Deplar Farm, Iceland - hotel review

Deplar Farm gives new meaning to luxury ‘all-inclusive’, finds Alice Howarth
1/11
Alice Howarth6 April 2019

With adventure at its heart, Deplar Farm is the perfect destination for those who want to experience the wilderness of Iceland but retreat back to complete luxury when they’re ready to unwind. With meals and most activities included in your stay, you don’t even have to ask for the cheque…

Where is it?

Located two hours drive from Akureyri, in Northern Iceland, this former 18th-century sheep farm sits in the Fjord Valley in the mountainous Troll Peninsula. Surrounded only by sloping snow-covered peaks and a lone neighbouring farm, its remoteness is one of its biggest draws.

Style

The lodge may be a luxury one but there’s no matchy-matchy colourways or ostentatious designs here. Instead, the house is a haven of (impeccably curated) cosiness. Slightly rustic, slightly quirky, the interiors - the work of the owner’s wife - are a blend of retro prints, subdued colours, mid-century furniture and sumptuous textiles.

Art is hung in every room, with extraordinary photographs of the surrounding landscape in the fire-lit library and an impressive collection of taxidermied native birds perched on the walls of the dining room. It feels lived-in and well-loved and with no formalities (you can walk around in your pyjamas if you so wish), it’s the perfect space to properly switch off.

Which room?

There are 13 individually furnished suites at Deplar Farm and each is an en-suite. The bedrooms all have queen to king-size beds with the Álfahóll suite offering two sets of bunk beds and room for a fifth twin-size bed if you want to take the children.

The Gunnar, where we stayed, is one of the smaller rooms in the property but feels like a home away from home. Complete with a wide-screen TV, a balcony to take in epic views of the east and a table and desk, it also had an impressive bathroom with a walk-in steam shower.

Each bathroom comes filled with Japanese quince candles and Aesop products and each room has an unlimited mini-bar filled with usual frills as well as homemade hummus, fresh-out-the-oven crackers and Icelandic praline chocolates.

Deplar Farm

Activities

If you’re an adrenaline junkie, you’ll certainly get your fix. From snowmobiling to cold-water swimming; Icelandic pony riding to ice-fishing, hiking and surfing - there are no shortage of ways to properly experience the landscape.

Upon arrival, you will be assigned one of the excellent guides for the duration of your trip and you can liaise with them how much or little you want to do - everything is optional. Most of the activities are included in the price with the exception of heli-skiing and whale watching.

Facilities

Deplar Farm hasn’t cut any corners when it comes to facilities. The spa alone boasts an indoor and outdoor pool (heated by geothermal springs and complete with a swim-up bar), an indoor and outdoor ‘Viking’ sauna, a plunge pool (for the brave), an open-air hot tub that can be privately booked, a steam room and flotation pods.

There’s also a gym and yoga studio that looks out across the mountains and CrossFit classes can be arranged. For those who like to be entertained, there’s a cinema room with gaming equipment; there’s a library filled with fishing and hunting books, novels and weighty coffee table books and, if you’re partial to a bit of music, you can even make your own by taking to the fully equipped stage.

Food and drink

The team will call you ahead of your stay to ask for any dietary requirements and the menu’s then tailored to your requirements. All meals and drinks (with the exception of some cripplingly expensive whiskeys and champagnes) are on the house while you’re there. If you want a whiskey sour or a spicy margarita - no problem. If you want three, four or five - that’s no problem either.

Meals start and end around the sprawling dinner table where all 26 house guests dine together. There’s a communal spirit at Deplar Farm, but don’t let that put you off. Sharing stories with other guests about the day’s adventures and their walk of life proves fun even for the shyest of us. There is, of course, the option to dine alone though for those who can’t be persuaded.

The menu is cooked by an Icelandic chef who is the owner of more than a few culinary gold medals and you’ll soon know why once you’ve tasted the food. Breakfast is an array of fresh smoothies, homebaked granolas, pancakes and spicy huevos rancheros.

Lunch and dinner both revolve around ingredients from the local area - meat is from the neighbouring farm and the likes of Arctic Chard and cod are all locally caught. Each supper is paired with wines from the farm’s expansive cellar and finished with a pudding-paired cocktail.

Deplar Farm

Best for

Families, couples, friends and solo travellers will all feel at home here.

What to pack

The team will send you a list of suggested packing items ahead of arrival. They do have a fully equipped gear room with onesies and hats and gloves to use but, being in an area that sees some of the heaviest snowfall in Iceland, it’s well advised to consider your packing carefully.

Take a good pair of snow boots, like the UGG Brine which can withstand -32 degree conditions, and waterproofs - NorthFace are excellent for extreme conditions. Thin layers that will provide extra warmth are also essential like Lulu Lemon’s advanced technical wear. Do also take workout gear and swimwear for the spa.

Details

Rates at Deplar Farm start from approx. £1,800 per room per night based on two people sharing (including pre-arrival planning and private concierge, full guide service offering custom adventure itineraries, all activities, in-house chef prepared meals, all house alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, airport transfer to/from Akureyri) (0208 102 9800 www.elevenexperience.com). Alice stayed as a guest of Deplar Farm.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in