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  • Go, Iceland, Unique Stays

Bubble Hotel, Iceland: Glamping Worth Every Penny

  • Go, Iceland, Unique Stays
  • September 4, 2020
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Bubble Hotel, Iceland: Glamping Worth Every Penny

The Bubble Hotels offer a rare opportunity to stay in Icelandic nature in the glorious Golden Circle. The still, remote quiet is worth it.

Bubble Hotel (aka Five Million Star Hotels), Ölvisholt, Selfoss, Iceland. 1 night with COVID19 period, special rate including taxes (ISK23,900, US$173, £129, EUR145). All information is correct as of publication. However, you can find the latest information on the The Bubble Hotel's Website or call tel. +3547686464

Written by Liam Collens // Find other reviews here

The Highs

The Lows

The Highs

Unique glamping stay in the heart of Iceland's Golden Circle

Nature lovers ideal retreat

The Lows

Pricey stay during the peak season

No storage and little practical

Privacy will be debatable for some

Bubble Hotel Iceland: A Bucket Within The Bucket List

Booking a trip to Iceland reignited a sense of adventure and wanderlust dampened by the confines of extended COVID isolation. Living inside the same space for long periods of time looking at the same walls day in, day out was an unexpected human experiment. I started with taking up online courses to utilize time otherwise squandered on commuting. Anyone that remembers the LOST TV series may empathize with the guy in the bunker slavishly resetting the clock countdown, surviving only on memories of a time gone by. Inevitably, I would devolve into a dishevelled man standing in a robe, staring gormlessly into the fridge looking for meaning, and snacks.

Iceland is a bucket list milestone filled to the brim bucket list moments. A time to explore, meet, connect, live and escape the confines of walls. Escaping the confines of walls proved to be true during my booking at the Five Million Star Hotel aka the Buuble or Bubble Hotel.

Bubble Hotel: Bringing the Outside In

There are two Bubble Hotel locations within Iceland’s glorious Golden Circle. I opted for the Ölvisholt location as it is situated within touching distance of Selfoss. Selfoss offers restaurants, bars, bakeries, gas stations and other facilities often assumed or overlooked. You should not underestimate how important this is when exploring Iceland. I recommend the menu at Tryggvaskáli; a historic site trading hands as builder’s lodge to hotel to now very capable local restaurant. The unconvinced may be swayed by the Ölvisholt Brewery only 200 metres away offering tastings of locally-crafted beer. Hopefully, that got your attention.

Miles of uninterrupted farmland and countryside scarred with rivers and filled with sheep and wild horses. The tranquil, stretching countryside is magnificent.



The Bubbles are perched on a hillside situated between towering pine trees that offer both privacy and intimacy. I have never been one for camping so this cosy, sheltered glamping is much more my style.

The transparent igloos maintain the structure by an inflow of warm air gently pipped into the room. The decor is simple but you are not here for the decor. You were here to enjoy sleeping among soaring pine trees in an Icelandic forest. It is easy to collapse into a string of hyperbole or cliches about “being one with nature” and other such faddish phrases. I edited out a few to spare you.



The Bubbles are unique. Within a ninety-minute drive from central Reykjavik, you can sleep under Millions of Stars (see what they did there), watching birds dance away on the tip of the Igloo’s ceiling. It is peaceful and a reminder of what true quiet sounds like.



Bubble Hotel Iceland: What’s Inside?


Each Bubble igloo comes with a king-size bed, a duvet each for two, a rich caramel, chesterfield-style Ottoman and old fashioned style decanter, glasses and champagne flutes. Alas, no bar fridge stocked dangerously with miniatures but you can buy sparkling tea when you reserve your Bubble (ISK2499, $18, £14, €15). My summer stay makes for glorious longer summer evenings. A set of sleeping eye masks are provided for those who may find the lack of darkness unsettling.



This raises a point. There is no wardrobe, there is no storage, no TV, no hairdryer, there is no fridge, there is no ensuite. Yet, bathrooms are very close within about 10 to 20 m away from your igloo. This was the number one question that people asked me on my Instagram account when I posted about this hotel.



There are bathrooms nearby! They are fully plumbed including sinks and, in a time of hygiene sensitivity, plenty of running water, hand soap and hand sanitiser. This is glamping after all. If you are looking for somewhere to iron a shirt or order room service – you have come to the wrong place. There is a balance to be struck after all. The purpose of being here is to sleep outdoors and not to replicate a hotel room.



It strikes me that fellow guests will – like me – stay so for one or maximum two nights. It is striking and beautiful but lacks the pragmatism for longer stays. Some under bed storage would be a simple remedy. There are electrical plugs available. A multi-plug or an extension multi-plug are well-advised accessories to bring with you in case you are charging multiple items.



The important matter of privacy will be divisive for some. A phalanx of pine trees and bushes to adequately seclude you from the view of passers-by. These would be limited to other guests because, of course, the Bubbles are elevated far above ground level eradicating the risk of being seen from the road. Still, those who pride their privacy and long for the ability to draw curtains may find this slightly jarring. Those who enjoy being watched however may have finally found something even more special. It may surprise you that not for a moment and I think that people are spying on me are watching me. They successfully created an atmosphere utilising the surrounding foliage that makes you feel like you are the only one here despite these Bubbles being booked up for weeks – and months – at a time.

I very much enjoyed it but I also knew what I wanted: the rare opportunity to sleep outdoors inside of an igloo and I wanted nothing else. Everything else was purely on top.
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Bubble Hotel: Facilities

During the online booking process, you will be given the GPS location of the bubble hotel in Iceland. The GPS location takes you to a purpose-built facility at the foot of the hill where the igloos are nestled. Here lies a duo of plums bathrooms and two showers! There are also two kitchen sinks complete with coffee machines, tea facilities and Wi-Fi!

Oh yes! I should have mentioned that there is no Wi-Fi available in the Bubble Igloo.



You will also find a large selection of flashlights and lamps here presumably for the darker winter months to allow you to climb up the hill.



And what a climb it is! You carry your luggage from the car park at the base of the hill up towards your Bubble igloo. This endurance and fitness test was unexpected but manageable in the end. You may want to pack strategically to ensure that you are only carrying the things that you absolutely need. This is partly because you have to carry it uphill yourself and, of course, there is no storage in the Bubble igloo once you are there.

I imagined my 70 something and 60 something-year-old parents trying to attempt this climb, with luggage. It focuses on the point that this will not be a stay for everyone for this practical reason.



Would I stay at the Five Million Star Bubble Hotel in Iceland again?

It is a unique opportunity to sit peacefully and enjoy your surroundings. Living in the desert has made me more acutely aware of the magnificence of nature especially lush foliage and forestry. I would definitely return but I will do it differently next time.

Visitors should come prepared. Bring very little and only bring what you need. Consider whether to bring luggage at all and instead, possibly, a backpack or larger bag that is easier to carry.



There is no breakfast, no food nor snacks. Just sparkling tea, which is something! You may need to plan more precisely where you’re going to eat and your plans for the day. This is truly a campsite executed with style but thin on practicality and much else other than a transparent igloo.

I very much enjoyed it but I also knew what I wanted: the rare opportunity to sleep outdoors inside of an igloo and I wanted nothing else. Everything else was purely on top. People who enjoy the creature comforts of conventional accommodation like hotels, room service or, say, structures with four walls and plumbing may be challenged beyond the initial appearance.

Who Should Stay At The Five Million Star Bubble Hotel?

Couples who enjoy rare stays. Nature lovers that appreciate the intimacy of sleeping inside of a forest hoping to catch a glimpse of wildlife in the local area. Travellers that want something different from the traditional hotel options within Iceland’s famous Golden Circle. Open-minded guess touring Iceland looking for quirky accommodation. Drone enthusiasts like me that want an elevated site from which to fly for kilometres around farmland and countryside.

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