Highland Base Kerlingarfjöll

Nel bel mezzo degli splendidi dintorni degli altopiani islandesi, all'improvviso appare un hotel moderno. L'architettura è semplice ma affascinante e si adatta in qualche modo alla natura incontaminata. A lato ci sono camere a 4 stelle, sorgenti termali naturali e un ristorante di prima classe. Il personale è cordiale e competente, fa tutto il possibile per rendere il vostro soggiorno indimenticabile. Il posto non è costoso, ma ne vale sicuramente la pena. Altamente raccomandato😃

This luxury hotel is nothing short of extraordinary and I’m sure it took quite a feat of modern-day engineering to construct it, given its location in the center of Iceland, in an otherwise uninhabited region known as the Highlands. It’s very difficult, and at times impossible to reach in the middle of the winter, when we visited. The journey there and back is an almost unparalleled adventure that we rated right up there with an ice cave and glacier hike later on our trip, and the beauty of the region is unparalleled. The company that built the hotel is the same one that owns the Blue Lagoon complex on the Reykjanes Peninsula, and even though it’s so remote, the accommodations and food are on the same par. The staff, a hearty bunch that we were told live and work onsite in 2-week shifts, are phenomenal and treated us like family. We enjoyed the naturally heated lagoon every bit as much as the Blue Lagoon even though it’s not as large, nor milky blue; especially in the -24 Celsius/-11 Fahrenheit temperatures. Yes, it really does get that cold in the Highlands! The hotel teamed up with one of the premier adventure companies in the region; Southcoast Adventure to transport guests to and fro in the middle of the winter as well as provide some of the activities that are offered, such as snowmobiling. Our driver/guide was Stefan, a rugged Icelander with a very dry sense of humor. My wife and I were among 11 guests that he was charged with transporting that first day. It had started snowing the night before and the wind caused the snow to accumulate in the gullies on the F road to the hotel. Even though we were in a very large super jeep, the going soon became tough and the Director and some other staff from the hotel met us half way to make tracks for our much heavier vehicle and in many cases, pull us out when we became stuck. We thoroughly enjoyed the entire experience and at no time did we feel in danger, however that cannot be said for the other 9 passengers. They obviously did not read up on what they signed up for, as the website clearly stated the journey would take between 2.5 and 6 hours. Ultimately, to our great dismay, the decision was made to abandon the attempt and turn back. They put us all up at the Edition that night; Reykjavik’s only 5-star hotel. The whole failed journey from Basecamp Skjól to halfway to Highland Base and then to the Edition took about 10 hours. They gave us all the choice of staying at the Edition for the following night or trying again the next day. We were the only two that opted to try again, so basically it was a private transport, and as I stated above, it was SO worth it! The day turned out to be beautiful, not a cloud in the sky and the sunset, which occurred about 3 hours into our journey was spectacular, and then the Northern Lights appeared in the sky when we arrived! The second attempt from Basecamp Skjól to Highland Base took 3 hours 50 minutes, and the return trip, on an equally beautiful

How did such a luxurious place get into the Highlands of Iceland? On our Ring road tour, we took our camper van out onto F35 and headed for Highland Base. After many miles, we found it, but did not expect the comfort that they provided. This is a pretty new hotel, I gather. Our room looked out over the campground and creek area. The room had a window seat, a huge bathroom, a mud area, plenty of space to hang things up to dry, and a truly comfortable bed with many pillows. The breakfast was excellent, and very nice displayed, with plenty of options. The dinner was a buffet, expensive, but at that point, we didn't care. It was just terrific. We tried to enjoy a hike in the volcano area of Hveradalavegur which had a very crowded parking lot. But between the very cold air and the warm ground, the hiking was impossible due to slush and slippery mud. Too bad. Overnight the cold turned to snow and we woke to a light blanket of it across the compound. We absolutely loved our stay there, but were glad to get out safely back to F35 before they closed the road down. (Which happened a couple of days later). I think this place is open all year--- you just need help getting in during the winter months.

What a fantastic place in the middle of nowhere! The comfy rooms, great views and relaxing baths were the perfect compliment to the amazing hikes in the surrounding area. Fantastic staff and food in the restaurant made it an awesome stay!!!

Location was fabulous but I found the pricing of activities aggressive. Booked the 9hr private guided tour for 170k - this seemed expensive but I was travelling with my 13 yo daughter so thought worth the investment. Shorter tours are marketed at lower prices. En route to the hotel I was advised that adverse conditions meant we couldn’t do the booked tour but they would find an alternative. In the event, we had a great guide who took us for about 5 hours. The kicker has been that the hotel told me that the 170k is payable in all circumstances. I found that unreasonable and am trying to negotiate with the guide company who tell me this is the hotel’s policy not theirs. This left a bit of a bad impression that I was a captive customer. Happy to update if things change.

I spent a few hours in the baths while waiting for my hiking group. It was a beautiful day and that helped but baths are extremely well organized. I had the most amazing lunch afterwards. Most polite and nice service. I spent a few additional hours waiting for my group and have witnessed extremely efficient and cordial service all around. Young people working in this place are all super nice and you feel taken care of.