Family Stays in Skagaströnd, North Iceland

Stuðlaberg is the stay I would book first for a family, because its listing names an outdoor play area alongside a garden, a sun terrace and sea views. It scores 8.7 from 209 reviews and also mentions a fitness room, free WiFi, a restaurant and a cosy fireplace. It is a holiday home about 165 km from Akureyri Airport, which helps families arriving by air in the north to plan the drive. After a day on the road, a play area outside and a fire inside make the evening easy for parents, and the terrace facing Húnaflói gives everyone a view while dinner is being prepared.

Salthús Guesthouse suits families who prefer separate rooms to a single house. It is the most reviewed stay in Skagaströnd, with 623 reviews and a score of 8.6, and it offers family rooms with private bathrooms, walk-in showers, parquet floors and a work desk, each with a sea or mountain view. Guests share a kitchen, a garden and a terrace, and free parking and bicycle parking are on site. A shared kitchen is a practical detail with children, since it allows simple meals at any hour. I would choose Salthús for a family that wants a well-tested address and the comfort of its own bathroom.

Iðavellir Guesthouse holds the best score in town, 9.3 from 131 reviews, and despite its name is listed as a holiday home. It offers sea and mountain views from its garden and terrace, a fully equipped kitchenette, a comfortable living room, free WiFi, free private parking and an electric vehicle charging station. Steinnýjarstaðir, rated 8.2 from 66 reviews, is a smaller holiday home with a single bedroom, a living room, a kitchenette and a kitchen, a sun terrace, a garden with views, outdoor seating and a picnic area. I would pick Iðavellir for comfort and Steinnýjarstaðir for a small family on a tighter plan.

Family outings around Skagaströnd stay close and simple. Spákonufell, the mountain behind town named after the seeress Þórdís of the local sagas, offers a walk with a view over the whole bay, and the lower slopes suit children who are used to hiking. The harbour is a pleasant place to watch the fishing boats come in, and Kántrýbær, the town's country music centre, recalls Skagaströnd's unusual reputation in Iceland. North along the Skagi peninsula, Kálfshamarsvík has basalt columns beside an old lighthouse, and across the bay the Vatnsnes peninsula holds the Hvítserkur sea stack and spots for watching seals.