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Photograph of the week: A room with a view in Iceland

Have you ever dreamt about sleeping under the stars or witnessing the colours of the Northern lights? Situated at the foot of Hekla volcano in the South of Iceland, about 3 hours drive from Reykjavik, ÖÖD Iceland allows its visitors to soak in the wonders of the Icelandic landscape and atmospheric spectacles. The beautiful, yet dramatic and somewhat apocalyptic site provides an unforgettable experience by blending the rough surroundings with the elegant sky. It is a place where all barriers between you and the wilderness are magically gone. Imagine a scene, where you are planning to have a romantic weekend getaway with your loved one. You have decided to spend the night in a cozy glass cabin in the Icelandic countryside. This luxurious place caught your eye and next thing you know you are both there, standing in front of this homely cabin feeling as if you have reached the edge of the world. The exterior design matches perfectly with the rough landscape, utilizing clear glass and rustic wood. What is more, native history is even incorporated into the design. A runic symbol on the exterior sidewall and Norse mythology symbols on the back of the lodge are added to follow popular Icelandic traditions. When you open the door and step in, you are instantly mesmerized. The interior design cleverly puts the focus on the bed placed under the glass ceiling and surrounded by glass walls to let in as much of the scenic beauty as possible while also not restricting star-gazing. It catches your eye with its simple yet rough wooden design. The volcanic make-up of Iceland is beautifully symbolized with the black hexagonal tiles fused into the wood flooring and walls. Even the lighting fixtures and other small decorations make you sense the Viking ancestry of Iceland. The combination of the natural and elegant exterior and cozy interior is specifically designed to create an authentic Viking stay while providing every necessary modern luxury. Imagine an evening where you have completed your hiking for the day, the dinner is prepared and your cabin is lit up by the warmth of the setting sun. Next, you snuggle under the warm blankets behind the glass walls as, for those who have not experienced a Nordic 5-hour long sunset, the pink and red colors painted across the horizon can be an unforgettable sight. At night when the wind is howling and the temperature is freezing, the Jacuzzi waits for you to dip yourself in, relax and lose track of time, while the sky lights up with stars and the visible Milky Way galaxy which drifts across your sight. If atmospheric conditions are right there is no better place on Earth to experience the Northern lights than here in Iceland. Falling asleep under the stars that are so much sought after throughout the world will cause you to confuse reality with dreams. As you wake up, the sunrise is perfectly enjoyed with breakfast in bed. The whole room is filled with deep coffee scent and you feel peace inside you and any anxious thoughts disappear. You have got everything you need for a perfect hideaway on a beautiful island with your soulmate; embrace your inner adventurer, grab a map and explore. The two houses of ÖÖD Iceland were born from a beautiful cooperation between ÖÖD Mirror House from Estonia and Panorama Glass Lodge from Iceland. The creation was mainly motivated by a yearning for a house with as much natural sunlight as possible, where you do not want to leave and would rather doze off under the Northern lights or a starry sky. Thank you to Panorama Glass Lodge Iceland for permission to share the photograph. If you have a really special photograph you would like to share with A Luxury Travel Blog‘s readers, please contact us.

Paul Johnson

Paul Johnson is Editor of A Luxury Travel Blog and has worked in the travel industry for more than 30 years. He is Winner of the Innovations in Travel ‘Best Travel Influencer’ Award from WIRED magazine. In addition to other awards, the blog has also been voted “one of the world’s best travel blogs” and “best for luxury” by The Daily Telegraph.

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10 Comments

  1. Nothing whatsoever to do with Iceland but the “Room with a view” title has become so iconic that it seeps into so many aspects of life.

    Long ago, having booked one of those last-minute cheap package tours where they allocate hotels on arrival, I was thrilled to discover that we had been given the hotel which was the inspiration for E.M. Forster’s novel “A room with a view.”

    But then our luck run out. No view over the River Arno as the sun set for us. Instead, at the rear of the building, across a small alley we looked into the kitchen of a Florentine family who bickered whilst the spaghetti simmered. Far from a room with a view.

    1. Wow! Now that really is a room with some view. It had never occurred to me that sunset would linger for quite so long.

      I’ve experienced the opposite when trying to grab a picture before it sinks beyond the Nile in July. You have to be quick. Over there the sun is soon gone.

  2. I envy those who already experienced sleeping under the view of the Aurora Borealis. Imagine the sky full of stars while covered in a blanket with the person you love the most. The glass cabins look very magical. Iceland is one of the many places that I want to visit and I really dream to visit this with my family in the near future. This pandemic stopped our business so I am hoping that the economy picks up so we can start saving up for our possible Iceland trip and many more. See you starting 2022!

  3. As an insomniac that room has its advantages for me. One of the tips that I’ve found that helps a little is to expose myself to as much light as possible early in the morning. The theory is that it fully wakes you up so that your body knows that it is daytime and by the evening thinks that it’s had a full day and is ready to sleep. Well, as insomniacs know, the theory doesn’t always work.

  4. Looks quite chilly to me. Though I suppose the designers have taken care of that with double or triple or quadruple glazing?

  5. In my humble opinion it is a beautiful and very successful collaboration. Have they done anything similar elsewhere? Or do they have any plans to work together again on any new projects?

  6. And what’s the wildlife watching like?

    I watched a wildlife documentary on Iceland yesterday. Amazing film of the Arctic foxes and also of swans arriving in a V formation. Then there were thousands of Eider ducks arriving. At the right times of the year there could be some spectacular watching, a real David Attenborough hideaway.

  7. ooks quite chilly to me. Though I suppose the designers have taken care of that with double or triple or quadruple glazing?

  8. Iceland has so much to offer, I’ve been fond of Iceland for many years now since I’ve heard of the Northern Lights — I wonder what’s the difference between that and Aurora Borealis — and how beautiful it is to see it in person. Especially with that all-glass room! Amazing. No wonder the country has a lot of visitors and they might be expecting more in the future. Iceland is one of the first countries to open their borders to visitors and that is good. Although, in the midst of the pandemic, I guess the visits would be cut short since quarantine protocols are exercised all around the globe. I wonder what the plans of the travel industry are in the next few months because the number or cases are still growing. The travel industry have suffered so long now as well as other businesses all over the world and I hope that we can all recover little by little.

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