Fosshotel Glacier Lagoon
Hnappavellir, Oraefi, Iceland
Location
In the southeast
At Hnappavellir, Oraefi, southeast Iceland, between Skaftafell in Vatnajokull National Park and the Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon and Diamond Beach around fifteen to twenty minutes away, at the base of Iceland's highest peak, right on the Ring Road.
Transfer
A Ring Road base
On the Ring Road in the southeast, a long and scenic drive from Reykjavik or a domestic connection, set between Skaftafell and the Glacier Lagoon.
Villas
Around 104 rooms
Around 104 rooms — standard, deluxe and suites — in a dark wood-clad modern building with Nordic-minimalist interiors, high ceilings and large windows over lava fields, mountains or the ocean.
Best For
Who it suits
South-coast and Ring-Road road-trippers, glacier-and-lagoon explorers, hikers in Skaftafell and Northern Lights seekers after reliable base-hotel comfort — the best-placed hotel for the southeast's headline sights.
Board Basis
Bed & breakfast
Bed-and-breakfast or half board, with a well-regarded Icelandic restaurant, a lobby bar and an ocean-facing terrace.
About the Resort
A well-located modern base for the southeast
Fosshotel Glacier Lagoon is a well-located modern base for the southeast — the largest, best-placed hotel between Skaftafell in Vatnajokull National Park and the Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon, minutes from the icebergs of Diamond Beach, at the base of Iceland's highest peak right on the Ring Road. Around 104 Nordic-minimalist rooms — standard, deluxe and suites — fill a dark wood-clad building with high ceilings and large windows over lava fields, mountains or the ocean, two outdoor hot tubs and Northern Lights wake-up calls reward the winter, and a well-regarded Icelandic restaurant and an ocean-facing terrace bar anchor an otherwise remote stretch of road. The setting is the heart of the southeast's headline sights: Jokulsarlon, where icebergs calve from an outlet of Vatnajokull, Europe's largest ice cap, and drift to the sea, the black sands and stranded ice of Diamond Beach, and the hiking trails of Skaftafell beneath Hvannadalshnukur, Iceland's highest peak, are all within fifteen to twenty minutes. In winter, blue ice caves open inside the glacier and the dark skies fill with aurora; in summer the midnight sun lingers and birdlife crowds the cliffs. It is a reliable, scenic base for the southeast — distinct from the ultra-luxury lodges and the geothermal Blue Lagoon hotels. Year-round.
Accommodation
Rooms
Around 104 rooms — standard, deluxe and suites — fill a dark wood-clad modern building with Nordic-minimalist interiors, high ceilings and large windows framing lava fields, mountains or the ocean. Comfortable and quietly contemporary, they make a reliable base in a part of Iceland where good hotels are few and far between, the dark wood and clean lines echoing the stark land outside, the larger suites taking in the glacier or the sea.
Entry
Standard Double
Sleeps two. A Nordic-minimalist room with mountain or lava views.
Nordic-minimalistMountain outlook
Larger
Deluxe Room
Sleeps two. A larger room, often with ocean or mountain views.
LargerOcean outlook
Ocean
Ocean-view Room
Sleeps two. A room on the sea-facing terrace side.
Sea-facingOcean outlook
Top
Executive Suite
Sleeps two. The upgrade tier, with the best views.
Best viewsMountain outlook
Food & Drink
Dining
A well-regarded Icelandic restaurant serves fresh local cooking, with a buffet breakfast and an a la carte dinner, joined by a lobby bar and an ocean-facing terrace for a happy-hour drink. It is welcome, ingredient-led dining on a remote stretch of the Ring Road, the langoustine of nearby Hofn a regional speciality, and the long light of summer stretching dinner late.
Signature
The restaurant
The restaurant, Icelandic and fresh local, buffet breakfast and a la carte dinner.
Bar
The lobby bar
The lobby bar, with an ocean-facing terrace.
Terrace
The terrace
The terrace, ocean-facing, happy hour.
Wellbeing
Hot tubs & sauna
A sauna and two outdoor hot tubs invite a soak under the Northern Lights, joined by a gym, the hot tubs standing in as the hotel's water feature in place of a pool. After a long day of glaciers and waterfalls, the warm water under a dark sky, and often the aurora, is the reward.
Two outdoor hot tubs
Two outdoor hot tubs, aurora soaking.
A sauna and gym
A sauna and gym, for the base.
Diamond Beach
Diamond Beach, minutes away.
Activities & Experiences
Signature Experiences
The location, the hot tubs and the glaciers define a stay — base yourself between Skaftafell and the Glacier Lagoon on the Ring Road, drive minutes to the icebergs of Diamond Beach, and soak in the outdoor hot tubs under the aurora. Boat trips weave among the icebergs of Jokulsarlon, guided walks and winter ice caves explore the Vatnajokull ice cap, and the Skaftafell trails climb to the basalt-columned Svartifoss waterfall, all close at hand.
Between Skaftafell and the Glacier Lagoon
Between Skaftafell and the Glacier Lagoon, on the Ring Road.
Diamond Beach
Diamond Beach, minutes away.
Outdoor hot tubs
Outdoor hot tubs, aurora wake-up calls.
The Icelandic restaurant
The Icelandic restaurant, well-regarded.
Iceland's highest peak
Iceland's highest peak, at the base.
Getting There
Location & transfers
On the road
Ring Road
On the Ring Road in the southeast; a long drive or a domestic connection from Reykjavik.
Nearby
Glacier Lagoon
At Hnappavellir, Oraefi, between Skaftafell and the Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon.
Guest Reviews
What Our Clients Say
★★★★★
“The most extraordinary place I have ever stayed. Nothing prepares you for the depth of the silence, the beauty of the reef, or the sheer generosity of the experience.”
✓ Verified via feefo
★★★★★
“We’ve stayed here three times now. The house reef has no equal. The stargazing was, genuinely, one of the most moving experiences of my adult life.”
✓ Verified via feefo
★★★★★
“I had stayed at Four Seasons, One&Only and Velaa before visiting Fosshotel Glacier Lagoon. They are all magnificent. But this is different in a way that is hard to articulate.”
✓ Verified via feefo
Good to Know
Good to know
Board basis
- Bed-and-breakfast or half board.
Year-round
- Year-round; Northern Lights wake-up calls in winter.
Made for road-trippers
- Made for road-trippers and glacier explorers.
Getting there
- On the Ring Road in the southeast.
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Dates & party
Date flexibility
Adults
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Budget & accommodation
Budget per person (flights + hotel)
£4,500
£500£50,000+
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Flights
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