Laxhús

Eight guestrooms in Húsavík's Laxhús — whose name translates to 'salmon house' — place visitors within walking distance of the town's timber whale-watching pier and the Húsavík Whale Museum on Hafnarstétt.

Rooms are compact by Nordic standards, suited to the short summer nights when light barely fades; blackout curtains are standard issue. The property sits on Norðausturvegur, the main road threading through this north Icelandic town of roughly 2,300 people.

Húsavík anchors the Diamond Circle route, with Ásbyrgi canyon forty kilometres to the south and the Tjörnes peninsula fossil beds a short drive north. Whale-watching boats depart from the old harbour less than five minutes on foot.