Need to know
Rooms
27 traditional turf-roofed homesteads.
Check–Out
11am. Earliest check-in, 3pm. Both are flexible, subject to availability.
More details
Rates include an Icelandic-style buffet breakfast (pastries, breads, fish, seasonal fruits, cheeses and hams, eggs as-you-like-’em). A two-night minimum stay is required.
Also
There are wheelchair-navigable options for all rooms, and there's an accessible bathroom and no stairs in the Langhús.
At the hotel
Mossy grounds, stables, Viking-style Langhús, craft workshop, and free WiFi throughout. In rooms: LCD TV, daily restocked minibar, free bottled water, Nespresso coffee machine and a selection of herbal teas, and full-size Urd bath products. Both Torfhús and Torfvilla have a full kitchen and private geothermally heated plunge pool (the latter has a cold plunge pool and sauna, too).
Our favourite rooms
Each enchanting turf-roofed hideaway takes you back in time, but gently so – without the potential pillaging, and more with tech-y bits, a free-to-raid minibar, so-cosy beds, and mod cabin styling.Timeless though, are the views of either snowy vistas and distant glaciers, or pony-roamed greenery, and lowering yourself into a steamily soothing pool heated by the earth’s currents (shared in the Torfbærs, private for the Torfhús or Torfvilla). And, the craftsmanship is top-notch, with some pieces of furniture and decor made in the hotel’s own workshop.
Poolside
While there are no swimmable spots on-site, the mineral-rich geothermally heated waters of the hotel’s basalt-stone plunge pools (which can be heated from 36 to 42 degrees) allow for toasty dips even in the depths of winter.
Spa
There’s no spa, but if you’ve booked a stay in the Torfvilla, you can give yourself a hot-cold wake-up call with its own alfresco sauna and cold plunge pool.
Packing tips
The hotel might feel set for tunics and furs, but it’s more Moncler, Canada Goose, North Face… And, flip-flops aren’t your usual Iceland fodder, but bring them for transferring yourself from doorstep to plunge pool.
Children
Tweens and teens will get a kick out of Iceland’s natural extremes and more adventurous parts – plus, ponies. The Torfhús sleeps up to four, the Torfvilla up to 10 and all beds can be set up as twins.
Sustainability efforts
Here, the land of fire and ice is also the land of geothermal heating and hydroelectric energy, both of which keep the whole hotel running. But the ‘eco-luxury’ doesn’t end there, all accommodations have traditional ‘living turf’ roofs, staff use electric vehicles to zip about and single-use plastics are banned. There’s an abundance of reclaimed pine and oak in the architecture and decor, and furnishings are handcrafted in either the hotel’s own workshop or by local artisans, or materials have been repurposed, such as the boat-turned-sofa or leathered salmon skins lining the walls of the Viking-style Langhús.
