Boutique Hotels in Golden Circle

The Golden Circle is the loop southeast of Reykjavík that connects Iceland's three most-visited natural sites: Þingvellir, the rift valley where the North American and Eurasian plates pull apart and where the Alþingi parliament met from 930 AD; Geysir, the geothermal field that gave the word "geyser" to every language that uses it; and Gullfoss, the two-tier waterfall in the Hvítá river canyon. The route covers around 300 kilometres and can be driven in a long day, though it rewards two.

ION Adventure Hotel sits on the lava slopes of Mount Hengill at Nesjavellir, in the geothermal field above Lake Þingvallavatn. The 2013 Minarc-designed building is a black, lava-textured slab on stilts — a deliberate reference to Iceland's first settler, Ingólfur Arnarson, who in 874 threw his high-seat pillars overboard and built where the gods washed them ashore. The Northern Lights Bar opens westward through 180-degree windows over the lava field; Silfra Restaurant runs Nordic cuisine on Arctic char from the lake; the Lava Spa runs geothermal water from the field below. Thingvellir is twenty minutes north, Geysir and Gullfoss within the hour, and Reykjavík forty-five minutes back to the west.

The Golden Circle works year-round on different terms. Summer (June to August) brings the midnight sun and full road access. Winter (November to March) brings the aurora borealis, shorter daylight, and the dramatic light most photographers come for. Spring and autumn shoulder seasons trade the extremes for thinner crowds.