The soothing waters of the geothermal lagoon is reason to visit, but this hotel's tranquil ambiance is why you'll want to stay.

Very few places can rouse such deep and lasting awe for both the grand and intimate, the dramatic and placid, than the “Land of Fire and Ice”. A land redolent of another planet, Iceland?s pockmarked landscape chronicles an epic, ongoing struggle between fire, water, and earth ? steamy exhales from the deepest depths of the earth surfacing at every corner, sinews of lava intermittently spilling forth, and ragged volcanic rocks permitting only the most vigorous of life to thrive. Iceland?s violent contrasts along its most mythological and primordial south western Reykjanes Peninsula make for a unique backdrop for the nation?s only 5-star resort, The Retreat at Blue Lagoon Iceland, a serene oasis hidden in plain sight within Iceland’s most popular destination. The winding roadway toward the property’s front door follows the contours of the surrounding 800-year-old lava flow, only revealing the reservedly welcoming doorsteps of architecture seemingly floating across the terrain, a welcome punctuated by its own miniature steam vent.
Silence isn’t merely golden, it’s a relaxing luxury served daily at The Retreat at Blue Lagoon, heightening the sensation of being enveloped by the stark surrounding landscape. \ Photo: Gregory Han
The first thing you may notice upon entering The Retreat at Blue Lagoon, after the...