If you haven’t entered any dates, the rate shown is provided directly by the hotel and represents the cheapest double room (including tax) available in the next 60 days.
Prices have been converted from the hotel’s local currency (EUR690.36), via openexchangerates.org, using today’s exchange rate.
Torfhús Retreat is a snapshot – or, more accurately, a runic stone-carving – of Icelandic life back in the day. Its moss-roofed hideaways were inspired by traditional Icelandic architecture, and its Langhús by the Viking farm settlement at nearby Stöng,;guests can bathe in geothermally heated basalt-stone pools; handsome native horses are bred on-site; and much of the decor is crafted in the house workshop. But contemporary civilisation has arrived in the form of tech, warm service, free minibars, and creative, locally sourced dining – all based within easy reach of landscapes imbued with elven magic.
11am. Earliest check-in, 3pm. Both are flexible, subject to availability.
Prices
Double rooms from £656.25 (€766), including tax at 11 per cent.
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.
Take cocktails in the hull of the upcycled boat turned sofa, and dine as close as you can to the view.
Dress Code
It’s quite laidback here, so up to you if you just dust the snow off your outdoor gear, go Björk-y quirky, or opt for something more ethereal.
Hotel restaurant
Dinner might be served in a Viking-style Langhús, with sturdy iron light fixtures, leathered salmon skins and reclaimed oak lining the walls, rugged rustic tables, and furs to wrap yourself in – but, there’s no gnawing on haunches of spit-roasted meat. It’s all very civilised, with creative menus (running from three to eight courses) that change every night and use authentic ingredients sourced within a 10-mile radius. Each bite brings out the landscape, with foraged berries and soft fruits, herbs and salads grown in geothermal greenhouses, salmon and char from nearby rivers, and pasture-grazed lamb and beef, washed down with native wines.
Hotel bar
Icelandic spirits and beers – and international wines – are proudly served in the Langhús and lounge till 10pm. And, on request, a gin-tasting can be arranged.
Last orders
Breakfast runs from 8am to 10.30am lunch from 12.30pm to 2.30pm, and dinner from 6pm to 8.30pm.
Torfhús Retreat sits within the radius of Iceland’s famed scenic route the Golden Circle, in the midst of geysers, mossy fields, glaciers and gushing waterfalls.
Planes
Keflavik is the closest airport, around a two-hour drive from the hotel; transfers from there are from €750, or from Reykjavik they can be arranged from €650 each way.
Automobiles
With chauffeured buggies you can book to tour you round the scenery and star attractions, you don’t need a car. However, some wheels will give you more freedom to explore at will, and the Golden Circle route is particularly enjoyable to follow. There’s free private parking for each accommodation too.
Other
On request, you can fly in by chopper, while marvelling at the kaleidoscopic landscape below.
Worth getting out of bed for
Torfhús Retreat is ringed by the spectacular natural wonders of Iceland’s Golden Circle, with Geysir’s furious jets and geothermal hot springs and rainbow-haloed Gullfoss Falls both within a 20-minute drive, and hiking at Thingvellir National Park a 40-minute drive. Once you’ve circumnavigated this popular route (which often involves a warming soup stop at more-fascinating-than-it-sounds tomato farm Friðheimar), then move on to sights as immensely beautiful as their names are tongue-twisting. The Þjórsárdalur Valley has a restored Viking farm alongside original ruins, plus soaring waterfall Hjálparfoss. The Langjökull glacier (which you can spy from the hotel) offers hikes into its ice-clad caves or thrilling snowmobile and super-jeep rides over its snowy expanses. Head to the Highlands and all-the-colours-of-Iceland Landmannalaugar reserve for more restorative bathing and hikes around the Rhyolite Mountains’ volcanic craters. And you’ll be wowed further by Hveravellir misty pools and Kerlingarfjöll’s peaks. Book in advance to go fishing for the likes of char, salmon, cod…spots get booked up quickly, and there’s water-based fun to be found along the Hvíta River, kayaking or jet-boating through canyons and gorges, or in Silfra, scuba-ing between tectonic plates. The landscape looks even better from above on a helicopter tour (can be combined with a seal-spotting boat trip), or go underground, descending into Thrihnukagigur volcano’s crater, or get your kicks in calmer style with a round of midnight golf. And, you’ll see Iceland’s spirited horses grazing in Torfhús’s mossy fields – they’re bred on-site and have been trained in gaits to suit beginners to experts.
Local restaurants
You’ll likely stay on-site for meals – it’s all rather cocooning. But if we were to gush about one restaurant nearby, it’d be Geysir (see what we did there…), near the Golden Circle’s geyser, unsurprisingly. In modern surrounds, tuck into reindeer pâté, brisket with smoked cheese, langoustine cream soup and more. And – also in the area – Restaurant Mika’s specialities are lobster, langoustines and handmade chocolate (not altogether), but they’re also pretty good at pizzas and cakes.
Every hotel featured is visited personally by members of our team, given the Smith seal of approval, and then anonymously reviewed. As soon as our reviewers have returned from these folkloric hideaways in the Golden Circle and unpacked their cosy patterned-yoke sweater and bottle of birch-sap-infused Björk liqueur, a full account of their go-wild break will be with you. In the meantime, to whet your wanderlust, here's a quick peek inside Torfhús Retreat in Iceland’s wilds…
With forests somewhat scarce in Iceland’s landscape of sombre volcanic rock, mineral-striated mountains and mossy plains, the resident Vikings found a workaround in building their houses from stone and keeping them toasty by covering them in turf. And, inviting hideaway Torfhús Retreat – amid the natural-born thrillers of the Golden Circle route – is testament to this aesthetic’s staying power. On seeing your cabin with its grassy haircut and reclaimed-oak interiors, you’ll want to curl up inside, but maybe not for long – because just beyond your door is a geothermally heated pool ringed in basalt rock, and a photogenic herd of Icelandic horses (which you can ride on request). And beyond that, there are glacial caves to delve into, volcanic rims to hike, explosive geysers, rainbow-rimmed waterfalls, snowy expanses to zip over, and lunar landscapes to spy from a helicopter… Adventuring ends with feasts made using timeless ingredients (foraged berries, river-caught fish, lamb from the slopes), shots of native spirits, and perhaps a little prayer of thanks to Odin before getting all cosy in bed.
