Northern Light
Whiling away Iceland’s long summer days comes easy at ION (354/482-3415; ioniceland.is; doubles from US$332), a self-styled “luxury adventure hotel” on the edge of the Thingvellir National Park in the island’s southwest. The surroundings—a mossy lava field at the foot of Mt. Hengill, just an hour’s drive from Reykjavík—give way to a gamut of activities that will thrill the most restless of guests, from glacier trekking and horseback riding to rafting, kayaking, and fly-fishing in icy rivers. After you’re done adventuring, retire back to one of the hotel’s 46 muted minimalist rooms, accented with blond birchwood furnishings and images of local wildlife, including the Icelandic horse and the arctic fox. Or head to the glass-walledNorthern Lights bar. Cantilevered over the tundra, it’s the perfect place to take in views of Lake Thingvellir and, come winter, to watch the aurora borealis dance across the sky. –Christi Hang
Originally appeared in the June/July 2013 print issue of DestinAsian magazine (“Hotel Openings”)