Torfhús Retreat

My husband and I chose Torfhús for our 30th wedding anniversary. While we were celebrating special occasion, we are accustomed to staying in luxury properties and this one did not disappoint. We spent three nights here. I was surprised at some of the negative reviews and felt them to be somewhat unfair although everyone is entitled to their opinions. And so here is mine… the service was outstanding on all counts. The room was cozy and comfortable, the bed was perfect as were the blankets. The bathroom had shampoo, conditioner and body wash. There was a bathmat and plenty of towels. While no robes, they do provide poncho style hooded towels for getting out of the wonderful basalt hot tub. Dinner was amazing, a true culinary delight. I advised them in advance about my allergies and everything was accommodated. As for being surprised, they left it up to us to be advised or surprised - we chose surprised and they didn’t disappoint. Beef, lamb, fish - all delicious! I found the cost to be reasonable and it was made known right at the front desk as were the added cost for wine pairings. The wine list was expansive, had no troubles choosing. Also, we had arrived without having had lunch and the chef made us a few sandwiches to tide us over until dinner. The breakfast service was plentiful and was included in the cost. We found everything about this property to be what someone else called laid back luxury - I very much like that definition. I would highly recommend Torfhus!

In this category of high end hotels, good service is expected. Torfus completely fails in this area. We mistakenly booked two rooms rather than one due to difficulty with the website, and we failed to notice the mistake until we arrived. Torfhus is within its right to charge us for both, although since they were far from full, it would have been better customer relations not to charge for the second room. We also found the staff to be generally inattentive. As an example, we were told to take a seat as they finished readying the room and that someone would bring us a drink. The staff who were gathered around the coffee machine with the repairman completely ignored us. The rooms are replicas of the traditional sod houses. Each one has a lovely stone hot tub, but is otherwise unremarkable. The hotel is located in a flat meadow with views of the surrounding hills. There are geysers and waterfalls short drives from the hotel but there are much more reasonably priced hotels in the same general area so we had expected this to be a cut above the others in terms of service.. and it was definitely not. Truly excellent.On the positive side we ate in the restaurant which offers only a set menu and found it to be re

My wife and I just returned from a three night stay, We had originally booked two nights but the accommodations and the food were more than superb so we added an additional night. Suffice it to say, the location allowed us the ability to access some excellent hiking and outside activities. After a busy day, we relaxed in the outdoor soaking pool which was just outside of our suite. Dinners were spectacular. The Chef's daily selections for dinner were a 10. Breakfasts were likewise ample with many selections. The "staff" was extremely professional and yet they maintained an easy approachable manner. This is well worth the visit and we will return. Rob & Laura G.

We stayed at Torfus Retreat for 2 nights in early February. We enjoyed our stay, and there were very few guests. Although we didn't have dinner, the breakfast offered a good variety. Everything was clean and well-maintained, with a great Viking ambiance, especially in the main building. Our room, a trofbear in the Thor group (room #3), was the farthest from the main house and near the horse stable. The floor heating made the room slow to cool down; we slept with all three windows open the first night and adjusted the heat earlier the second night. Great bed with both a thin and thick pillow for each. The shared hot tub was right outside our room, and we had it to ourselves. The complimentary minibar was restocked daily with champagne, beer, water, and a soft drink. The in-room coffee machine was a nice touch. The door locks are unnecessarily a pain in the neck. One criticism is the arrival process. There is no way to alert the hotel that you are waiting at the gate; you have to call, which can be problematic. (I forgot to put the “+” sign before the number) We were stuck outside for 20 minutes until we were noticed on the security monitors. There should be a call button or intercom at the gate. We received a gate opener after checking in. The retreat is located right off the Golden Circle, with easy access to many attractions. We particularly enjoyed Faxifoss, just down the road over a very narrow bridge. Alternate dining is around 20 minutes away, but have early closing hours in the winter.

The good - service in the restaurant was stellar and employees go over the top. The layout of the hotel is very cool with three rooms together in each section. You do have to walk outside to get to the main facility but it isn’t a terribly long distance. The Bad - the beds stink and the comforters are two tiny ones for a shared bed. It doesn’t make for a good sleeping experience. Our back door couldn’t be locked so whenever the front door was opened, the back door would open up due to a wind tunnel. I reported this to the front desk but they didn’t fix it. I would also say that the restaurant is a bit pretentious. Not everyone wants a fixed menu with nothing revealed until the food is served. While they took dietary restrictions into account, the substitutions were lack luster. I understand what they are going for but it comes off as very high and mighty.

Remarkable, outstanding and overall a special experience. The service was nothing short of perfection, food was absolutely delicious and the accommodations were cozy and comfortable. I would highly recommend!