After the closure of the 110 year historic Hotel Valholl in 2009, the Thingvellir area of South Iceland was lacking a similar class of accommodation to serve one of Iceland’s most popular tourist locations. The closure of the hotel not only left a hole in the local tourism industry, it also left a hole in the hearts of the locals.
This fuelled Olafur Laufdal and Kristin Ketilsdottir to open Grimsborgir Guest Houses in Iceland, just a 25 minute drive from the original location of Hotel Valholl. Grimsborgir offers 6 luxury guest houses situated right next to the River Sog, the largest freshwater river in Iceland.
The guest houses vary in size, accommodating from 4 to 10 people. Each guesthouse includes a kitchen, dining room, and living area, as well as an outdoor hot tub overlooking the surrounding area. There is also a first class restaurant on site, serving food made with local produce.
“We try our best to provide our visitors with top-notch service, and we’ll happily help in any way we can with information about the area, transportation, guided tours, fishing and whatever else you might need,” commented Laufdal.
He continued, “We both saw this as a positive investment, not only for ourselves, but also for the local area and its industries. We are hoping that by reintroducing luxury accommodation to the Thingvellir area, this will encourage more people to visit and stay for a longer period of time, benefitting local tourism.”
Grimsborgir Guest Houses is ideally located, not only for the historic site of Thingvellir and Thingvallavatn, but also as it is on the Golden Circle tour route, where one finds Gullfoss, Geysir, and Kerid.
[…] Ketilsdottir, has recently opened in the area. The property offers travelers accommodations in luxury guest houses next to Iceland’s largest freshwater river, the River Sog. Being on the Golden Circle tourist route gives this new guest house a great location in […]