Family Friendly Farm Stays: Northeast (2023)

  Brúnalaug is a cosy three bedroom holiday cottage on a family farm near Iceland’s second city, Akureyri and the Eyjafjörður Fjord in its remote north. The accommodation is comfortable and clean, the location very scenic and central to many of northern Iceland’s most lovely natural landscapes. THE ACCOMMODATION: The modern cottage comes with a nice lounge, a fully equipped kitchen, two bathrooms, one double/twin room, one with a bunk bed and one single room plus the sofa in the living room can also be pulled out to sleep two more if needed, and cots can be provided for children. The comfortable lounge has a WiFi and a TV & DVD player while outside there is a large porch area with a barbecue and, best of all, a hot tub from where to enjoy some of the lovely scenery that surrounds. The farmer’s house is nearby and you’ll find them very friendly but completely non-intrusive. They grow a large range of fruit, vegetables, herbs etc. at the farm greenhouse though and so you can buy supplies of fresh produce to cook with should you need. Otherwise there are supermarkets in Akureyri, just 13km away, plus plenty of nice cafes, bars and restaurants. THE LOCATION: The nearest town is Akureyri, Iceland’s second city which, with a population of just 18,000, is a lot more sedate than Reykjavik. It also sees a lot less tourists and is therefore, for many visitors, a much more authentic place to be. The region is generally called Eyjafjaroarsveit, or Eyjafjörður Country, after the large fjord of the same name and is a wonderful place for all sorts of outdoor activities; hiking, horse riding, skiing, golf, bird watching etc. Make sure to do some whale watching at Húsavík and admire the spectacular waterfall at Goðafoss too. You can ask the friendly farm owners at Brúnalaug for more advice and recommendations, they’ll have plenty, and they can also help organize tours and excursions. WHAT OTHER GUESTS SAY: “We stayed for 2 nights and had wonderful time in this warm and cosy house. Anna was so nice and told us many stories about Iceland, it’s culture, nature and people. READ MORE

This warm, welcoming and very highly rated farm stay is located in the serene Reykjadalur valley of Northern Iceland, roughly between the town of Akureyri and the famous lake of Mývatn. THE ACCOMMODATION: It has four B&B double/twin rooms, at the geo-thermally heated farmhouse, all of which are comfortable and clean, and come with private bathroom and WiFi throughout. The farmhouse is surrounded by acres of land that contains cows, sheep and hens. They have some horses too and outside of winter horse riding lessons and horse riding trips around the area can be arranged. THE LOCATION: Though in a lovely isolated setting you are still only a few miles from the local village; Laugar where you can find a restaurant, a supermarket, a bank and a post office. Laugar also has its own outdoor geo-thermally heated swimming pool as well as hot tubs. The area around the farm stay is classically beautiful northern Icelandic territory, and great for long hikes into the hills or, as mentioned before horse riding. Nearby you’ll be impressed by Mývatn lake and nature baths, a well known tourist attraction in the area, about 40 mins drive away, as well as Goðafoss waterfall, closer even; about 15 minutes away. The entire region though is spectacular and awe inspiring in a way in which very few other places in Europe can compete. The nearest major town is Akureyri, Iceland’s second biggest urban area, about 40 minutes to the north west of the farm stay, at the bottom of Iceland’s biggest fjord Eyjafjörður.  You can take a 45 minute flight to Akureyri from Reykjavík, and travel on from there, or you can drive the spectacular northern ring road which would land you at Öndólfsstaðir Farm B&B in about 5 hours. WHAT OTHER GUESTS SAY: “This was by far the best place we stayed while visiting Iceland. Very clean and comfortable, the absolute best food served to us anywhere and our take away lunch was so good. I highly recommend a stay at this B&B….” “Facilities were super good, very comfortable, kind of new and super clean. Excellent breakfast, best breakfast I had while in Iceland. Location is amazing, READ MORE