Krauma

Bathe and eat at a hot spring

May contain traces of advertising.*

The Deildartunguhver hot water spring is located in Reykholtsdalur in western Iceland, almost 100 km north of Reykjavík, about 1.5 hours' drive from the Icelandic capital. Deildartunguhver is the richest hot water spring in Europe - around 180 liters of boiling hot water bubble out of the earth every second. So you could fill around 72 bathtubs with the boiling water per minute.

The water is used to supply hot water to Borgarnes and Akranes as well as the farms in this area. The surrounding greenhouses in the region are also powered by water from Deildartunguhver.

The tomatoes that grow in the greenhouses here can also be bought directly here at the cart. (The picture here was taken in autumn 2016, work on the swimming pool is already in full swing in the background.)

In November 2017, the Geothermal Bath & Spa and restaurant “Krauma” were opened here, right next to the hot water spring. "Krauma" means "simmering" in English - and here it really is simmering, not only in the hot water in the spring and in the pools, but also in the pans and pots in the restaurant kitchen.

When you stand in front of the thermal bath, the view of the steaming spring and the local greenhouses is beautiful.

The swimming pool is newly built, very stylish and beautifully designed. The round pools are made of shiny black stone. The building, also black with large glass fronts and a grass roof, blends very harmoniously into the landscape. My husband received a very warm and friendly welcome here - he had used the day to hike up Esja, Reykjavík's "local mountain", so such an exclusive bath is of course all the more tempting! (Unfortunately, I had to go back to Germany beforehand, so my husband was alone in Krauma - and I missed it.)

The bathing area consists of five pools with hot water at different temperatures. In the hottest pool the water is 107 to 109 °F (42-43 °C) - that's actually pretty good, you can't stand that for long. The coldest hot water pool is 99 to 102 °F (37-39 °C). There is also a small cold water pool at around 45 °F (7 °C) for cooling down.

The view from the swimming pool directly over the valley and the spring is beautiful.

In the swimming pool there is also a heated relaxation room (also with a beautiful view) and two steam saunas.

After swimming, we went from the swimming pool to the restaurant, deeply relaxed.

The special feature of this restaurant is that they attach great importance to truly regional products from the immediate area. The tomatoes here come from the greenhouses at the hot water spring itself, the other vegetables come from farmers on the surrounding farms. The salmon served here comes from the town of Borgarnes, around 35 km away. So everything was really produced on site.

As a starter, my husband had the house specialty, the " Súpa Krauma " - " Tómat- og paprikusalsa og steinseljuolía " - the house soup with tomatoes, peppers and parsley oil. The soup was extremely good and also pleasantly spicy. There was also fresh bread and butter.

For the main course, on the recommendation of the house, my husband chose " pönnusteiktur lax með grænkáli, tómatum og lauk ", i.e. fried salmon with kale, tomatoes and onions. However, we had just run out of kale, so fresh broccoli was added. Definitely very tasty too!

The good meal with the view of the Deildartunguhver hot water spring was a very stylish experience.

At a glance:

Entry to the thermal baths currently (as of June 2018) costs 3,800 ISK (around €30) for adults and half the price for teenagers (13 to 16 years old). Children under 13 can visit the pool free of charge.

In the attached restaurant, the selection at lunchtime ranges from a small Krauma soup for 1,600 ISK (approx. 12.80 €) to a salad, hamburger and steak sandwich, to grilled lamb for 3,800 ISK (approx. 30 €). In the evening, a starter costs an average of 2,460 ISK (just under €20), a main course costs an average of 3,200 ISK (just under €26). The dessert menu includes carrot cake, strawberries with basil and fruit salad, all interestingly refined and served with ice cream or sorbet. The lunch portion costs 1,490 ISK (approx. €12) each, and in the evening it costs 1,600 ISK (approx. €12). 80 €).

Krauma is not yet that well known and it was relatively empty there. But it's only the first season. So you could still call it an exclusive insider tip. But I'm sure that will change soon. It's so obvious to combine a trip to Reykholt and the Hraunfossar with a swim and a good meal in such a fascinating area.

* Legal notice:

Technically speaking, this is advertising because we were invited to dinner. But we only went to restaurants and bars that we had previously heard good things about and that we found exciting - for a variety of reasons. In that respect, we were honestly thrilled and when we burst into praise, we really mean it.



[Translated from here.]