Great Escapes: Six Of The Best Hotels For A Cosy Iceland Getaway

For all of the wild frontiers and glorious nature Iceland has to offer, not every trip has to involve a waterfall freezing your face off. Sometimes, you just want to rock up to a nice hotel, check into a cosy room, take a dip in a hot pot, sip a cocktail, eat something nice, and sleep in a comfortable bed. Don’t worry, luxury-seeking princesses, we’re totally with you. Here are six of our favourite countryside hotels to put your feet up for a while, far from the city and safe from the wintry wilderness.

ION Adventure Hotel
Distance from Reykjavík: 44km
The most decadent hotel on this list is also the closest to Reykjavík. ION Adventure Hotel is a tucked away bolt hole near the Þingvellir National Park. A thoroughbred design hotel, the highly Instagrammable pool is nested beneath the struts of the main building and the bar is like a glass box hovering over the landscape. Order a cocktail, kick your feet up, and be warned: you’ll want to take the robes and bedding home with you.

Icelandair Hotel Flúðir
Distance from Reykjavík: 103km
The sleepy town of Flúðir has a surprising amount going on. As well as the popular “Secret” Lagoon, where you can bathe in an outdoor geothermal pool with plumes of steam pouring from the hot river below, there’s an Ethiopian restaurant, and this pleasant hotel. The rooms have hot pots out back — if you’re lucky, you can spot the aurora in peace after the tourist gaggle has gone to bed.

Hotel Húsafell
Distance from Reykjavík: 131km
There’s a lot to love about this tucked away countryside getaway. For a start, the on site eatery is a treat that wouldn’t be out of place in Reykjavík, with excellent cocktails and a very decent tasting menu served by an open fire. Guests have access to a swimming pool—we had the place to ourselves before taking a drive around the Hallmundarhraun lava field.

Umi Hotel
Distance from Reykjavík: 149km
A relative newcomer, Umi Hotel is a top stop in South Iceland. In a peaceful tract of farmland just off Route One, it stands between Eyjafjallajökull and the southern coast. We were welcomed with a glass of bubbly and some chocolates, and had a tasty dinner in the airy restaurant before falling into a king-sized bed. There’s no hot pot, so stop off at Hveragerði’s Wes Anderson-esque pool on the way.

Hótel Búðir
Distance from Reykjavík: 177km
This charming hotel is a famously luxurious and atmospheric spot for a romantic getaway. There’s a great restaurant on site, an open fire, a bar with views out over the coastline, and you can see the dizzy peak of the Snæfellsjökull glacier from many of the rooms. It’s right on the tip of the peninsula, so it isn’t a short drive, but if you have the time for a drive around the glacier on the way home, it’s absolutely worth it.

Fosshotel Glacier Lagoon
Distance from Reykjavík: 349km
If you’ve plenty of time on your hands for a serious road trip across the whole south coast, this luxurious new Fosshotel is the place for you. With a classy design vibe throughout, the rooms have a cabin feel, with one large panoramic window, and a small porthole looking out to the horizon. There’s a bar, various lounges, an airy restaurant serving local lamb and fish, and saunas to relax in. It’s a long drive, but it’ll also put you a short drive from the famously beautiful and always-worth-a-visit Jökulsárlón.