Iceland’s Remote Cabins

Iceland’s “Ring Road” is 800+ miles, and literally circles the entire country.

Along the way, you’ll find remote cabins, which will have you wondering: who built this here? Why? How do they get food? … and more!

We stayed in a few, including the Hrafnavellir Guest House, which we loved.

It’s a series of seven guest cabins, right off Route 1 in Southern Iceland.

Behind them are snow-capped peaks. In front of the square cabins are plains leading out to the Jokulsa River, which flows into the Atlantic Ocean.

The views off the patio are sweeping. I can only imagine what the northern lights look like here!

The scenery is stunning, but I can’t stress how remote this is!

The closet town, Hofn, is 30 kilometers southwest. The closest town to the northeast is a full hour’s drive!

I talked to one of the owners, Eyrun Axelsdottir, who was staying at the property with her son during our visit. She was kind enough to endure my inquisition about food, flowers, and the economics of making the business work.

The family built the cabins in 2018. One family member owned the land, and they bought pre-fabricated home kits from Estonia.

As for food, they bring it all in from Hofn, which is where they have a home.

While they closed the cabins for a while in 2020 during the pandemic, they reopened for 6-months during 2021. Eyrun says bookings are solid for 2022.

As I write this, the cabins are renting for about $160 per night.

They come complete with my favorite hotel feature: a free breakfast in the lobby/reception area!

The family puts out a spread of homemade jams, breads, and yogurt, plus a local favorite: caviar paste, which was surprisingly good on eggs!

Salmon, tuna, and cod liver oil were also mainstays at all of the breakfast buffets we enjoyed.

They each also had plates of red peppers and tepidly-red tomatoes. Iceland doesn’t have much fertile farmland, but they do have greenhouses which grow vegetables.

Eyrun had a beautiful bouquet of lilies, which she said were imported. A surprisingly nice floral touch, in such a remote place.

The winds were howling to the point that we could barely stand, and the car doors almost snapped off. Still the cabins were air-tight and not drafty at all.

It was a real joy to meet the family, pepper them with questions, and learn their tips (like constantly checking road.is for weather conditions):

Beyond the convenience, food, and friendliness, the special touches stood out. The cabins aren’t numbered. Instead, each has an animal-themed key, which matches a sign on your cabin.

We’re lucky that, just by chance, we grew tired of driving on the Ring Road, and their row of remote cabins appeared at the right time in the right place!