The Retreat at Blue Lagoon Iceland

(5+1) / 2 = 3* : 5* pour l’hôtel, 1* pour les restaurants. Le Retreat doit sa réputation à son architecture futuriste digne d’un Le Corbusier local, posée sur la station thermale islandaise la plus célèbre, le Blue Lagoon, encerclée par un immense champ de lave noire. Inutile de rappeler que le site aurait pu disparaître suite à l’éruption récente d’un volcan sous Grindavik, dont les coulées de lave début 2024 se sont arrêtées à quelques centaines de mètres de l’hôtel. D’ailleurs, l’arrivée en voiture sur le site relève d’un film de science-fiction. La route d’accès à l’hôtel a été coupée nette par le volcan. Une piste a été tracée tant bien que mal pour maintenir l’accès à Grindavik, dont les 4.000 habitants ont été évacués : la piste traverse une coulée de lave encore chaude que des panneaux dissuadent de traverser à pied … Arrivés à l’intersection du Retreat, nous tombons sur la gigantesque usine géothermique de Svartsengi, qui brille de tous ses feux et de ses fumées blanchâtres. Juste derrière on découvre la silhouette de l’hôtel 5* le plus sélect et le plus cher d’Islande qui se dessine derrière les fumerolles du Blue Lagoon, le spa le plus célèbre et le plus cher d’Islande, dans une ambiance de fin du monde pour peu que la pluie et le vent s’en mêlent ! Quelle idée d’implanter un hôtel de luxe avec vue sur une usine fumante ! On doit être en Islande. A notre arrivée, l’hôtel était quasiment vide. Le personnel nous a d’ailleurs briefés sur le risque d’alarme évacuation, qui a d’ailleurs été activée plusieurs fois en 2024. L’accueil à la réception est très professionnel : coupe de champagne au salon face à des mini lagons, briefing complet, prise en charge du véhicule et des bagages très fluide, accompagnement jusqu’à la suite où la tablette de télécommande est plutôt ergonomique. Nous avions opté pour la lagoon suite avec lagon privé. La suite est une réussite en termes d’agencement et de décoration, la douche italienne est une merveille, le bar est complet (champagne et vins à volonté), de très beaux livres sur l’Islande en lecture libre. Le lagon privé (eau à 38°) est un must have bien utile, exposé sud, à l’abri des regards (sauf du balcon de la suite du dessus …), dont on a bien profité par un après-midi ensoleillé. Le salon lumineux de l’hôtel s’ouvre sur de grandes baies vitrées avec vue sur des petits lagons et un champ de lave qui a dû être retravaillé pour masquer la vue sur l’usine géothermique. Le spa s’ouvre sur des petits lagons et un restaurant adapté à une restauration légère pour le déjeuner. Les massages sont quelconques : le personnel est impersonnel et muet comme une carpe. Le spa débouche sur un couloir trop sombre qui donne accès à des zones de repos face au lagon et à des soins spéciaux. Naturellement l’hôtel donne accès au Blue Lagoon et ses grands bassins ouverts au public : la vue sur l’usine géothermique fumante et les grues (extension en construction) ne font pas rêver. Il y a comme une contradiction conceptuell

Great hotel to enjoy the Blue Lagoon for a couple of days. It is away from everything and very relaxing. Rooms are comfortable but dark with ambient lighting. The Spa felt a little chaotic and a bit crowded since they also sell day passes. There is no priority for guests staying at the hotel to book treatments so that has to be done well in advance. Staff at the hotel is generally helpful. Staff at their Moss restaurant was on another level.

After driving and hiking all over the Western peninsulas of Iceland, spending two nights at The Retreat was the perfect way to end our vacation. There were some common concerns about staying at The Retreat, so to address them: Is there an egg/sulfur smell? Yes, but it might be situational. We stayed in the Lagoon Suite which has access to a separate, private lagoon right outside the bedroom. This lagoon is supplied by a pump that runs throughout the day. When the pump runs, it smells. It is strongest in the morning (the pump probably has to work extra hard the first time each day), but it is still weaker to sulfur water at hot springs in the wild. The smell dissipates shortly after the pump shuts off, and given that there are many reviews say there is no smell at all, we think it could be just a Lagoon Suite (and perhaps neighboring rooms) problem. We only smelled it in the room; the rest of the hotel and the Blue Lagoon itself had no smell in our experience. Noise: Noise insulation is not great in the room. Noise from the hallway is non-existent, but if you're on the first floor you can definitely hear footsteps and things being dragged on the floor above. The aforementioned lagoon pumps are loud enough to go into the room and will be bad for light sleepers. They are supposedly set to run 8am-10pm, but our host mentioned we can ask the hotel to adjust the time if we wanted to use our lagoon earlier/later. We heard the pump running at 7-7:30am, so it's possible that the neighboring suite requested their pump to run earlier. There is also a geothermal power plant neighboring the Blue Lagoon, and it occasionally makes noises that sound like a jet is flying directly overhead (not at night thankfully). If these don't feel like dealbreakers (it sounds bad writing it out but it felt more like minor inconveniences in person), then read on for the many positives The Retreat has. The entire staff at The Retreat was the best service we had at Iceland. I don't know if it's a European thing, but at various other hotels/restaurants (including Blue Lagoon store) throughout the country people seemed... stoic? Service was still great, but it just didn't feel warm. The Retreat staff felt like you were seeing genuine emotion and excitement to help you with whatever you needed, from valet parking to check-in/out to bookings and just general conversation (a good number of the staff are League/DoTA players so The Retreat is a bonus recommendation to gamers who have expendable income to burn) Food at Moss and Lava were delicious, and there is breakfast buffets and afternoon tea provided daily in the lobby at no extra charge. The spa massage (we got 60 minute hot stone massages) was the best we've experienced. We weren't even asked about strength level, but somehow it was at the sweet spot. They also have a free 4 step skin care ritual which we're sure is just a big advertising platform for their products, but it's been a few days and our skin is sti

This place is absolutely spectacular. A must see for everyone. This is a great idea for both a girls trip and a couples trip. The experience is truly once in a lifetime. You simply cannot describe these blue, hot waters in this beautiful Icelandic landscape. The most memorable part for me was the in water massage. It was a relaxing and truly peaceful experience. Unfortunately, The staff at the gift shop could use a little more training in customer service, and should try to be more accurate and accommodating to the guests. As this is usually the last stop of the day, it would’ve been nice to have left with that same tranquil feeling. Overall, a must if you are ever in this magnificent region!

The service at this resort is amazing - all the staff are extremely well trained, helpful and friendly! The rooms are fabulous - truly thoughtfully appointed! The spa ritual is super fun and we really appreciated the complimentary spa products. We dined at Lava and the food was great. The bellman forgot to put our bag in our car and they delivered it to the airport before we even arrived with the rental car shuttle! It is expensive, no question. However, this was a bucket list stay for us - we have no regrets and hope to come back! 🩵

Just returned back from our second stay at The Retreat and the hotel still blows us away! We stayed three nights this time, instead of two like our last trip, and each time we want to stay longer and longer. It was hard to leave! We like the new blue lagoon slides they have changed to instead of slippers and thought it was a nice new touch! We enjoyed our daily yoga, amazing breakfast spread, and tea time. Just some of the highlights this hotel has to offer! The real treat was the retreat spa and lagoon! We spend a 30th birthday here and tried to soak up as much time in these areas! Be prepared to feel so relaxed during your time here! The beds are heavenly, the atmosphere is calming, and the food is delightful. We are thinking of making this a yearly trip we love this hotel so much! A must!