Iceland Travel GuideLOCAL TRAVEL AGENCY IN ICELAND
My trip
Talk to a local
Iceland Travel GuideLOCAL TRAVEL AGENCY IN ICELAND
My trip
Talk to a local
A modern design hotel standing on a lava field at Nesjavellir, beside Lake Þingvallavatn and about an hour from Reykjavík. It suits couples and small groups who want the Golden Circle on the doorstep, a good restaurant and a dark sky for northern lights.
Nesjavellir by Lake Þingvallavatn, Golden CircleION Adventure Hotel sits on the slopes of Mount Hengill at Nesjavellir, on the south-west side of Lake Þingvallavatn. The building was once staff housing for the nearby Nesjavellir geothermal power plant. It was rebuilt by the architects Minarc and opened as a hotel in 2013. The result is a long concrete and glass block raised on pillars above the moss, with steam from the geothermal area rising behind it.
The location is the main reason to stay. Þingvellir National Park is around half an hour away by car, and Geysir and Gullfoss are an easy day out from the hotel. At the same time you are well away from town lights, so on a clear winter night you can watch for the aurora from the Northern Lights Bar or from your room.
Inside you find Silfra Restaurant, the Northern Lights Bar with its wide wall of windows, and the Lava Spa with a small geothermally heated outdoor pool, a sauna and a relaxation room. Rooms are compact and simply furnished, with natural materials and large windows that face either the lava field, the mountains or the lake.
We send guests here when they want one or two comfortable nights on the Golden Circle rather than driving back to Reykjavík each evening. It is a quiet place. There is no village nearby, so plan to eat at the hotel.
As a local travel agency in Iceland, we can book ION Adventure Hotel for you on its own or as part of a self-drive trip or private tour. Use the Ask us to book it button and tell us your dates.
The hotel lists nine room types. All have a private bathroom with shower, free Wi-Fi and a small sitting area. Rooms are on the small side by international standards, which is normal for this building, so choose a Deluxe room or a suite if space matters to you.
Silfra Restaurant is named after the fissure in Þingvellir where people snorkel between the continents. The kitchen cooks modern Nordic food from seasonal Icelandic ingredients, with lamb, Arctic char and other fish usually on the menu. It serves a breakfast buffet in the morning, plus lunch and dinner. Because there is nowhere else to eat nearby, we suggest booking a dinner table when you book your room.
The Northern Lights Bar is the room most people remember: low sofas, hides on the floor and windows that wrap around three sides, looking out over the lava. It serves cocktails, wine, Icelandic beer and light dishes, and it is the natural place to wait for the aurora on a winter evening.
ION is a base for the western side of the Golden Circle. These are the things to do in the area that we would start with.
At Nesjavellir, on the south-west shore area of Lake Þingvallavatn in South Iceland, about 1 km from the Nesjavellir geothermal power plant. The postal address is Nesjavellir, 801 Selfoss, although the town of Selfoss is around 45 minutes away.
Roughly 50 km. The drive takes about an hour, depending on the route and the season.
Yes, when the sky is clear and the aurora is active, between September and mid-April. The hotel is far from town lights and the Northern Lights Bar has wide windows facing the lava field. Sightings can never be promised.
Yes. The Lava Spa has a small outdoor pool heated with geothermal water, a sauna and a relaxation room, and offers treatments that should be booked ahead.
A breakfast buffet is served in Silfra Restaurant. Whether it is included depends on the rate, so we confirm this for you when we book.
Yes, there is free parking outside the hotel.
No, the hotel does not accept pets.
Children are welcome and several room types can take an extra bed for a child up to 12. The hotel is quiet and design-led, so it suits older children better than toddlers.
