A magical trip to Norway with Sonos to celebrate the launch of Move

(This post is in paid partnership with Sonos) I was recently invited on a rather special press trip to Norway by Sonos to experience and get to know their newest offering which is a portable speaker called “Move.”  I have always been a huge fan of Sonos but it was a dream we didn’t get…

, ,

(This post is in paid partnership with Sonos)

The view from the room and the Sonos Move speaker

I was recently invited on a rather special press trip to Norway by Sonos to experience and get to know their newest offering which is a portable speaker called “Move.” 

I have always been a huge fan of Sonos but it was a dream we didn’t get to realise in our last home because by the time we were ready for it, we had sold the house and are now as you know building our dream family home. I can’t imagine a home without music and sound is integral to the new house. It has been on my plans and mind from the very beginning of our build and we are currently debating whether to integrate architectural Sonos into the building or go for the freestanding speaker option. However, with the Sonos Move, at least we are now sorted with taking sound from indoors to our outdoors. I will keep you posted on our plans.

Back to the trip, I travelled to the West of Norway to a town called Aeslund with bloggers from the UK and Scandinavia. It was dark when I arrived but the two hour journey to the most well designed and architecturally led hotel I have ever stayed in was worth the wait. We were heading to the Valldal Forest to stay at The Juvet Landscape Hotel. The roads were windy and ran along the dramatic coastline which even in the dark you could see the sea and the snow capped mountains as we got closer were breathtaking. I later found out that we were in fact driving along a famous Norwegian scenic route between the unesco world heritage fjord Geiranger and the dramatic road and viewing point Trollstigen. And luckily on our way home it was light so I was able to take it all in. 

Picture by Luke Arthur Wells
Floor to ceiling glass in each of the black boxes (hotel rooms).

When I arrived, it was too dark to make out the black boxes which are the actual hotel rooms and little did I know about the view I was going to wake up too. 

Celebrating sound amongst the Norwegian Nature 

After waking up to that epic view and taking it all in, we had a wonderful freshly prepared breakfast by the chefs at the hotel. We then took part in a series of magical activities to celebrate brilliant sound and take the time to think about the impact  that listening and music has in our own lives. The first was a yoga and guided meditation session which was extremely relaxing and I personally felt that my body had been crying out for. Taking the time to breathe and stretch was the most relaxed I have felt in a long time. 

We then took part in a sound bath which I had never done before and I actually thought we would be getting in a bath. I wasn’t the only one who thought that! We were in fact lying down with our eyes closed as the leader of the session sang, chanted and used different instruments as part of a guided meditation. A first for me but hopefully not the last. 

After relaxing we headed for lunch and had half an hour to build our very own speaker. We were split into groups and had a limited brief and had the freedom to be as creative as we wanted with the main driver being to think about who were making the speaker for. In my group, we were mainly parents and between us we had 10 kids! So it was inevitable we made a speaker for children in the shape of a Robot which had arms to keep small toys in. 

I think this activity really highlighted how important music and listening is from the day we are born. And even before that when we are carried in the womb! I have had three little ladies and loved to play music to my bump and talk to them before they were born. 

Sonos believe that listening is essential to human culture, progress, and happiness and I couldn’t agree more. The whole trip has left me with food for thought and I am excited about making positive changes for the family. 

On the move with “Move”

Up until this point we hadn’t experienced “Move” on the move but  we were about to take a hike with the speaker in tow. Sonos are continually looking to lead the way in the world of speakers and they have definitely done this with the launch of Move. The Sonos Move is battery-powered and uses smart technology that brings the best of Sonos sound indoors to the outdoors. I don’t know about you but I have always struggled with sound in the garden and trailing plugs everywhere or just resorting to listening to music on my phone with my trio of little ladies saying turn it up but it won’t go up any more. 

We also went on our first ever camping trip this year or should I say glamping and loved it but it will be a thousand times better when we go next year and can take the Move with us which has kindly been gifted by Sonos. I love the idea of sound coming with us from home and on the go. You just stream whatever you want to listen to over WIFI or Bluetooth. 

It’s not just the functionality which is so impressive but it’s also the ergonomic design which makes holding it a breeze and so comfortable with it’s curved handle design which makes it easier to carry around. It is also very much in keeping with previous Sonos products with a sleek black design. 

 

And a major plus point for us being a busy family of five, the Move can withstand extreme weather and more importantly water and damage if it’s dropped. It’s fairly heavy at around 3kg but it’s easy to lift and walk around with. 

The trip to Norway was nothing short of incredible. It has definitely highlighted to me the  need to slow down and have more family time immersed in music. And it’s a top priority not just now but going forwards on our journey to build our dream family home. Shop the Sonos Move here. 

Reena Simon

3 responses to “A magical trip to Norway with Sonos to celebrate the launch of Move”

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *