This Hotel in Iceland Has a Genius Way to Ensure You See the Northern Lights

Rooms at Hotel Rangá

Photo: Hotel Ranga/Paige Deas

Hotel Rangá has just over 50 rooms, ranging from Standard rooms to Master Suites. Of note are the Junior Suites, which have some of the most impressive theming of any hotel I’ve seen, with one suite themed after each continent. Hotel Rangá’s owner worked with buyers and travelers from around the world to source materials and furnishings for each room from that specific continent. The South America Suite has lamps sourced from Uruguay and a ceiling designed to look like Andean peaks; the Australian Suite has a bathroom designed to look like a beach hut and inlays of stained-glass kangaroos. You may have seen the Africa Suite on Instagram before, as Kim Kardashian stayed there while filming an episode of “Keeping Up with the Kardashians” in 2016.

I stayed in a Deluxe Room (one of the simpler rooms), which was as pretty as could be. Every room in the hotel has a custom painting on the wall above the bed, done by local artists to depict cultural and beloved aspects of the country. My room also had a big bathtub and small sitting area with a couch.

A Deluxe room. Photo: Suzie Dundas

But the very best part of the room was the door opening to a patio area and stunning views of Iceland’s mountains. Also right outside the patios were three wooden, oversized hot tubs, meaning I could go from my warm, cozy room to an outdoor hot tub overlooking some of the most stunning landscapes in the world in about three seconds.

I found nothing at all bad to say about the rooms — other than the fact that the blackout curtains did a great job. So getting up early in the morning was a little tough, especially when it was still dark outside. But that’s more of a credit to how cozy the beds were than it is a ding on the rooms.

Dining at Hotel Rangá

Photo: Suzie Dundas

Hotel Rangá is pretty remote, so you’ll probably do most of your meals at the hotel. It has one big dining room with glass walls, plus a bar with drink service on the main or top floor lounge. Breakfast is included in all stays and includes a large buffet or a la carte ordering. For the rest of the meals, you can order a la carte, or opt for a half-board package during booking, which includes breakfast and dinner. Since most people are away from the hotel during the day, you probably won’t eat lunch there, but you can get boxed lunches to go.

Beyond the fact that the Rangá Restaurant is downright delicious — the current owner has put a huge focus on culinary offerings and technique — it’s also unique. The main menu focuses on traditional and modern versions of Icelandic cuisine, but it also has a “Wild Game Menu” that’s about as classically Icelandic as it gets. Adventurous eaters can try dishes that aren’t considered adventurous at all to old-school Icelanders, including puffin cooked in lava beer and reindeer steaks. Everything on the menu is locally sourced when possible.

Photo: Suzie Dundas

But the most fun part about Hotel Rangá (other than being one of the best northern lights hotels in Iceland) is the hotel’s fascinating Viking cave dinner. The small group dinner includes a Viking-themed dining experience inside the nearby Caves of Hella, an underground cave complex about which very little is known. Dinners include a tour of the caves, traditional Icelandic accordion music (played by the hotel’s own very talented guest relations manager), beer and wine, and a multi-course meal served inside the cave. Expect to drink out of wooden goblets and taste traditional dished like skyr while sitting at a beautiful candle-lit table. And don’t worry if you get cold — Hotel Rangá loans out traditional wool sweaters. so guests stay toasty in the cave.

Why Rangá is the best northern lights hotel in Iceland

Photo: Hotel Ranga/Laurent Lacroix

If you’re in southern Iceland, you’re probably there because of the region’s beauty. From the dramatic, stark landscapes near the Sólheimajökull Glacier to the many enormous waterfalls along the coastline, there’s no shortage of sights to photograph. But at night, it’s just as pretty when you look up.

Hotel Rangá sits far from most other businesses, giving it extremely dark skies. But an average person can’t stay awake all night, every night, which is where the hotel’s beloved “Northern Lights Wake-Up Call” comes in.

The process is as simple: Just push a button on your room phone, and you’ll get an automated phone in the middle of the night when the northern lights are active. The hotel has insulated snow suits for guests to stay warm, as well as hot chocolate in the lobby you can take with you while watching the colorful show. There’s no guarantee that you’ll see the lights while you’re there, but the wake-up call means you can catch up on sleep while someone else keeps an eye on the skies. It even has tripods you can borrow if you want to try out your photography skills. Despite being there during a cloudy week with a less-than-promising aurora forecast, I was lucky enough to see them on four out of the five nights I stayed.

Hotel Rangá has a foolproof method to make sure it retains its reputation as one of the best northern lights hotels in Iceland. One evening, I asked the front desk attendant how they know when to activate the wake-up call, and he gave me a simple answer. “It’s very high-tech,” he said. “I go outside once in a while and look up.”

 

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Hotel Rangá is also home to the only public observatory in Iceland, so you don’t need to be a guest to use it. But one reason it’s so beloved as one of the best northern lights hotels in Iceland is that guests have access to it every evening. The observatory has super high-end telescopes, and a local astronomer is on site during clear nights between September and April to assist in staring at the stars. Because it’s an open-air observatory, it’s only open on clear nights. Hotel staff usually decide by around 5 PM if it’ll be a good night for stargazing.

(If you’re not a guest, you’ll need to call in advance to let them know you’re coming).

Room costs at Hotel Rangá

Photo: Hotel Ranga/Asa Steinarsdottir

Iceland is generally an expensive country to visit, and if you’re hoping to stay at a northern lights hotel in Iceland, you’re going to pay more for the privilege of being removed from a city. Rates at Hotel Rangá are roughly in line with other comparable hotels, though there aren’t that many in the area. Standard rooms start at 394 euros a night, or around $425. The themed Junior Suites at 906 euros, or about $977. Breakfast is included, but additional meals, activities, or any other add-ons are extra.

If you really want to go wild and embrace the idea of a northern lights hotel in Iceland, there’s a new “Ultimate Star Bath” package available starting in October 2024. The the four-night package is all about stargazing, with included amenities like a private riverside stargazing session, a personalized star map, and a bottle of champagne to stay cozy while stargazing outdoors, among other inclusions. But it’s a bit pricier than a standard room, starting at 2,351 euros, or about $2,537, per room.