Iceland: Hotels and Restaurants
Here is my guide to Iceland Part 2, which contains information about where we stayed, and places we ate. Both hotels we stayed at, and the restaurants listed below come highly recommend. Good accommodations, and delicious food are important components for having an amazing vacation.
Where to stay:
Hotel Rangá in Hella
There are certain places where your chances of seeing the northern lights are better than others. Hotel Rangá is a small luxury hotel located about two hours outside of Reykjavík. This is where we stayed the first two nights of our trip.
Now let me be clear, this hotel is pretty much in the middle of no where. There is a small village about 5 minutes away, and by small I mean a few houses and a market where you can buy local goods. (Don’t get excited. I was thinking a farmers market with crafts and beautiful items. Turns out it was more so a small store with sweaters and Knick knacks).
The hotel is situated along a beautiful flowing river, which is visible from their restaurant and certain rooms. The landscape is vast and offers panoramas of snow covered mountains in the distance, offering up amazing sunrise views. The hotel itself is small and quaint, with wood cabin style accents. The rooms are a good size, with nice accommodations and a European type bathroom with a tub and hand held hose to shower. Small luxury describes this hotel perfectly. The staff was incredibly nice and helpful. There is a small bar when you walk in right outside of their restaurant and an upstairs lounge area with comfy couches and board games. From what I observed people got up early and went to bed early. My husband and I were the only ones awake one night drinking beers and dappling in the childhood nostalgia of Uno, Jenga, and Scrabble.
The hotel’s claim to fame is the northern lights. They have an option on your room phone that you can activate and during the night the front desk will call you if the northern lights are out in the sky. The first night we got two calls, one at about 8 and another around 11 when the lights were really spectacular. The hotel provides heavy duty snow suits for you to throw on over your clothes so you can run outside and see the lights. ***There are only so many suits, so make sure to get one if you can! They make a world of a difference when winds are whipping and cold air is blowing in your face!***
Hotel Rangá also has a star expert come on certain nights. He goes through the constellations with you, using telescopes they have on property. The hotel is quite remote so the sky is super dark and clear (which makes seeing the northern lights and stars a much easier feat). Outside of the hotel rooms there are a handful of hot tubs which are accessible for all of the guests. If you are brave enough to sprint from the room into the actual tubs, it would surely be amazing to gaze up at the stars with some drinks in hand, enjoying the view. For us, the winds were too intense to try this out -though we did see some troopers in the hot tubs one night, bottle of wine in hand.
Breakfast was included and the food was delicious. They offer a menu of hot items you can order along with a whole buffet of other things like fruits, cheeses, waffles, and meats. There is room service for late night snacks, a bar menu for a light bite, or their own restaurant for a fancier fare for lunch and dinner.
All in all this hotel was perfect for seeing the northern lights. If that’s on your to-do list, Hotel Rangá is the place to be.
Silica Hotel
On the second half of our trip we stayed at Silica Hotel, one of the properties associated with the infamous blue lagoon. This hotel was my favorite, and I’m so glad my husband chose this for the last leg of our trip.
In the blue lagoon area there are two properties were you can stay: Silica Hotel, and The Retreat. The Retreat is a bit pricier and is actually connected to the blue lagoon itself, allowing guests the luxury of accessing this beauty whenever they want. It has an upscale spa and two well known restaurants attached to it as well.
Silica is a 3 minute walk away from the blue lagoon and The Retreat. This is known as the “sister property” and saves you a couple hundred dollars a night. You won’t go wrong either way, but I’m going to tell you why I think Hotel Silica is the way to go.
First of all it’s less expensive. I just want to throw that out there. If you know me, I tend to have champagne taste, so don’t let that deter you. This hotel is far from cheap and very luxurious.
Silica Hotel is situated amongst 800 year old moss covered lava rocks. This gives you the feel that you are on another planet entirely. With snow covered mountains in the distance and lava rocks outside your door, it’s easy to think you are in a parallel universe.
The rooms are modern and gorgeous. Soft woods and charcoal greys are the main accents. The hotel itself is energy efficient and high tech. Touch screen buttons near the bedside let you control the lights, and a rain shower in the bathroom complete with heated towel racks and heated stone floors make you feel warm and cozy.
The hotel is full of glass windows and comfy chairs and fire places. Big blankets are draped about, inviting you to sit and enjoy the view or curl up with your favorite book and just relax.
The main draw for me was this hotel has their own private lagoon, exactly like the blue lagoon but smaller and less crowded. It is open until 11 at night, so the first night we got there we put on our bathing suits, sandals and robes (provided by the hotel) and went into the lagoon. We were the only ones in it for hours! It was pitch dark outside, you could see the stars, and we were floating around in the lagoon exploring the different areas. It was a romantic dream and I couldn’t believe we had it all to ourselves. The outside temperature was 20 degrees but the lagoon itself ranged from 99-102 degrees which kept us plenty warm. Another plus side the silica lagoon floor is covered in... you guessed it... silica. This is the white mud that provides multiple benefits to the skin and body. It does have a weird squishy feeling when you are walking on it, but enjoy the benefits. The actual blue lagoon itself has too much movement and is too crowded to have the silica layer on the bottom of the lagoon.
By staying at Silica you get day passes to the blue lagoon which includes a free drink once in the lagoon and a free mud mask to put on your face. You can easily walk to the blue lagoon along a breathtaking footpath, or you can ask the front desk to drive you right over. For me this is the best of both worlds. You can experience the blue lagoon, but come back to a quieter, more private experience to relax and spend the rest of your time.
Silica Hotel doesn’t have a spa, but you can get massages, which of course we made sure to book. In fact we got a massage in the lagoon on floating mats. My husband and I are avid spa goers whenever we travel but this was something new altogether. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but this was ultimately a very cool experience. You have the option to get them floating inside or outside in the lagoon in a private section. Due to the weather we chose inside because it was raining and snowing the morning of our appointments. We still really enjoyed the massages and my husband said he found it more relaxing than a table massage!
Breakfast is included at hotel silica. The spread was unbelievable with a hot and cold food buffet including all you could want - eggs, potatoes, waffles, veggies, meats, fruits, cheeses, even fresh smoothies! ***This is the only hot food available at the hotel. For lunch and dinner you have to go to The Retreat hotel for hot food, order in, or drive to another restaurant in the area.*** They have drinks and cold sandwiches available 24/7 for purchase and always have complimentary tea, water, coffee, and pastries out for their guests.
My only complaint about this hotel was the shampoo and conditioner they provide. The blue lagoon and hotel silica lagoon do not do wonders for your hair. The high salt content leaves it dry and brittle and in desperate need for a conditioning treatment. Their shampoo, body wash, and it looks like hand soap are all the same product. I would recommend bringing along a good shampoo and conditioner if you plan on going into the lagoon. You’ll thank me later!
Eats
Of course there are tons of places to eat and so many different options. I wasn’t sure how the food in Iceland was going to be or what to expect but I was pleasantly surprised! The food was delicious. The cuisine is heavily fish based, followed up with red meat and very little chicken. Horse meet, puffin, and fermented shark made their appearances too for the more adventurous foodies out there. Here are some of our favorite places:
Braud and Co.
This is a small bakery located in Reykjavík. Our plane landed at 4am and by the time we got our luggage and rented our car we were starving. This small, quaint pastry shop opened at 6am. The building itself was colorful and lit up like a huge piece of artwork. Inside were two older boys- maybe young men- throwing baked goods into the oven. A handwritten menu of a handful of pastries was written on a chalkboard and in the middle of the wall were loaves of freshly baked breads. With the sun still not up, and a dark sky behind us, jet lag setting in, everything looked absolutely amazing.
We walked out with four different items and coffee. I probably would have doubled my order had I not cared about price or the fact that I was about to stuff my face with a bunch of buttery, flakey items. We tried the pretzel croissant, a danish with cream and a dab of Nutella, a danish with nuts and cream, and a chocolate croissant. All were to die for. This is a must go if you are in the area. And if you aren’t, drive over there anyway! Trust me it will be worth your time.
Smidjan Brugghus
There is a small village called Vik that was about an hour away from Hotel Rangá. We came here accidentally on the way to one of our excursions. We needed to stop and get gas, and I saw a sign for a brewery so we figured why not stop and try it out. I am so glad that we did!
This brewery is somewhat new, having opened in 2018. The vibe was modern and sheik, with a laid back bar type feel. We ordered two beers, brewed on site, and two burgers. My husband ordered a blue cheese truffle burger with a truffle aoli, red onion and blue cheese. I ordered a bacon burger with onion rings and a garlic aoli sauce. Both came with fries and both burgers were absolutely mouth watering. We ended up sharing the two so we could experience both flavors. I’m not sure which one was better. Get both of you can. It’s pricey... both burgers cost about 50 dollars, not including the beer, but hey... when in Iceland!
Fridheimar
This next restaurant was recommended to us by a worker at our hotel. It was on the Golden Circle route, so if you are going to do the drive, stop here for lunch.
Sometimes you stumble into a place and you are completely taken aback. This was one of those places. This restaurant is actually in the middle of their own greenhouse. The ambience alone is worth the trip. If you don’t want to eat (which you should because the food is absolutely delicious) I recommend swinging by to at least check out the scene. Tomato vines flood the walls, and bumble bees occasionally buzz by. The temperature is warm and inviting and yellow flowers and greenery accent the restaurant.
In the greenhouse they grow four different types of tomatoes, which are used in each food item on the menu. To the right of the entrance there is a bar where you can get tomato beer, tomato schnapps, and bloody Mary’s just to name a few.
Tomatoes are the name of the game here. Their most popular item is their endless tomato soup and homemade bread bar. Served with sour cream, butter, and a cucumber salad that was beyond words - this is a must try. The soup was to die for... made with fresh tomatoes the flavor was just sweet enough - add in some sour cream to make it a bit richer. There were homemade breads of different varieties including rye, sour dough, olive, and cheese. All were amazing. I opted for the spinach and cheese ravioli with fresh pesto and tomato sauce. No complaints there... my husband and I shared both and were beyond happy. If you manage to save room, tomato ice cream could be calling your name.
Joe and the Juice
Since our plane didn’t provide a whole lot of culinary options, by the time we landed at 4am Iceland time, we were starving for food and drink. In the airport we stumbled up to the first place we saw: Joe and the Juice. I was tired, jet lagged, and not capable of making quick decisions. Before I knew it we had to order and the pressure was too much so I blurted out “The Cocoa Shake please.” I immediately regretted my choice. A chocolate shake? Why!? I never order things like that.
This was probably one of the best mistakes I ever made. A few minutes later our shakes (Jay ordered the coffee one) were ready. Let me tell you - that shake didn’t stand a chance. I think I downed it in less than 2 minutes. So fast in fact, that my Instagram story didn’t have a chance. I had to take a boomerang of an empty shake cup.
Their shakes are made from healthy ingredients, which makes them all the more appealing and they are delicious to boot. So much so that before we flew home I made sure that we stopped here again to stock up for the plane. This time we got sandwiches as well. I got a mozzarella tomato pesto panini which they pressed right in front of me. <sigh> If only they had these in Jersey.
Lava
We designated one night to ditch the snow gear and get a little dressed up, which led us to Lava - one of the restaurants at the Blue Lagoon. The ambience here was remarkable. We arrived a bit early thinking we could sit at the bar and have a few drinks, only to find out there was no bar to sit at. Thankfully our table was ready so we were seated right away.
Our table was right in front of the lagoon itself, with glowing teal and white waters outlining black lava rocks. It was really a beautiful sight which made the dining experience that much more special.
The menu was on the smaller side- they offer an Icelandic tasting menu- but since I don’t eat seafood we opted out of that option. We were served complimentary champagne and ordered Moscow mules to start the night.
For dinner I had the beef tenderloin with crispy potatoes, mushrooms, and shallots with a horseradish sauce. Cooked exactly how I wanted my meal was nothing short of perfection. Jay ordered cod over barely and greens and he couldn’t stop raving about how delicious it was. So much so that I even tried it barring the fact that fish isn’t my thing. I must say I quite enjoyed it.
We finished off the meal with coffee and desert - a caramel mousse with vanilla ice cream and two fried donuts. Just enough to satisfy any sweet tooth. The food and ambience together makes this restaurant one you have to try.
That wraps up my Iceland Guide: Part 2. I hope that this information was useful. If you ever have any questions please feel free to reach out to me. And if you visit any of the above places take a pic and let me know how your experience was!
<3
P.S. I have also heard wonderful things about Moss which is another restaurant connected to the Blue Lagoon. I am sure you cannot go wrong with either choice.