Múlafossur Cottages: A cosy hideaway on the Faroe Islands

By Ndéla Faye | Photos: Múlafossur Cottages

Múlafossur Cottages, family-owned and lovingly built, offers travellers a chance to experience the Faroe Islands in all their raw and breathtaking beauty.

Located on the western edge of Vágar island, where emerald cliffs plunge into the North Atlantic, lies the tiny village of Gásadalur. It is home to the Múlafossur waterfall and the equally enchanting Múlafossur Cottages, owned by Jákup Suni Lauritsen, his wife Osla Lauritsen, and his brother Trøndur Lauritsen.

Brothers Jákup Suni and Trøndur Lauritsen grew up on the island of Vágar and have always felt a deep connection to Gásadalur, where the cottages now stand. Long before a tunnel connected the village to the rest of the island, the brothers would spend endless summer days and school holidays trekking over the steep mountain ridges to visit their friend who lived on the other side.

Múlafossur Cottages: A cosy hideaway on the Faroe Islands

When the tunnel was completed in 2006, finally linking the villages of Gásadalur to the rest of the villages on the island, it marked the start of a new chapter for the small community – and the beginning of a longstanding dream. “We’d always hoped that we would get to share this wonderful corner of the world with others. It just seemed selfish to keep it all to ourselves,” says Jákup Suni.

About six years ago, his company began building the first of the Múlafossur Cottages. Today, six of these cosy, turf-roofed homes welcome guests throughout the year.

Set slightly apart from the main village of Gásadalur, they offer a rare sense of peace and seclusion, and a chance to feel completely at one with nature, away from the bustle of other visitors. The cottages are just a ten-minute walk from the iconic Múlafossur waterfall, where, in summer, visitors can spot puffins and other seabirds swooping along the cliffs.

Múlafossur Cottages: A cosy hideaway on the Faroe Islands

The perfect base for island adventures

When designing the cottages, the Lauritsen family wanted each one to blend seamlessly into its surroundings and capture the calm spirit of the valley. Built in traditional Faroese style, with distinctive turf roofs, they appear to rise naturally from the hillside itself. The cottages are heated with energy-efficient heat pumps, using electricity instead of gas to help reduce the environmental footprint.

Inside, each of the fully equipped cottages has its own character, accommodating different group sizes and needs, including wheelchair-accessible amenities in the larger cottages. While compact and inviting, they comfortably house between two and six guests.

Though the cottages are fully self-catered, the Lauritsen family is never far away. “Guests can enjoy complete peace and privacy, but we’re always happy to stop by, answer questions, and make sure everyone feels at home,” says Jákup Suni.

The family loves sharing their favourite hiking routes and local hidden gems – the kind of places visitors would never find in a guidebook.

Múlafossur Cottages: A cosy hideaway on the Faroe Islands

Seasons of the Faroe Islands

Peak season on the Faroe Islands runs from May to September, but winter has a magic all its own, especially for adventurous travellers. “In winter, you see a completely different side of the islands,” says Jákup Suni. “The landscape feels wilder, the waves more powerful, and the colours turn beautifully moody. And if you’re lucky, you might even get snow or spot the Northern Lights.”

The island of Vágar, where the cottages are located, is often considered one of the most remarkable in the Faroe Islands – and for good reason, as many of the archipelago’s most iconic natural landmarks are found here. Highlights include Sørvágsvatn, also known as Leitisvatn, famously dubbed ‘the lake above the ocean’ for the optical illusion that makes it appear to float high above the sea. Nearby, the dramatic Drangarnir sea stacks and the pointed islet of Tindhólmur are among the most photographed sights of the Faroe Islands.

The airport is just a 15-minute drive away, while the village of Gásadalur, home to just 15 year-round residents, is a short 10-minute stroll away. For those eager to experience the famous puffins of Mykines, the ferry from nearby Sørvágur offers an easy gateway to the island’s bird-filled cliffs.

And just a short walk from the cottages lies the spectacular Múlafossur waterfall itself. “We never imagined that tourism on the Faroe Islands would grow the way it has over the past decade. And never in our wildest dreams did we think that the Múlafossur waterfall, where we spent our childhood playing, would one day become a world-famous visitor attraction,” Jákup Suni says. It was only natural that the cottages would take their name from the waterfall that was such a big part of his and Trøndur’s childhood.

The warmth of the Lauritsen family adds a personal touch to the raw beauty of the Faroese landscape. Múlafossur Cottages invites visitors to slow down, breathe in the sea air, and take in the rugged splendour of nature in all its forms.

Múlafossur Cottages: A cosy hideaway on the Faroe Islands