs. The 3rd night however, it was at the same level as before when we retired at around 1130, then I woke with a start at 115am and the volume had been turned up considerably to the point that I could clearly make out the song being played. This lasted for about another hour and the level of noise was such that no earplugs were going to help.

A complaint to the staff in the morning got the expected shrug and apologies.

Overall, a good hotel but a good night's sleep is very important to me which is why I rated it 3 stars rather then 4.