Frost and Fire Hotel
About this stay
Frost and Fire stands at Hverhamar, in the steaming foothills above Hveragerði, on the bank of the Varmá river and about 30 minutes' drive from Reykjavík. Rooms look over the river, the hot springs around the hotel and Mount Reykjafall, and each has a private entrance to the outdoor spa area during its opening hours. The hot tubs sit by the river and, like the 12-metre heated lap pool, are filled from the hotel's own borehole; a larger outdoor thermal pool opens seasonally, and the sauna is built of black stone. The restaurant, Varmá, takes its name and its view from the river. The grounds are an active geothermal field: hverabrauð, the dense Icelandic rye bread, is baked overnight in an old hot spring on the property, and guests can boil their own eggs in a spring. The Varmá itself, fed by several hot springs, can reach about 18 °C in summer.
- Riverside hot tubs filled from the hotel's own borehole
- 12-metre heated lap pool and black stone sauna
- Private room entrance to the outdoor spa area
- Hverabrauð baked overnight in a hot spring on the grounds
- Varmá restaurant with river views
- About 30 minutes' drive from Reykjavík
Our take
Breakfast here can include hverabrauð, a rye bread baked overnight in an old hot spring on the hotel grounds, and you can boil your own eggs in a spring a few steps from the rooms. That is the character of Frost and Fire: a small hotel built on a working geothermal field, with riverside hot tubs and a 12-metre lap pool filled from its own borehole. Rated 8.7 across 761 reviews. I would book it as the first stop east of Reykjavík, 30 minutes away, before the Golden Circle or the south coast, with a morning walk up Reykjadalur. Travellers who need a big resort spa or plenty of evening restaurants within walking distance will find it quiet.
Why we love it
- Boiling your own egg in a hot spring on the grounds
- Hot tubs right beside the Varmá river
- A private door from the room to the spa
- Reykjadalur and the Golden Circle within easy reach
Why guests love itThe geothermal grounds make this hotel memorable for children old enough to understand that the water is hot. Boiling an egg in a spring, eating bread baked in the ground and bathing in tubs beside a river are things they will remember, and the 12-metre heated lap pool gives them space to swim rather than just soak. The flip side is the hot springs themselves: around the hotel, water and steam come out of the ground at near-boiling temperatures, so small children need a hand held on every path. Hveragerði's walkable centre and the Reykjadalur trail make two nights easy. I would book it with school-age children rather than toddlers, and keep the room on the river side for the view.
Guest reviews
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