Jølstraholmen, located in western Norway, opened their doors for tourists in 1962. At that time it was a farm with cows, sheeps and chickens. After many inquiries from people who wanted to spend the night out on the small island, Grandma Engel finally found out that she wanted to give people the opportunity to spend the night on the island which was surrounded by the river.
Jølstra, hence the name JølstraHOLMEN(Island). She started up with tent sites, but quickly, in 1964, Engel and Leiv built 9 summer cabins and a water closet out on the island. Then came a small kiosk, a cabin with running water and then 6 bigger cabins with running water. In 1975 their son Egil took over with his wife Eli. They built a supermarket, cafe, petrol station, playground, water slide, mini golf course, over 100
caravans and motorhome pitches, sanitary facilities, renovated all cabins, expanded station and supermarket several times, built 3 new cabins and even a new sanitary facility.
In 1997, their son Eirik took over the supermarket and café, there was a large extension and the supermarket was doubled in size. Then Egil and Eli built their own micro power plant and have now supplied the entire place with their own green hydropower.
In 2013, their daughter Kristine with her husband Tore, took over the current campsite. The farmhouse on site got renovated and used more for arrangements and concerts. Then all the old summer cabins from 1964 were replaced with 9 new large year-round chalets. Jølstraholmen have become a Green Key accommodation, with a strong focus on sustainability and the environment.
The range of activities for children has been further improved with a natural swimming pool, zipline, interactive play equipment. The range of activities for adults has been expanded with kayaks, canoes, SUP boards, electric boats on Jølstravatne lake, bicycles and electric bicycles. The latest addition to the Jølstraholmen family is 2 river suites with their own unique bathrooms. In addition, a private sauna that can be rented privately.
Today Jølstraholmen got 23 different accommodations, 60 caravan/ motorhome pitches, 25 tent pitches and a large activity area. In 2022, 60 years after the start, the supermarket will again build and double its size. The Jolstraholmen family greatly looks forward to continuing development for the 4th generation.