Accommodation
The rooms are in cleverly converted shipping containers and are very neat, both inside and out. There are four single rooms that share a bathroom, and two double / twin en-suite rooms. There’s room for an extra bed in two of the single rooms. All rooms have a TV and a kettle, as well as Wi-Fi. Guests have access to a hot tub, a sitting room and a dining room.
Also a cottage, 500 m from the guesthouse. The cottage is 60m2 with 3 bedrooms (some with bunk beds), accommodating up to 6 people. Kitchen, TV, free Wi-Fi and BBQ facilities on the veranda. Guests can pick up the key at the guesthouse.
Board
Breakfast available from 1 June - 30 September. Groups can book dinner if pre-ordered in good advance. The nearest restaurants and diners are in town Borgarnes (17 km / 10.5 mi). Instead, guests have access to a kitchen during that period.
Service and recreation
The hosts at Staðarhús run a horse farm where the Icelandic horse is in the forefront. You can book riding lessons and daily guided riding tours that range from 30 minutes to two hours. The farmers work closely with the company America2Iceland. There is a number of good hiking routes where you can get to know the bush, cliffs and hills that surround Staðarhús.
In Borgarnes, you can visit interesting museums like the Settlement Centre, or relax in a lovely geothermal pool. There’s also an 18-hole golf course, Hamarsvöllur, just outside town borders (12 km / 7.5 mi). Borgarnes is the nearest town where you can find shops and supermarkets, diners, restaurants and various tourist services (17 km / 10.5 mi).
Norðurárdalur, salmon rivers, waterfall Glanni, Grábrók
Staðarhús is only 2 km off the main Ring Road (highway no 1) in beautiful surroundings where the surrounding bush is the defining feature of the rounded hills and sharp cliffs. The Ring Road passes through the region onwards to North Iceland, along the beautiful valley Norðurárdalur. The valley, shaped by volcanic activity a very long time ago, is also the home of Bifröst University (20 km / 12.5 mi). One of Iceland’s more famous salmon rivers, Norðurá, tumbles along the valley floor and waterfall Glanni, close to Bifröst, is a sight to see, not least if you spot salmon jumping up on their way inland. There are many lovely hiking routes here, such as along the banks of Lake Hreðavatn or up spatter cone Grábrók (170 m / 557 ft.), just by the Ring Road.
Hraunfossar, Húsafell, glacier tours, voluminous hot spring
The inner counties of the region are just as interesting for visitors. You could go see the waterfall Hraunfossar (45 km / 28 mi), where the crystal-clear spring water flows from underneath the lava fields in multiple glistening streams. A little further along the road (51 km from Staðarhús / 32 mi) is Húsafell, which is a popular campsite and recreational area where the rough highlands are just a stone’s throw away. As ever, there are many tempting hiking routes here, and various organised tours also depart from Húsafell, such as glacier tours and caving tours. 30 km (19 mi) from Húsafell is Deildartunguhver, Iceland’s most voluminous geothermal hot spring (26 km from Staðarhús / 16 mi).
History and mythology – Snæfellsnes Peninsula
The exhibition at the Settlement Centre in Borgarnes (17 km / 10.5 mi) centres on Iceland’s settlement in the 9th and 10th centuries, where you can also learn about Saga hero Egill Skallagrímsson, poet and Viking who grew up in the region and lived at farm Borg, just outside the town. Exhibition Edduveröld in Borgarnes, on the other hand, focuses on the heathen world of Iceland’s chieftains. Staðarhús is ideally located if you want to spend a day touring the Snæfellsnes peninsula, where you can get close to the magic and power of Icelandic nature, such as can be found in the Snæfellsjökull National Park, for example (130 km / 81 mi). If you’re on your way further north, you could spend two nights at Staðarhús, spend one day in Snæfellsnes and then continue on to the magic that surely awaits by the end of the road.
Hosts: Ásgeir and Linda