About an hour from Rekjavic, you will find Hotel Ranga, a luxury hotel in Hella, Iceland. The location is perfect as it’s almost equidistance from Selfoss and Vik which are both locations with lots of attractions. This is our second time staying at this hotel and it did not disappoint once again. Our daughter kept saying it was her favorite hotel. From it’s cozy cabin feel, delicious food, great hospitality, and idilic location, it’s definitely a must stay if you’re visiting Iceland.

THE PROPERTY

The property is on a expansive lot with an open field and river running along the back. It is absolutely stunning. There is a dining area that serves breakfast lunch and dinner with a view of the river, a game room with a pool table and board games, geothermal hot tubs located throughout the property, and a lounge area where you can have drinks and relax. It really feels like recluse after having an adventure filled day.

THE ROOM

I would say one of the coolest parts of Hotel Ranga are the rooms. They are uniquely decorated and some are even themed. We stayed in a Deluxe Superior room which was very simple compared to their other rooms but it worked just fine for us. It had a twin Murphy bed and they added an extra twin bed for our second daughter. The hotel has a few hot tubs on site and it was nice that there was one right outside our door so it felt like it was our little private hot tub. But be mindful that this also means people may use it right outside your room which happened a couple times during our stay. All the wood finishes gave the room a cozy cabin feel and the heated floors in the bathroom were a nice touch.

The best part to me was that they had an Aurora call button on the phone in the room. You press the button and it puts you on a list to give you a call if the Northern lights come out. I loved this because it didn’t require me to set my own alarm and wake up unnecessarily if the Northern lights did not come out. And guess what? They came out the VERY FIRST NIGHT we stayed at the hotel. When I tell you I could cry, I was so excited because this was on my bucket list as I didn’t get to see them on our first trip to Iceland. I was so elated and so grateful for having the option of a wake up call and checking off this very special thing off my bucket list.

THE FOOD

Hotel Ranga offers complimentary breakfast every day. And it’s not just continental breakfast. You can choose from a small menu of options and they even had a vegan option of scrambled tofu which had lots of veggies mixed in and was delicious. Outside of the menu, there is a full buffet from cereals, coffees and teas, fruits, deli spreads, breads and pastries, and even a waffle making station. They even offered ginger shots which we took every morning. The girls loved being able to pick what they wanted for breakfast in the morning and it was nice we didn’t have to think about where and what to eat as we started our day.

We also really loved the dinner options. Here you are able to try some more traditional Icelandic dishes such as horse or reindeer if you’re feeling adventurous. We decided to stick to the fresh fish options. The cod and salmon dishes were impeccable and you can tell they put a lot of thought into each dish and the pairings. They were all beautiful crafted, flavorful, and thoughtful dishes. Our kids rarely eat the kids menu so they enjoyed the cod and salmon right along with us. Danny also had the burger one night and enjoyed it as well. The dessert menu was impressive. We loved the chocolate cake and the apple cobbler. My daughter really loved the carrot cake and it quickly became her favorite. You can tell the same thoughtfulness went into the desserts as well as the unique pairings on each created an interesting array of flavors. I should have asked to meet the chef because I really appreciate the menu he/she curated. I also really loved that the hotel had vegan options. Even during lunch time I was able to order a vegan burger. Although I do eat seafood, I don’t eat dairy or meat so it was nice to have these vegan options.

THE ACTIVITIES

The hotel offers star gazing on site where you can meet with an astrologist and enjoy the stars and seek out constellations. We weren’t able to do this due to our girls’ earlier bed time but because Hotel Ranga is out away from the city and ambient light, you are able to see so many stars in the sky. Something I realized, living in the city, is a rare occurrence for me. I’m always in awe when I get to see so many stars. There is also a game room with a pool table, board games, and puzzles. The girls loved this room even though they couldn’t play any of the games (the rules were in Icelandic) but we made up our own rules for one of the games and it was a hit.

THE NEIGHBORHOOD

The hotel is located in an area where you have to drive but if you come to Iceland, I don’t think you can really experience the country properly without renting a car anyway. I’m not a fan of staying in Reykjavík though it’s a beautifully quaint city that I enjoy but that’s pretty much it. The true beauty and magic of the country lies outside the city.

If you choose to eat outside the hotel there are plenty of nearby restaurants. When you drive out the hotel take a right and you will start to see some pop up on the road. The hotel is almost equidistance to Selfoss and Vik (it’s about 1 hour to each location) which are both great locations to experience some of the most beautiful and highly popular areas of Iceland. Selfoss is a beautiful and quaint town that is worth just exploring on its own but it’s also near attractions such as the Kerid Crator, Geysir and Gullffoss Falls. Vik is home to the black sand beach and lighthouse along with many other attractions. I’ve included everywhere to visit in Iceland in my TRAVEL GUIDE which will be released very soon.