Kaldbaks-Kot

Kaldbaks-Kot is a cluster of wooden cottages beside the Kaldbakstjarnir Lakes, an outfall of the geothermal plant that powers Húsavík, one kilometre from town. The land was once an abandoned farm called Kaldbakur, bought in the 1970s and replanted by hand over twenty-five years; the first cottages went up in 2000. Each house sits apart from its neighbours, angled for privacy and a view over the water toward the hills across the bay. Three hot tubs run on natural geothermal water and look out over the lakes and Skjálfandi Bay. Houses range from a one-bedroom studio of 20 square metres to the villa Kaldbakur, built in 1962 and restored in 1981 and 2006, which sleeps up to ten across four or five bedrooms. Skógarkot, a five-bedroom villa built in 2009, sits inside the Kaldbaksskógur forest with its own hot tub and garden. All cottages are self-catering, with kitchenettes or full kitchens, and built from solid wood finished without solvents or added fragrance. A bird sanctuary lies between the cottages and the fjord, with trails threading through it; binoculars are left in every house, and whales can sometimes be spotted from the windows. Fishing rods and two small boats are available for the lakes. It is a quiet, self-catering base, better suited to guests happy to cook their own meals than to those wanting daily service.