Torfhús Retreat

Torfhús is a small settlement of turf-roofed houses built in the old Icelandic manner, low and grass-covered, scattered across open land in the Golden Circle. Inside they are anything but rustic: hand-hewn timber, sheepskin, underfloor heating and deep windows facing the Langjökull icecap.

Almost every house has its own basalt-lined geothermal tub, and there are around fifteen outdoor pools across the site, so soaking outdoors under a winter sky is the central activity. The kitchen serves a fixed evening menu of Icelandic ingredients in a communal longhouse.

Þingvellir, Geysir and Gullfoss are all within half an hour, but the retreat itself is deliberately quiet and low-touch, aimed at people who want the landscape and very little else.