One hundred forty years ago, in
A Journey to the Center of the Earth, Jules Verne depicted the Snaefellsjökull volcano as the gateway to the belly of the world. Today, it stands as a dormant, ice-capped, exquisite backdrop to Hotel Budir, Iceland's newest boutique hotel. Built on the site of an old hippy commune which morphed into a quirky hotel in the '80s and burned down in 2001, the hotel's revamped interior melds sleek Scandinavian design with floral wallpaper, doilies and other eclectic granny favorites to create a place where you can pad around in your socks yet still feel stylish. Cloudlike beds, deep baths and inspiring views are standard in each room, but my favorite is 23: a clawfoot bathtub lies just an arm's stretch from the bed, perfectly positioned for Snaefells to rise up from behind your wet toes. In the restaurant, 22-year-old chef Andri Johannsson cooks with a Michelin flair. Lobster bisque infused with calvados, honey-roasted catfish, and lamb that quite literally melts in your mouth are served with organic vegetables grown in the hotel garden and wild herbs picked in local lava fields. On weekends, Reyjkavik's hip set descend to drink in the views and taste the excellent minty gin-and-tonic sorbets—a palate-cleansing aperitif, and a nod to the British who occupied Iceland in 1940. That's not to say you should stay indoors. Local company Snjófell (tel: [354] 435 6783) offers adrenaline-fueled snowmobile trips to Snaefells' 1,463-m summit—but no through passage to Stromboli, the volcanic Aeolian island where Verne's adventurers emerge upon their return to the earth's surface. From Oct.-April the hotel is open on weekends only. Rooms from $217/night. tel: (354) 435 6700;
www.budir.is
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