Favourite Stays: The Icelandic Idyll
A new series detailing the airbnbs I recommend the most. Beginning with a dreamy little Icelandic number...
If you are lucky enough to visit Iceland, both the city of Reykjavík and the natural wonders of the Golden Circle are justifiably easy wins. But what if you’re willing to hit the road to delve a little deeper into the island’s delights?
I’m launching this series of posts about some of our favourite stays by taking a closer look at an airbnb that provided us with the perfect base to discover a lot more of what Iceland had in store.
The Accommodation
After two nights in central Reykjavík we hired a car and headed south east to Hvolsvöllur, to what was arguably our best airbnb booking ever.
A few minutes north of the tiny town of Hvolsvöllur itself, which has a population of just over one thousand, is the joyfully rural Hekla Comfort House.
This cosy cabin-style three bedroom lodge sits in the middle of four hectares, offering both privacy and luxury, from its scandi-style interiors to its outdoor hot tub with a view.
In season, it’s a wonderful place to wait out the evening show of the Northern Lights. But any time of year it makes a brilliant base to explore the south of the island.
The Area
Just 90 minutes away from Reykjavík, Hvolsvöllur is right on Iceland’s main ring road, known as Route 1. While it’s a safe, good road, it’s a far cry from British motorways, with vast stretches of very little life, but lots of incredible scenery, as volcanoes and waterfalls spring up around you.
We visited Iceland’s most famous trio of natural sights, known as The Golden Circle, on the way to Hvolsvöllur from our stay in Reykjavík, but the house in well-placed if you want to access them while staying there.
The “Golden Waterfall” of Gullfoss, the famous geothermal area of the Great Geysir and Þingvellir National Park all just over an hours’ drive away.
The house’s location also makes some of the south’s less frequently visited wonders an easy option for a day trip.
For children and adults alike, the LAVA Centre just a few minutes away in Hvolsvöllur offers a brilliant introduction to the landscape.
We all loved exploring the black sand beaches and pretty church at Vík (just under an hour away) and our two favourite waterfalls of the trip (there were MANY) were Skogafoss and Seljalandsfoss, which you can reach in under 35 minutes combined from the house.
Favourite Things: The Best Secret Places to Eat & Visit in the South of Iceland (including the BEST fish and chips I have eaten in my life)
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