Notable in Stavanger is a series of articles on interesting Stavanger artists, musicians, architecture, people, landmarks, authors, inventions, art, design, places, buildings, groups, sports figures, and events. The Notable in Stavanger series is intended to share with you some things Stavanger is famous for, as well as some less well known achievements in a variety of fields. Also see the series Notable in Norway.
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To celebrate a special occasion, there is no more unique place near Stavanger than Flor og Fjære. Offering both an exquisite botanic garden and a top flight restaurant, a visit to Flor og Fjære awakens all the senses. The gardens are located on the northern end of the island of Sør-Hidle and guests board a chartered fast boat that leaves directly from Stavanger’s main harbor, near the fishmongers. You can visit Flor og Fjære for either lunch or dinner most days during the summer, from 7 May-20 September.
After a quick 20 minute boat ride, once on the island, passengers are divided into tour groups based on preferred language; they day we went, it was either Norwegian or English. The English language tour group was much smaller, which was nice, as we could feel comfortable asking our tour guide a fair amount of questions. We were led around the gorgeous botanical gardens by the original creator’s granddaughter, who was proud of her family history and very knowledgeable about the plant life. Indeed, the gardens and restaurant have been a family-run affair since 1965. The tour lasts about an hour and visitors pass through impeccably-landscaped scenes with plants from many different global climates, including palm trees!
The tour finishes in front of the chef, who explains in great detail the evening’s buffet menu. Guests then proceed into the handsome restaurant. When all of the guests are seated, servers bring around delicious creamy fish soup. After the starter course, tables are invited to go up to the buffet. The plates are a bit small, so the only part of the visit that feels a little less than luxurious is the fact that you have to cram the delicious food onto your plate and there are no second helpings. Dessert is brought around individually, just as the first course. The restaurant knew we were celebrating our wedding anniversary, so we received a specially-decorated plate for our bryllupsdag.
After the meal, there is usually about 45 minutes left for exploring the grounds yourself before boarding the fast boat home.
Flor og Fjære feels like a world apart from city life and the family and staff go to great efforts to make their guests feel valued and pampered throughout their stay.
For more information on Flor og Fjære in English, click here.
