Hotel Rangá

Hotel Ranga is truly a one-of-a-kind place. From the moment we arrived, we felt genuinely welcomed — the owner personally greeted guests, there were welcome drinks, handwritten greeting cards, and even a direct phone line in the room to listen to Icelandic poetry! The hotel’s cozy, characterful design is full of thoughtful details that create a warm and memorable atmosphere. The staff were exceptional — always polite, helpful, and attentive, including the housekeeping team. Our bed was incredibly comfortable, with a variety of pillow types to choose from, and we were pleasantly surprised with a complimentary room upgrade. Having a private entrance directly to the outside turned out to be a very practical feature during our stay. The location was exactly what we hoped for: remote, peaceful, and surrounded by beautiful open landscapes — yet still well-placed for day trips, being about an hour from both Vík and iconic spots like Geysir, the volcanic crater, and one of Iceland’s major waterfalls. A quiet river runs near the property, and we often spotted swans drifting nearby — a lovely bonus. Breakfast deserves a special mention. The selection was impressive, but more importantly, every item was of excellent quality and clearly chosen with care. It’s rare to find a place where so much thought is put into every detail — from design to service to dining. We would absolutely return and can wholeheartedly recommend Ranga to anyone seeking a peaceful, atmospheric stay with outstanding service.

This property’s location is amazing, right in the golden circle and perfect to visit all the major sites. The hot tubs outside are a special touch and the food was great (definitely recommend the salmon). Pool table and games room was fun. Unfortunately the observatory wasn’t open as were there during a snow storm.

The rooms were spacious and comfortable. The onsite restaurant served excellent food. I appreciated that the breakfast was generous and was included in the cost of the stay. The drinks and cocktails were well crafted. Above all, the stay was made memorable by the staff (Gabriella, Aleksandra, and the lovely Icelandic lady with the gray Lopapeysa sweater), all of whom were attentive and welcoming. It was especially nice to make the acquaintance of Fredirik (the owner), an interesting and pleasant man whom one might find seating guests. Fredirik takes pride in his hotel and makes one feel at home.

We loved everything about Hotel Rangá. The staff were all lovely and super helpful. The room was really comfortable with a lovely jacuzzi bath in the en-suite. We were lucky to have a north facing room so got a really good view of the Northern Lights. There is an aurora wake up service but we were already up mesmerised by the show outside. The observatory was open on the night we stayed too which was really interesting. We did not eat in the restaurant in the evening but breakfast the next day was one of the best we’ve had in Iceland. So much choice with hot and cold options. We will definitely return in the future.

We chose Hotel Rangá for our short break over Christmas, partly in the hope that we would see the Northern Lights. We didn't (!) but we still loved our stay. The staff were excellent - very friendly, helpful and knowledgable (provided very good advice about which roads were passable etc). The food was excellent with a good choice of dishes. The location was ideal with lots of the key sites within relatively easy reach. Another hi-light for us were the hot tubs which we sat in to watch the very slow sunsets over the beautiful river view.