The Best Resorts in Iceland

Guests-only geothermal lagoon, floor-to-ceiling lava-field views, and a spa drawing on Iceland's volcanic geology: this is what it looks like when a famous tourist attraction builds a genuinely serious luxury hotel around itself. Minimalist suites come with robes you'll end up wearing to dinner at Lava, the all-day restaurant. Moss, the flagship, holds a Michelin star. The Retreat holds a Michelin Key.

Two helipads on a former sheep farm in a Troll Peninsula valley sets the tone pretty fast. Eleven Deplar Farm is a 13-room all-inclusive lodge where the geothermally heated pool has a swim-up bar and the heli-ski excursions depart from the backyard. The chef leans into local culinary traditions, the spa is serious, and Iceland's general allergy to ostentation keeps the whole thing feeling grounded, which is no small trick given the price of admission.

Sitting on the edge of Þingvellir National Park in a sprawl of lava fields and lichen, this adventure hotel is heated geothermically by water pulled from underground at 190°C, so the showers are not in danger of going cold. Rooms are monochrome concrete and reclaimed driftwood, the outdoor hot tub has panoramic views of the otherworldly surroundings, and the activities range from horseback riding to diving between two tectonic plates.

Turf-roofed cabins with private heated basalt-stone pools sit along the Golden Circle route, and the furniture was made in the hotel's own workshop. The Viking-style longhouse where dinner is served is lined with actual salmon skins, the menu shifts daily from whatever the surrounding landscape offers, and the property runs on geothermal and hydroelectric energy. A herd of Icelandic horses is available if you'd like to feel appropriately heroic about the whole thing.