Funken Lodge made you feel part of their ‘family’ from the word go.
They replied to my emails with questions prior to travel, promptly
I found the bed a little firm, but they sourced extra padding quickly at my request
There are loads of nooks & crannies to sit & relax, read, or enjoy the bar food.
Background music was pleasant & relaxing & there was an overall ambiance of class and comfort.
Being high up, the Resturant has spectacular views over Longyearbyen with exercising colours of the scenery.
The down side is there is a steep hill to the hotel which in the snow was challenging, but the local taxi service became our ‘best friends’ it’s a 20 minute walk into the village & 5 mins by car.
Easy shuttle bus to the airport (pay on board)
Reception will book excursions for you, but leaving it until you arrive may restrict availability. We booked in advance our ‘bucket list excursions’ through Svalbard Experiences Website & everything went smoothly
You need to remove shoes at hotel entrance, but they have a locker room with Merino slippers you can borrow (super cosy when available) or take your own/walk in socks
Hotel sauna & village pool were closed due to recent Legionella outbreak in Longyearbyen as a precaution so we couldn’t try those.
It was our Ruby anniversary & the hotel left a card & chocolates in our room which was a lovely touch.
Staff are multilingual & most people we regretting not staying longer (we booked 9 nights). Most were 3-5 nights
Definitely retuning.