Eleven Deplar Farm

Where the Architecture Answers to the Land

There is a particular design discipline that emerges when a building must coexist with extreme geography rather than simply occupy it. On Iceland's Troll Peninsula, in the Fljót Valley above Ólafsfjörður, Eleven Deplar Farm represents that discipline in concentrated form. The structure began as a 15th-century sheep farm, and the decision to preserve and extend that original fabric rather than replace it sets the property apart from the newer-build wilderness lodges that have proliferated across Scandinavia over the past decade. The turf roof is not decorative nostalgia — it is the building's thermal logic, insulating against the valley's temperature extremes while visually anchoring the structure to the hillside behind it. From a distance, the lodge reads as an extension of the terrain.

The counterpoint to that earthbound exterior is the interior's floor-to-ceiling glazing. This is a deliberate tension: walls that disappear into the view rather than frame it. In winter, this means the Aurora Borealis becomes part of the room's ambient condition rather than something you dress for and go outside to witness. In summer, under the midnight sun, the distinction between indoors and outdoors collapses entirely. That dual-season architectural logic — turf containment outside, transparency within , is the building's central idea, and it works because the valley itself provides the spectacle that most designed interiors manufacture artificially.

The Fljót Valley as Operational Context

Deplar Farm's location shapes what the property can deliver in ways that no amount of interior design could replicate. The Troll Peninsula's maritime snowpack is the reason the heli-skiing program exists at this latitude: ocean-to-peak terrain accessible via two on-site helipads, with rolling descents that benefit from the consistent accumulation patterns the peninsula's geography produces. The heli-ski season runs from March 8 to June 5, 2025 , a window that extends later into spring than most European heli-skiing operations, because the peninsula's snowpack holds longer than inland alternatives.

Exclusive river access matters here in a way it rarely does at other wilderness lodges. The Fljótaá, one of Iceland's regarded Atlantic salmon rivers, is available only to Deplar Farm guests, which removes the permit competition that characterises fly fishing at Iceland's better-known rivers further south. The summer season, running June 10 to October 5, 2025, also opens the valley to mountain biking on volcanic terrain, sea kayaking off the peninsula's coast, and horseback riding , activities that read as a list but in practice depend on the specific geography: the valley's gradient, the proximity of the coastline, the trail network that doesn't exist at other properties because other properties aren't positioned here.

Thirteen Rooms and the Logic of Small Scale

The 13-room configuration is not a constraint , it is the property's operating premise. At full buyout, which starts at $54,340 per night, the entire lodge functions as a private compound, which is how most group bookings at this price tier approach it. By-the-room rates start at $3,739 per night, with a three-night minimum. The room breakdown across the 13 accommodations includes five king suites with en suite bathrooms, four king suites that add queen sleeping lofts and balconies, two queen suites, one king suite configured for families with twin beds, a lofted lounge, private balcony, and an en suite bathroom with indoor sauna and soaking tub, and a four-bed bunkroom with double en suite facilities. That range , from couple-focused suites to the bunkroom , suggests a property designed for group travel, where different members of a party require different sleeping configurations within a single exclusive footprint.

Condé Nast Traveler named Deplar Farm one of the world's leading hotels on its 2023 Gold List, which positions the property within a peer set of design-led remote lodges rather than conventional luxury hotels. Properties in that category , think Amangiri in Canyon Point or Castello di Reschio in Lisciano Niccone , compete on location irreplaceability and architectural specificity rather than urban amenity density. Deplar Farm fits that pattern precisely.

Thermal Infrastructure and Recovery Logic

The geothermal-heated indoor/outdoor pool with swim-up bar, the Viking sauna, the cold plunge, two flotation tanks, and three treatment rooms are not incidental wellness amenities , they are part of the property's seasonal recovery infrastructure. Heli-skiing and backcountry touring produce genuine physical fatigue, and the thermal circuit here functions as the lodge's answer to that: a sequence of heat, cold, and flotation that supports multi-day activity programs. Iceland's geothermal resource makes this possible at a scale that properties in other wilderness destinations cannot replicate without significant mechanical infrastructure. The outdoor hot tubs, the steam room, the yoga and Pilates studio, and the full gym with rowing machines and Peloton bikes extend the recovery offer across fitness disciplines.

The band loft , custom-equipped with guitars, percussion, and microphones , is an unusual inclusion that signals the property's approach to evening programming: self-generated rather than curated performance. Combined with the game room's billiards, foosball, and shuffleboard, and the media room, the lodge's interior amenity set is designed for groups that want to generate their own social atmosphere rather than consume a pre-scripted one.

How Deplar Farm Sits Within Iceland's Broader Lodge Market

Iceland's adventure lodge category has grown substantially since 2015, with properties now distributed across the Ring Road corridor and the Westfjords. Most of those properties operate on open booking, serve a broad guest mix, and position their programming as add-on experiences. Deplar Farm's model differs: the small room count, the exclusive river access, the heli-skiing infrastructure, and the buyout pricing structure all orient the property toward a different guest profile and a different competitive set. It belongs in conversation with properties like ION Adventure Hotel in Selfoss and Hotel Ranga in Hella only insofar as all three operate in Iceland's adventure-oriented segment. In practice, the price tier and the exclusivity of access place Deplar Farm in a narrower bracket alongside internationally recognised remote lodges rather than domestic adventure hotels.

For those exploring Iceland's wider accommodation options, Hótel Búðir in Búðir, Hótel Reykjahlíð in Reykjahlíð, Vogafjós Farm Resort in Vogar, UMI Hotel in Vík, Silica Hotel in Grindavík, Skálakot Hotel in Hvolsvöllur, Hótel Klaustur Iceland in Kirkjubæjarklaustur, and The Reykjavik EDITION represent a range of scales and settings. Our full Ólafsfjörður guide covers the regional context in more detail.

Planning a Stay

The three-night minimum applies across all booking types and seasons. The heli-ski season closes June 5, 2025, before the summer season opens June 10, creating a brief transition window. The winter season runs October 5, 2025 through March 1, 2026, covering the aurora-viewing and cross-country skiing period. Nightly rates by the room start at $3,739 and vary by season; full property buyouts start at $54,340 per night. All figures are in USD and subject to change. The Troll Peninsula's remoteness means that arrival logistics , whether by road from Akureyri or by air , require advance planning, particularly during the winter season when road conditions on the peninsula can shift quickly.

For reference points at other price tiers and geographies covered by EP Club, Black Pearl in Reykjavik offers an urban Iceland counterpoint, while internationally, Aman New York, Cheval Blanc Paris, Badrutt's Palace Hotel in St. Moritz, Hotel Bel-Air in Los Angeles, Hôtel de Paris Monte-Carlo, Hotel Du Cap-Eden-Roc in Cap d'Antibes, Hotel Esencia in Tulum, Hotel Plaza Athénée in Paris, Aman Venice, The Fifth Avenue Hotel in New York City, and Bvlgari Hotel Tokyo represent the comparable tier across different regions.