Secret Hideaway

I finally decided to go to Hótel Búðir on the Snæfellsnes Peninsula and it started to rain. It was raining when I left Reykjavík and as I drove towards Snæfellsnes the clouds grew thicker and the rain only got heavier. I wasn't sure about this trip and arrived at Búðir with mixed feelings. The girls were already there: Silja Magg our photographer and Agnieszka the stylist. Hótel Búðir is located in the most mystical sites in all of Iceland, right under the Snæfellsjökull glacier, believed to be one of the power centres of the world and frequented by New Age followers and spiritually inclined people.

Búðir is a place with immense history and charm. Founded in 1947, the hotel was rebuilt after a fire in 2001 and reopened in summer of 2003. The hotel has been through its ups and downs. Recently it has been gaining back its reputation as a first-class hotel serving gourmet food made from the best ingredients available in Iceland. Many claim modern Icelandic cuisine was born in the kitchen of Hotel Búðir in the early eighties. In 2004 Hótel Búðir made the Condé Nast Traveller Hot List. Guests are unanimous in their praises about the hotel and it is frequented by regulars. We've heard about the astonishing nature and energy from the glacier, the peace and quiet, the beaches and wildlife, the pampering from hotel staff and excellent food that makes the stay a wonderful experience. But we decided to find out for ourselves what the real charm is. We three city-girls had no idea what we were about to encounter and as the events of the night unfolded we realized there is a great deal more to this place then meets the eye. Here is the story.

Leave Your Room Open

I am greeted in the lobby with a huge smile from Bryndís Eva Sigurðardóttir and as she takes me to my room she makes me feel right at home right away. The room is very nice and Bryndís tells me I won't need the key. "It's a safe environment, we tell our guests that there is no need to lock the rooms." Everything about the hotel is comfortable and every detail well thought out. Old photographs related to the place decorate the walls and old furniture enhances the lounge areas. A library of old National Geographic magazines adds a little touch. There is great deal of old soul brought into the new building. The view from the windows is, in a word, spectacular. The soothing water meets the lava and moss. And not too far away are the beach and the ocean. Búðir throws you right away. The minute you arrive you are asked to relax and leave all your worries at the door. It's a different world. You get the feeling at once that different rules apply, such as not worrying about locking your door. For someone who has only lived in cities not locking the door seems absurd while at Hótel Búðir it's absurd to lock it. It's also a sign of a very warm welcome into a place where all the guests reside in harmony with each other. I am still sceptical so I ask the girls: Why would I leave it open? Agnieszka is quick to answer: "Sure, if you want someone in your room in the middle of the night, leave the door open." Simple as that. Although I don't think that was the idea, I leave it open. The girls are shooting pictures as I look around and Bryndís, smiling, gives me keys to explore other rooms.

Catch of the Day

We are relaxing in the living room area when the hotel manager comes in excitedly looking for someone to take pictures because he and his friend had just each caught salmon at the same moment. Of course Silja takes her camera outside to shoot the proud men and their fish. Outside it is still raining and we are happy to go back inside to the warm comfort of the hotel. The manager Úlfar Þórðarson sits down at the bar to tell me stories from the hotel. He is a quiet, soft-spoken man with a relaxed aura, which transcribes into the atmosphere of the place. It is the perfect place to unwind and relax and the people who work there will help you settle into the right mood. It's a designated comfort zone.

Úlfar is from Reykjavík and has been at Hótel Búðir for three years. "It's a privilege to be here. There are not many places on earth where you can find nature like this. Sometimes I miss not being a guest," he says with a humble smile. Hótel Búðir carries a high standard and with Condé Naste putting it on its Hot List there is a luxurious element to it. "I never want to label it luxury. It's a fine country hotel. We try to keep the old soul alive. Although it's a first-class hotel, it's very relaxed," Úlfar corrects me.

The hotel is known to have accommodated many celebrities, both local and foreign, but Úlfar pretends he knows nothing of it when he gives his indifferent answer, "I'm sure, I just don't think about it. They are welcome and we treat everybody the same. All kinds of people wander in here. But seriously, I don't care who you are. What makes me the most happy is when people arrive again and again." Nevertheless, it's a very convenient place for people who want to be left alone and relax. He continues, "If you have been here once you always want to come back. I came here first with my grandparents when I was ten years old, and from that moment it has always had a certain pull on me. I've always seen this place with great romance and mystique. When I got the phone call one day, if I was interested in running this place, I dropped everything, got in my car and drove straight to here."

His fishing buddy, Siggi Skúli, arrives at the bar. Úlfar introduces him; he was once also the hotel manager. They are excited about catching the salmon at the same moment and tell me the story again in detail. "It never happens," Úlfar adds. Apparently, it's a secret where they caught the salmon. "It won't be revealed, we like to keep this river all to ourselves," says Úlfar. "Let's just say it's the best kept secret in Staðarsveit," Siggi Skúli adds. I'm not sure if I should believe them or if they just got the fish from the local fish parlour. If there is a local fish parlour.

In the Old Days

When asked about the history of the place Úlfar points to Siggi Skúli as the storyteller. He is from Snæfellsnes himself and knows many stories from being out in the country. Unfortunately, most of his stories are not fit for print as he sips his whiskey. The hotel was founded by local people, the infamous Lóa at Búðir ran the place with her husband from the fifties to the seventies. Then the "hippies" arrived, Siggi Skúli explains. The chef Rúnar Marvins is famous for establishing the Búðir kitchen, which is now often referred to as the Mecca of Icelandic cuisine. "They were hippies in a good way. The romanticism surrounding the place, still apparent today, has always been there. It blossomed when they were here."

The kitchen at Búðir is famous all over Iceland and it was Rúnar who began the experimentation that has been upheld at Búðir ever since. "Of course, Pétur Þórðarson who runs the kitchen now, is a genius," Úlfar says with a serious tone. "In fact, it's fair to say that all the chefs here are geniuses - and then we also fish ourselves," Úlfar laughs, referring to his salmon being cooked in the kitchen as we speak. And so the master chef Pétur enters from the kitchen to ask the men if they are ready to eat, he doesn't want to linger on the cooking any longer. He's very cool, calm and collected. Without even a hint of a smile he says to me, "Don't believe a word they say, and don't write any of it down." Immediately, I can tell he's a no-bullshit kind of guy. Siggi Skúli is in the middle of a story about Snæfellsnes. "I once knew a guide who would take tourists around Iceland, he said the only place he had to take them was Snæfellsnes, the rest was just driving around," he says, obviously proud of his origins.

The Magnetism of the Area

The nature is so magnificent all around Búðir. Úlfar believes the glacier is the biggest attraction. The landscape appears different depending on the light and the weather is always changing. "Even if it's raining here, there could be sunshine on the other side of the glacier," Úlfar explains. There are amazing walking paths all around the hotel, just outside is the Golden Beach. A white sand beach, not very common in Iceland. And then there are black sand beaches and magnificent rock beaches." The walking path between Búðir and Arnarstapi is about a five-hour walk with white and black beaches, lava, rocks and rivers. This is something really spectacular as the two men describe with great enthusiasm. "And while you're walking seals will come up to you and smell you. The nature is so wild around here. The eagle might also say hello," Úlfar says with a smile and adds, "You experience very strange things here." "It's the top of the world," says Siggi Skúli. "Journey through the centre of the earth," continues Úlfar, referring to the Jules Verne novel.

"There is something about the environment. Often when people live in the same place for long, they get used to the environment and stop being inspired by it, here I wake up every morning and am still amazed. I keep waiting for the morning when I wake up and find this normal," says Úlfar. "I'm not superstitious, I don't believe in elves and ghosts but there is something magical about this place and the energy is really powerful. If you have been here once, you can't forget about this place and you will be drawn to it," Úlfar says as Pétur comes out of the kitchen again to lead us to the dinner table.

Roses in the Fridge

When the appetizers arrive, we see beautiful plates. The decoration is perfect and we just look without touching. "It's not food, it's a piece of art," Agnieszka shrieks. Pétur, known to be an astronomically good chef, comes out of the kitchen to tell us what it is. Still cool, calm and collected. Words like "lobster with garlic butter, lobster marinated in soy and grapefruit, duck confit, chicken pâté, red wine sorbet, marinated trout with salmon roe" jump out of his mouth. "Tomato tartare with lime and roses..." "Can we eat the roses?" we ask. "Yes, of course." We ask him about the inspiration, where he comes up with the ideas. "I have roses in my fridge," is his simple reply. We tell him the food looks absolutely beautiful, "It's also good, trust me," he says. When it comes to describing the food and sources of inspiration, Pétur is not a man of many words. The food speaks for itself.

The menu at Búðir changes regularly "depending on our moods," Pétur laughs. "The concept of the kitchen is rather blurry, it's more all over the place. We keep experimenting and trying new things. Sometimes I read books and look through the Internet and then try to mix something together. When we discover something new we add it to the menu." They emphasize the traditionally Icelandic fresh fish and lamb. "The fish we get from local fishermen and the fish market in Ólafsvík. Then we use herbs from the lava and beach. We use a type of salad from the beach, and sheep sorrel, dandelion and other herbs from the lava. Thyme, for example, grows wild all around here, we pick it ourselves," Pétur explains.

The food looks and of course tastes amazing. It's not just Agnieszka gushing, the food really is a piece of art. When the main course arrives, the young chef Andri jumps out with a smile. He's a charming blond boy and keeps saying, "It's very simple, like most of the things we do," as he explains the complicated cooking of the monkfish, cod and lamb. It doesn't look simple at all and tastes exquisite. These are natural-born chefs.

Birthday Boy!

By the time we finish our dinner, Úlfar comes running out of the kitchen and asks Silja to bring the camera. It turns out it is Andri's 24th birthday today and the staff has cracked open bottles of champagne. The little room inside of the kitchen is crowded with people and the birthday boy is decorated in roses. It's a party. The staff get the crazy idea to go up to a cave nearby, Rauðfelldargjá. It's still raining and the clouds are dark. They ask us three city-girls if we want to join them on this adventure. We have no idea what we are in for but of course we are up for it, and borrow shoes and jackets. The only sign of warning is when Bryndís says, "I hope you don't have too much make-up on, you will get a little wet," and then she smiles. Minutes later people load up into jeeps and we drive up to the cave listening to cheesy Icelandic country songs on the way and giggle a whole lot. We are having a blast. This is so much out in the country.

Waterfall Mambo Jambo

We get to the mountain and walk up to the cave. Suddenly we're on Survivor, inside the cave a waterfall is coming down full blast. It is the middle of the night, the fog and the rain make it dark even if the nights are still supposed to be bright at this time of year. They had told us that there was a waterfall involved but that we would actually climb up the waterfall inside the cave we had not realized. When we get to the first challenge, we look at each other, not sure we can do it. We're already soaking wet. There is a rope to climb. The chefs who so delicately prepared our food before are now positioned on top of the waterfall ready to grab our arms and pull us up as we climb the rope. I wonder how the hell we are supposed to make it back down. Pétur is quick to reassure us, "Don't think about that now, just go on up." We know we are in safe hands so off we go. This could only be happening in Iceland.

There is one more challenge before we get to the top and again the men push us up. This is absolutely crazy. When we get to the top everybody gathers inside the little cave. We sing Andri's birthday song again. He is happy. All the staff of Búðir is having a great time. I look up and through a small crack in the cave I can see the blue sky, despite the rain. Unbelievable. We tread back, the boys somehow bring us down the waterfalls. Back down, we city-girls are still amazed at this adventure and can't believe we made it in one piece. We did something really incredible. Bryndís assures me, "We only do things like this two or three times a year." I was thinking more like two or three times in a lifetime.

When we wake up the next morning it is still pouring rain and foggy. At Hótel Búðir, rain or shine, it doesn't matter, this has already been a trip of a lifetime. Aside from the magnificent nature, the magic pull of the glacier and all the mystic elements surrounding the place, the real charm of Hótel Búðir, ultimately, is the people. The people who run this place, from the smiling reception clerk, to the gourmet chefs, attentive waiters, manager and to the people who keep it squeaky clean and take care of every detail. The people who, for one night, welcomed us into their world and invited us to share this adventure and celebrate Andri's birthday. We are eternally thankful. We don't know when we will climb a rocky waterfall inside a cave again but we will certainly always remember the first time. Again, Happy Birthday, Andri. We'll be there next year.

- Hanna Björk Valsdóttir. Photo by Silja Magg.