For those looking for a relaxing stay after a day of excitement in Iceland exploring volcanoes, glaciers, geysers, lava fields and waterfalls then we would recommend a stay at Hotel Ranga in the South of Iceland.
Built in “cabin style” the hotel has the most welcoming feel and the team go out of their way to ensure your stay is a success; they take it personally! The food is exceptional for those looking for a gourmet experience and you are very likely to meet the owner Fridrik who often goes from table to table during dinner to chat and find out about your holiday.
With a range of level of rooms there is something for everyone with cozy standard rooms all the way up to luxurious suites many of them themed from countries around the world such as Asia, Australia, Antarctic, North American and South America. The suites are truly individual in style, and whilst somewhat surreal in the Icelandic surroundings, are of a very high and authentic standard adding a very different level to your experience.
Hotel Ranga has hot tubs outside and if you are lucky enough you can sit in the hot tub and watch the Northern Lights dancing over your head. A truly “Once in a Lifetime Experience” which we can recommend from personal experience! They have an Aurora Wake up call that you can sign up to, so if the Northern Lights come out whilst you are asleep you will be woken and you will not miss out! We have seen a wonderful photo of guests in their pj’s in the hotels carpark watching the lights! By the way they have a good incidence of seeing the Northern Lights; We don’t call the area the Northern Lights Alley for nothing!
Hotel Ranga has built their own observatory a short stroll from the hotel in order to minimize light pollution, and they have an expert in there every night that the sky is cloud free who can teach you about the stars and the northern lights if they are out. The Observatory has a roll on/off roof and they have two high quality 11-inch computerized telescopes, making it the most advanced observatory in Iceland. Scopes can be turned towards the stars to view amazing detail on Jupiter, see Cassini’s Division in the rings of Saturn, and resolve details on the surface of Mars. Even the distant Uranus and Neptune are within your reach. During the day the observatory can be used for solar observing. It features a solar telescope with white light filter, providing a fantastic view of the Sun, enabling guests to observe sunspots in great detail and activity such as prominences and filaments.
They have also now advised that they can offer massages as long as pre booked, which is a super way to end the day after a hard day of adventure!
For us, although all of these reasons are important to adding to your Northern Lights Trip to make it enjoyable, the main two reasons we recommend Hotel Ranga is it is situated perfectly for seeing the Northern Lights being in the heart of the countryside away from artificial light, and it is in the heart of the SuperJeep tours. Many of the tours from Reykjavik end up in this area but you have to spend 4 hrs just travelling there and back, and as a result don’t have enough daylight hours to be able to really get into the interior and high up. If you base yourself at Hotel Ranga you have volcanoes and glaciers on your doorstep (Just look out the window!) . Indeed Hotel Ranga was used as the base for many tv crews covering the Eyjafjallajokull Volcanic Eruption in 2010!!
In all of our Iceland Northern Lights Short Breaks which are based at Hotel Ranga we include a choice of superb superjeep adventures which will take you off the trodden path to some of the most dramatic and beautiful places in Iceland, and we even offer snowmobiling high up on the glaciers or glacial hiking, and we can throw in a visit to the black volcanic sands! We know you are tempted so give Aurora Nights a call on 01722 744695 to find out more.
