For that special "I vont to be alone" Greta Garbo moment, there are few better bets than the Molja Lighthouse at the entrance to the harbour of Aalesund on Norway's west coast. Sitting at the end of a 100m sea wall - the perfect spot to pen that romantic first elegy - it offers extreme seclusion and a vigorous sea breeze.

But lack of company doesn't mean lack of style. It's now "room 47" of the Hotel Brosundet - the other 46 and its restaurant are back on dry land providing 24-hour room service - and has been revamped by Snohetta, the Norwegian architects with Oslo's opera house and New York's Ground Zero museum on their CV. So expect a nifty fusion of chic and rustic with mustard wood panelling, stone, glass dividers and plump white linen. Gulls aside, noisy neighbours should not be a problem.

• £286 a night, brosundet.no.