Lighthouse keeper for a night in Dyrhólaey, Iceland

Do you love Light houses, can you imagine playing lighthouse keeper for a night or two in Iceland with amazing views of the Dyrhólaey.  That is what we did after a fun day of hiking on glaciers and a zipping through the a glacier lagoon in Iceland. After all the adventures for the day, we were anxious to get to our accommodation for the night.  We stopped at Vik and picked up our dinner of pizza at Strondin Bistro and Bar. The view of the Reynisdrangar from the restaurant was amazing but we knew our view of the Black sand beach and the trolls of Reynisdrangar from the lighthouse in Dyrhólaey was going to be equally, if not more amazing. So we picked up our Reynisdrangar and Mýrdalssandur pizzas and drove the 15 minutes toward the Dyrhólaey.

Dyrhólaey is a 120m high promontory and its name means “the door hole island”. The promontory got its name from the massive stone arch that the sea has eroded from the headland. While in the past farmers often went fishing around Dyrhólaey, today they have developed a nesting site for eider ducks for the gathering of down. But also loads of other birds find a home here. Therefore all the cliffs, rocks, etc. are protected area and Dyrhólaey has been a natural reserve since 1978. From on top of the hill you get the best view of the massive stone arch. When the sea is calm, boats can sail through it and once upon a time a stunt pilot is said to have flown through it as well. It was foggy while we were there but the view were still breathtaking!

Looking north you can see the whole western coastline – on a clear day as far as to the Vestmannaeyar. To the east the big glacier Mýrdalsjökull, where we went snowmobiling the previous day is visible. It reaches a height of almost 1450 m. And north east you can also spot the mountains and glacier Eyjafallajökull.

Amazing views from the top of the light house from the panoramic viewing balcony.

We were at The Icelandair Hotel in Vik the previous night and had made arrangements for the staff to meet us at the lighthouse and give us a tour. The lighthouse in the Vik area of Iceland has been transformed into a boutique hotel perfect for a family stay, it can accommodate up to 5 people. The light station at Dyrhólaey was established in 1910. The first lighthouse was a skeletal steel tower prefabricated in Sweden, and the present lighthouse was built in 1927.  The light is still is one of the guiding lights on the South coast and is controlled from Reykjavík. We got to see the light up close as well. We learnt that top Icelandic interior designer Gudbjorg Magnusdottir has transformed the castle-shaped lighthouse into a boutique, and what a marvelous job he had done.

Downstairs there is a bathroom, compact kitchen, a dining area and a comfortable sitting room and some cute slipper to keep you cozy.

Upstairs are the bedrooms – 1 double, 1 twin and 1 single room on 3 floors.

You are only 15 minutes from the town of Vik but feels like you are in a world of your own.  But in case of emergencies, the Hotel provides a cell phone with direct connection to the staff at Icelandair Hotel, so you can sleep in peace that should you need any help there was someone there.

A nice living area to watch movies, play some board games or work on those social media updates

…or catch up on some stories of Elves and the hidden people of Iceland

We woke up next morning, had the whole place to ourselves while we enjoyed our coffee.1

We saw some puffins around the cliff but didn’t take good pictures of them, so here is one to show how cute those puffins are

We enjoyed our coffee and the view

The fridge was stocked with a wonderful breakfast spread – everything from smoked salmon, cheese, milk, eggs, the famous skyr and some Icelandic donuts we have come to love.

 

With magnificent volcanoes and glaciers glaring at you from a distance, a stay at Dyrhólaey Lighthouse is truly a once in a lifetime experience, so go ahead and book that trip to Iceland and make you booking to the Lighthouse through Icelandair Hotel Vik. Nowhere in Iceland you can stay at a lighthouse, so this is the most exclusive accommodation on the entire island, and it is offered for a very short time – only from August 10 to October 31. We were offered media rates for our stay but as always, the opinions and images are our own.

Update: As of August 2017, the lighthouse at Dyrhólaey in not available for booking.