After a refreshing hike to Reykjadalur valley, we stayed at a lovely romantic boutique hotel, Frost and Fire (Frost og funi in Icelandic), on the banks of the river Varmá in Hveragerði town.
This lovely little hotel is hidden from view from the road leading to the starting point of the Reykjadalur valley hike, which leads you to a lovely, warm river—a hidden gem in beautiful surroundings.
Top photo: The Frost and Fire Hotel on the Banks of the Varmá River in South Iceland
Our room
When we got the key to our room, we were also given a tour of the facilities, the hot pools, and the spa. The view from our room was beautiful as we were right by the river.
There is a porch in front of all the rooms in this part of the hotel, where we could sit and enjoy the beauty and serenity of the mountains and the valley.
All of the rooms at the Frost and Fire Hotel are en-suite and elegantly decorated with a big flat-screen TV and big windows with this lovely view. There was free WiFi in the room (no password was required).
Our room
On the other side of the river Varmá, the hot springs were similar to the hot springs I was so mesmerized by in Reykjadalur valley, the clicking hot springs!
This happens when the hot springs are located under a cliff. When they boil, they touch the cliff walls and make a clicking sound.
The clicking hot spring by the Varmá river
These hot springs by the river Varmá only came alive after the big earthquake (6.3 on the Richter scale) in this area in May 2008.
You can read more about this earthquake in my travel blog about Mt.Ingólfsfjall and Ingólfsskáli.
I am so mesmerized by these clicking hot springs that I took a video and put it on YouTube :)
Clicking hot springs
Above the Frost and Fire Hotel, there are mountains, and on a hillside, you will find a geothermal area with hot springs and mud pools.
These hot springs also appeared after the big earthquake in this area in May 2008.
There are steam vents all over the place, making this a fascinating area to visit.
The geothermal area above Hveragerði
To reach this area, you cross the bridge over the river Varmá by the hotel and turn right on the hill.
It is just a short hike from the hotel. Be careful here, as there are mud pools hidden from sight, so it is easy to step right into them.
The geothermal water is boiling! So let's stay within the boundaries of this geothermal area.
As you can see in my photo below, there is a hot spring in between the trees, making it look like the forest is on fire.
The geothermal area above Hveragerði
The owners of the Frost and Fire hotel have made use of these hot springs and geothermal water, and by the river behind the hotel, you will find two hot tubs.
It was heavenly sitting in a hot tub so close to the river, in such beautiful surroundings, and very romantic.
It must be fantastic soaking in the hot tubs by the river in the wintertime, when the Northern Lights light up the sky!
Soaking in a hot tub next to the Varmá river
Our room was situated next to the 12-meter-long swimming pool, so we could exit through a glass door straight from the room and take a dip.
The hotel provides fluffy white bathrobes, which we very much appreciated, as we wore them most of the night while trying out the hot tubs, the swimming pool, and the spa!
The swimming pool was next to our room.
It is possible to bathe in the river Varmá in the summertime, as then the water can be as warm as 18 degrees C.
But after soaking in the warm river in Reykjadalur valley earlier that day, we felt like soaking again in the hot tubs (38 degrees C) on the bank of the river.
We also soaked in the lovely warm swimming pool next to our room :)
Trying out the indoor spa
When we visited the hotel was fitting in mud baths, which is something I have always wanted to try. But we did try out the Kneipp baths at the indoor spa.
The Kneipp baths are foot baths, one cold and one hot, and switching between them is supposed to be healthy for the feet. There are also lounge chairs in the indoor spa.
It was ever so lovely to relax in the lounge chairs by candlelight in the darkness after trying out the Kneipp baths.
There is a restaurant at the hotel called Restaurant Varmá, like the river by which the hotel is situated. We had been invited to dinner at my sister's house in the neighbouring village of Stokkseyri, so we missed out on the food at the hotel.
The restaurant
I am sorry we missed dining at the restaurant, as the reviews I read are excellent. They serve local food such as smoked goose breasts, reindeer steak, arctic char, and ptarmigan soup—next time for sure.
The morning after, we had breakfast in a lovely conservatory restaurant, overlooking the river and the clicking hot springs. Breakfast consisted of a wide selection of food, including rye bread cooked in a geothermal hot spring in front of the hotel.
It is a traditional Icelandic bread, so do try it out; it is ever so tasty.
Hot spring bread - seytt rúgbrauð
Also, if you want a cooked egg for breakfast, you can cook it yourself in the hot spring in front of the hotel!
You get a small fishing rod with a net at the end and put the net into the hot spring.
You get a soft-boiled egg in 10 minutes and a hard-boiled egg in 15 minutes, if I am not mistaken.
Cooking an egg in a hot spring in front of the hotel
I thoroughly enjoyed my stay at the Frost and Fire boutique hotel. I can recommend it to anyone, whether after a hike to Reykjadalur valley or simply as a lovely place to stay in South Iceland on your travels.
The hotel is located 45 km away from Iceland's capital city, Reykjavík.
You can also rent a car in Reykjavík and drive to Hveragerði yourself.
If you want to check out the surroundings, Hveragerði is a lovely little hot-spring town set amid a geothermal area.
Here you will see greenhouses in abundance, and in the middle of the town, you can visit a geothermal park.
Have a wonderful time in Hveragerði town :)
