Mariehuset
Helligvær
A place to log off, slow down and connect with nature.
Book a stay
Mariehuset, Helligvær, Bodø
Time moves
slower here.
Mariehuset is an old Northern house turned into a guesthouse on Helligvær, a small archipelago just outside Bodø. Surrounded by the sea, time tends to move slower here. Guests describe exactly that feeling: the shoulders lowering stepping off the express ferry from Bodø, the pace of the mainland left behind on the dock.
In summer the sun never sets. The island turns into a lush garden and the sea turns orange and pink at midnight when the sun dips to the horizon. In winter the northern lights are strong. Come out to Helligvær for a few days, and return home rested.
The house
The old
farmhouse.
During the herring migration of the 1800s, Helligvær was populated in the hundreds. People brought houses and rebuilt them on the islands here. Today there are around 90 people living here, a kindergarten and school, a grocery store and a landing station for the fishermen of the island. The farm consists of the farmhouse, a barn for storing hay and livestock, a summer shed for the sheep on top of the island, as well as 365 islands and islets.
Featured
Freediving course.
Three full days taught by Kjetil, two-time Olympic medalist and certified CMAS freediving instructor.
Our courses start Thursday with warm fish soup on arrival, then a good night's sleep before the course begins after breakfast on Friday. On Friday we have theory at the school between breakfast and lunch, before you are transported to a sheltered and shallow natural harbour for practical training and exercises. On Saturday we do the final theory session, before taking the boat out to a few amazing dive spots and try out underwater hunting with harpoons. Sunday morning you are free to join for our third dive spot, where we anchor up outside a beautiful beach and have our morning coffee and breakfast.
Two express ferries depart on Sunday: 13:50 and 17:10. There is a small but amazing grocery store for anything you may need or have forgotten.
What to do
Activities
Fishing
Try your luck on cod, halibut, Atlantic pollock, coalfish and haddock in some of the most abundant waters in Norway. What you catch comes home for dinner, or gets packed and frozen for you.
More about fishing →
Kayak
Paddle out through the sheltered archipelago at your own pace. White-tailed eagles nest on the surrounding islands, and whales pass through in season. Two kayaks and two bicycles, free to use throughout your stay.
Hike & lavvo
Hike the coastline and out across the 350-hectare farm to a hidden beach, with the Lofoten wall on the horizon, midnight sun overhead and the sea breeze at your back. In the evening, the lavvo is lit: open fire, dessert, and Kjetil's stories from Olympic rowing to Helligvær.
Your hosts
Kjetil & Alice
Kjetil Borch
Host, freediving instructor & Olympic medalist
Kjetil rowed for Norway for twenty years: silver at Tokyo 2020, bronze at Rio 2016, two-time World Champion. When he finished racing, the search for a place to wind down and start something new led him to Helligvær. Beyond the rowing, Kjetil completed Nautical School to become a merchant deck officer, earned a Master's in Maritime Management, and qualified as a CMAS freediving instructor.
Alice Mayne
Movement coach, Pilates instructor & PT
Alice rowed for the French national team before retraining as a movement coach, Pilates fusion instructor and personal trainer, with a Master's in Sports Management. She leads retreats at Mariehuset: unhurried programmes built around movement, breathwork, good food and nature.
Getting here
Getting to Bodø
Bodø is served by daily flights from Oslo. From Bodø harbour, Helligvær is 45 minutes by express ferry. No car needed. Bodø is also the gateway to the Lofoten Islands, worth combining into a longer trip.
In summer, direct routes connect Bodø to Copenhagen (SAS, March–October), Stockholm (SAS, June–September), Munich and Frankfurt (Discover Airlines, May–September) and Helsinki (Finnair, June–August). No need to go via Oslo.
Ferry tickets through reisnordland.no or the Reis app. You can also buy cashless onboard, but we recommend buying in advance: insurance companies only cover delayed or cancelled departures if the ticket was purchased before the trip. All guests are encouraged to have valid travel insurance.
Reservations
Come and stay.
Come and stay with us. Pick your dates and we'll take care of the rest.