Ring of Fire

Iceland’s landscape isn’t otherworldly. It’s of this world, entirely. It’s the inner earth turned outward, guts on full display. The island’s top hotels give you a front-row seat to all the upheaval.

Often at Tablet, we describe landscapes as being otherworldly. It’s a flexible word that’s a shortcut for “rocky and undeveloped, kind of like Mars” and also “obscenely inhospitable for the average schmuck with his subpar hydration and inappropriate footwear.” Iceland fits the description. Its landscapes are rugged and uncommon, and it’s a mecca for extreme adventure tourism. But Iceland is our world explicitly, insides churned out, brought to the surface by earthquakes and eruptions, all surrounded by an angry North Atlantic.

An ideal way to explore the country is via the Ring Road that circles the island, making all the necessary detours to see all the unfathomable terrain. Lava fields and dramatic geothermal features are as common as black sheep, which, in Iceland, seem to exist purely as a rebuke to their reputation for rarity. Green lichen covers black rock surrounding the Blue Lagoon, an iconic tourist attraction worth making time for. So are waterfalls. You’ll want your appropriate footwear for hiking to hidden spills that are less-trod, but don’t be put off if you can only visit the most popular falls, like Gulfoss. Some things are popular for good reasons.

Iceland is popular for great reasons. Like glacier climbing, puffin spotting, lighthouse hunting, something called the Northern Lights, whale watching, snowmobiling, and snorkeling at Silfra fissure, where you can float in a crystal-clear lake and actually see the meeting of the North America and Eurasia continental plates, the cause of so much seismic upheaval. There’s also the local cuisine, from Hákarl (fermented shark) and Hangikjot (smoked lamb) to simple bread and butter, held to a higher standard here than in many other places. If you’re on a budget, Rúgbrauð (Icelandic rye) has your back.

Then there are the hotels. They’re not otherworldly either. Outside Reykjavík, the accommodations are famously utilitarian, tending to marry modern Nordic design with traditional silhouettes. Most importantly, they provide a great view of the volcanic aftermaths you came here to see. What else can I tell you? Oh, there’s a guy who’s worked at Tablet since our earliest years, more than two decades ago. He adores Iceland and dreams of going back. He’s a kind and talented fellow with excellent taste. I vouch for him without reservation. If he loves Iceland this much, you probably will too.

UMI Hotel

Hvolsvöllur, Iceland

Less than a hundred miles from Reykjavík, UMI Hotel puts you deep in Iceland’s natural wonder, with views of the rugged southern coastline as well as Eyjafjallajökull, the famously inconvenient volcano. And despite what its low-slung modernist architecture might lead you to believe, this is a family-owned operation, an abandoned farm painstakingly transformed into the stylish hotel you see today.

Hotel Budir

Budir, Iceland

Hotel Búðir finds itself on the south coast of the Snæfellesnes Peninsula, surrounded by glaciers, lava fields, mountain peaks, and the oldest church in Iceland. Its rooms are contemporary but fairly traditional in inspiration, with the exception of the modernist-inspired master suite; all are comfortable, and the latter borders on extravagance.

Hotel Ranga

Hella 851, Iceland

Hotel Rangá is located a little more than an hour east of Reykjavik — which, in Iceland, means you’re in pretty much the middle of nowhere. With a volcano behind it and the sea in front of it, it’s not hurting for scenery, but it’s at night that the Rangá really shines — during the Northern Lights there’s hardly a better place on earth from which to see them than this wonderfully rustic log cabin.

The Retreat at Blue Lagoon

Grindavík, Iceland

Yes, Iceland’s famous Blue Lagoon is a manmade tourist attraction, but only a killjoy would shun it on that basis — especially now that it’s also the site of the incredibly stylish and unmistakably high-end Retreat at Blue Lagoon. It’s got its own guests-only lagoon, plus a lavish day spa that makes the most of Iceland’s unique volcanic resources.

360 Hotel & Spa

Selfoss, Iceland

The concept is a simple one, and is all the more powerful for it: 360° Boutique Hotel is named for the panoramic view made possible by its hilltop setting and its wraparound glass-walled construction. From here, fifteen minutes past the town of Selfoss, the view takes in mile after mile of wild southern Icelandic countryside, from forests and fields to distant waterways, and mountains.

The Greenhouse Hotel

Hveragerði, Iceland

The Reykjadalur Valley is home not only to some spectacular landscapes but to an inspiring hotel as well: Gróðurhúsið, or, in English, the Greenhouse Hotel. Like many in Iceland it’s a modern building with a utilitarian streak, but it’s warmed by the innumerable indoor plants that give it its name, and less literally, by the food hall that features a selection of global cuisines.

Fosshótel Vatnajökull

Höfn, Iceland

Set on the far side of the eponymous national park, Fosshótel Vatnajökull is a hotel of a type that’s become familiar: a contemporary structure with a traditional silhouette, combining utilitarian materials and modernist-classic furnishings in front of vast windows facing spectacular natural vistas. Here it’s the Vatnajökull glacier that provides the visual interest.

Berjaya Akureyri Hotel

Akureyri, Iceland

Akureyri, a smallish town on Iceland’s north coast, is an unlikely place to stumble across. It’s our loss. If a few days around Reykjavík aren’t enough to satisfy your Icelandic urges, the next logical step is the around-the-island road trip — in which case the so-called Capital of the North plays a central role, as does Berjaya Akureyri Hotel, whose style and atmosphere are anything but provincial.

Hotel Vik i Myrdal

Vik, Iceland

Hotel Vik i Myrdal is a glass-faced modernist structure containing some forty-six clean-lined, light-filled bedrooms. But you’re likely not here on an interior-design pilgrimage. The south coast of Iceland is dotted with spectacular sights — a number of shockingly large waterfalls, the occasional volcano, a black-sand beach just a four-minute walk from the hotel, and huge colonies of tern and puffins.

Fosshótel Glacier Lagoon

Öræfi, Iceland

Fosshótel Glacier Lagoon is one of a new wave of hotels that combine contemporary architecture and design with views of the Iceland’s extraordinary landscapes — and access to some even more extraordinary ones, including the Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon and Skaftafell National Park. Rooms look out through vast windows, and showcase the warm side of Nordic modernism.

ION Adventure Hotel

Selfoss, Iceland

On the edge of Þingvellir National Park, in a landscape of lichen and long-dormant lava fields, ION Adventure Hotel has the otherworldly landscapes angle covered. And the hotel is certainly holding up its end of the bargain. It’s as green as anything, built largely from reclaimed and renewable materials, heated geothermically, but you’d never know it from the comforts you’ll experience.

The Reykjavík EDITION

Reykjavík, Iceland

Down at Reykjavík’s Old Harbor, overlooking the port and the Atlantic Ocean beyond, the Reykjavík Edition is the first full-on, large-scale nightlife-and-design boutique hotel to arrive in town. Designers Roman and Williams adapted the brand’s mid-century modernist aesthetic to its Nordic setting, adding blond wood and local art and crafts to the guest rooms, and making the subtlest references to Icelandic tradition.