Moritsgarden

Jay Tipton

Apr 23, 2026

★★★★★

I stayed at Moritsgarden for nearly two months during the summer of 2024. I really enjoyed my stay. The location and views are incredible, with lots to visit and do in surrounding areas. A car is required to visit most places because it is isolated and not much public transport but Anne offered a guest car, we just needed to pay for gas, ferries, and tolls which is fair. The energy of the home was lovely. Many rainy days but thats to be expected, and adds to the charm! Guests are left to organize the house how they want, clean, decide kitchen/fridge space, etc. so please note that ahead of your visit. I recommend!

Edel González

Apr 22, 2026

★★★★★

My time here was magical. Anne and Joszef were very great hosts! The best review and summary I can say about Moritsgarden are these pictures!

Sophia Whitehead

Apr 10, 2026

★★★★★

I stayed in this heavenly home for most of July 2025. I met the most incredible people and the location was absolutely beautiful. The hosts are friendly and very relaxed. This is a true home from home and you get out of the community what you put into it. The spirit of the village is so relaxed and welcoming. I feel blessed to have been able to live in such a unique place for a few weeks. I look forward to lakeside living again very soon!

ubuntaire

Apr 8, 2026

★★★★★

I spent two months living one of the most beautiful experiences of my life. The place is perfect—right in the middle of the fjords, with good access to a supermarket and other services. The surroundings are incredible if you love the mountains. I climbed the mountains around the area and got lost in the pure Norwegian forests, which are literally five minutes from the house. There are many hiking routes for all levels, and no matter which direction you walk, the scenery is spectacular. The house has every comfort in excellent condition. The kitchen, bathrooms, and rooms are spacious and comfortable, and the workspace has everything you might need. Anne, the host, is a lovely person who was always attentive with us, and as long as you’re reasonable, you can pretty much do whatever you want within a logical order. It’s a place I will always recommend to visit Norway and to work remotely—literally from paradise. I always carry the feeling inside me that one day I will return. Moritsgarden is a place you never forget and deeply miss when you go back home.

Angelina

Apr 6, 2026

★★★★★

I have spent over 2 months in Bjorkedal across different years staying at the Moritsgarden hosted by Anne and I have even brought family here. I can truly say she is such a warm host and has become a friend of mine during my times there. There is nothing like it. there are many hikes accessible by walking, a cool lake to swim in, beautiful views from every window, and such lovely neighbors if you get the chance to meet them. During my times spent in the Moritsgarden, there was always a car accessible to share with others staying in the home for grocery runs and day trips. Either Anne or Jozsef have also offered their kindness in bringing me to or from the ferry/airport when making my way into Norway. My first time coming was in the beginning of the Moritsgarden Coliving and I assisted Anne in preparing some of the rooms for new guests to come. Watching the Moritsgarden come back to life was magical. My second time back, I got to see the community that it had become. The house rules are simple. There are none from Anne, they are to be decided by who is living in the house amongst each other. Some may have complaints over this, but I think it's a beautiful way for community to form amongst those whom are staying in the home. I cannot wait to return to Bjorkedal and see how it has progressed. If you are going to stay here, as others have said - keep an open mind. It is a 400 year old farm house in a village of 100 or so people. It's old, it creaks, it has character. It's not for everyone but it's an incredible place to visit if you're looking for something quiet, refreshing, and a slow life. There are so many opportunities for adventure, a free car to use, a cabin nearby, places to swim, hike, and relax outdoors. There are adorable cows and sheep everywhere too! I absolutely love this place and the people who offer it to be used! I would recommend it to anyone and again, I cannot wait to return! :)

Dan Listwa

Apr 6, 2026

★★★★★

Western Norway is one of the most affecting regions on earth, and I owe my immersion in that awesome landscape to Anne/Mortisgarden. The coliving is wonderfully affordable (a novelty in Norway), rustic, and charming. More importantly, it is built and managed to foster authentic connection and community among its guests, the highest calling of any coliving space; nearly eight months after leaving, I still communicate semi-regularly with friends from my stay, and I hope to see some of them again when I return to Mortisgarden. You’ll notice how many disparate accounts are posting in reaction to a neurotic review by a roommate everyone (except, honestly, me) tried to understand and accept. I think that reviewer has a lonely, isolated life ahead of him. But I’m thankful his slanted negativity created an opportunity to rally and show affection for Mortisgarden. I see four of my roommates among these reviews and suspect I’ll see more shortly. Mortisgarden succeeds for its historic, rural ambiance. Unless you hate old country homes, you’ll be charmed by the living space. My room had a comfortable bed (I have back issues but slept wonderfully), an excellent desk and ergonomic chair, and big windows facing mountains where, after every rain, a half dozen waterfalls appeared. (I regularly sent waterfall videos to my family in the United States, expressing awe and good fortune at having stumbled across Anne’s webpage.) The common spaces were used frequently for group meals, movie nights, and long discussions. During weekday mealtimes there were sometimes too many cooks in the kitchen, but it took only a little strategy and negotiation to manage this. Meanwhile, the big refrigerators and two freezers meant everyone could stock up on food without difficulty, and the yard was filled with berry trees and mint bushes. Finally, the car. Among the best and happiest moments in my recent life were driving the car Anne so generously provides along winding mountain roads. Going for groceries in that little car was an opportunity to marvel at Norway’s stunning nature. Organizing trips to local spas or fjord-side saunas was as easy as sending a WhatsApp message. And when roommates wanted to see glaciers or cliffs covered in puffins, all they had to do was ask. There is more to say: the wood-fired hot tub on the lake, the mountain cabin, the crystalline swimming spots, the hillside mists, the ferry rides up to Älesund…so many details that made Mortisgarden one of the best decisions of my life, and a home away from home I will visit again.

John

Jan 6, 2026

★☆☆☆☆

The Trolls of Bjorkedal. I’m keeping the wording factual and non-identifying to comply with review guidelines. Norway is gorgeous. Bjorkedal is a village straight out of a statistics report, about 21 inhabitants per km² and a very wet place. You can’t see the Northern Lights there. In my experience, Moritsgarden was in extremely poor condition. Or words that Google doesn't allow me to write. A 400-year-old house and a plot of land stuffed to the brim with junk, which becomes obvious when you open cupboards, go down into the cellar, or step into the adjoining sheds. There’s even an old, still-full slurry tank. I was here in summer 2025 for a few weeks as a work-exchange/volunteer. When it gets too crowded, newcomers sleep in the camper van. The smell in the trailer, and in the wall cupboards, was like slowly rotting clothes: a persistent musty, damp odor that didn’t go away. In summer, most textiles in the house felt dry to me, but the wall cupboards still smelled musty. I’m not making a diagnosis, but sleeping in that environment felt unacceptable to me. This is an extremely wet, cool region (precipitation ~2200 mm/year and ~229 days/year). In that context, if living spaces are kept closed for long stretches and aren’t consistently heated and ventilated, moisture can linger and contribute to persistent dampness and potential mold issues. If you have allergies, asthma/sensitive airways, or a weakened immune system, you may want to be cautious. Some of the mattresses were very old. In some cases new mattresses were stacked on top of old ones. During my stay I saw people leave early, besause of issues around how rooms were assigned. The house itself felt badly put together. Whatever can’t be found gets bought again, usually cheap at the local hardware store / Biltema. For anyone who takes environmental protection seriously, this is a living nightmare. Right next door (part of the place) there’s an old car workshop where, at any given time, there are 2–3 half-assembled cars sitting around, plus loads of dirt and trash. There are tires everywhere on the property. Privacy: some rooms can be darkened, others can’t. In a few sleeping areas, curtains/blackout options were missing or insufficient, and I felt the need to be extra careful when changing. There were no clear house rules, so everyone did whatever they wanted and cleaning didn’t reliably happen. The hosts openly said they don’t like rules, dirt was treated as “totally fine.” Food was left behind (sometimes open) and sat around for a long long time. Pests were a topic during my stay. The hosts repeatedly talked about mice getting into the house. There’s a sauna, which didn’t work and was used as a storage room. The hot tub outside needs a long run-up (Days) because it’s heated with wood. Most people still seemed happy, probably because it’s cheap, and if you don’t look too closely or try to resolve issues through the hosts, you can ignore a lot. Communication with the hosts can be frustrating: practical feedback (working, tools, basic living standards) wasn’t taken on board, even when it was straightforward and would have improved daily life and speed up the work prozess. I can only strongly advise other work-exchange/Workaway travellers not to come here based on my stay. I met people who left early because they didn’t want to keep doing things that made no sense to them for a project that, from what I saw, didn’t produce clear results. You have to pay for the trips to the supermarket yourself: about 40 km per trip. With enough people you don’t really notice it, despite ~22 NOK/L. The vehicle was old, rusty, small, and self-maintained, you can see and feel that. If you want to go here: come as a paying guest. Stay max. 6 weeks. Be prepared to share one kitchen and 2 toilets/showers with 8–9 people. I would not recommend relying on the hosts for problem-solving based on my experience.