Monthly Archives: March 2021

a retreat to the Blue Lagoon in Iceland is much more than spa destination. It takes the paradisiacal experience of bathing in its legendary geothermal aqua pura and elevates it to new levels. Her beauty means every moment is an Instagram dream and it’s a glorious (and very sure) antidote to a gloomy pandemic year.

Nestled in an austere landscape of ancient lava, the hotel is surrounded by milky blue water warm enough to produce clouds of vapor, enveloping everything in haze. Guests have access to a spectacular private section of the Blue Lagoon and the water, shaped by the volcanic rocks ebbs and flows around the hotel like a moat with endless hidden corners and coves.

For the historical context, the Blue Lagoon is a combination of nature and human ingenuity. The mineral-rich seawater first came out of a geothermal power plant in 1976, and locals who started swimming in it found that it improved their skin. Scientists at Svartsengi Resource Park – a geothermal power plant producing green energy – expected water to seep through the lava and back into the earth’s volcanic aquifers. Instead, thanks to the extra silica, proper drainage didn’t happen and the result is this beautiful, opalescent water mass. Turnstiles for visitors were added in 1985, but it was not until 2018 that Retirement opened its doors.

Man alone, however, could never produce what nature has bestowed on this heavenly place – it is one of the wonders of the world. And to use another cliché, it’s ahead of its time. Long before Covid-19, The Retreat was all about privacy and social distancing. There are only 62 guest suites in a large and airy setting that could easily accommodate many more. It is wide and airy; you can walk around and not approach another person.

It’s so private and low-key, in fact, that the eerie glimpse of a Hollywood star, wearing a dressing gown and the same tousled hair as you, is both unlikely and expected. Celebrities such as Gwyneth Paltrow, Justin Timberlake and Beyonce are said to be converts (although the staff at The Retreat are far too tasteful to comment).

I spent three days here before the first one confinement in 2020 and I have never felt so good. In fact, I am convinced that this is what has sustained me over the next few months.

Just 20 minutes from Iceland’s Keflavik International Airport, The Retreat’s location makes it the perfect post-flight destination. Within an hour of landing, you can shake off the aches and pains of the private lagoon trip with chilled champagne, but from experience you will start to let go of your worries as soon as you enter.

The brains behind this haven of peace have decided on a personalized approach, in which you are greeted by your own host who acts as a guide and escort, manages routes, confirms tours, provides insight into local culture and provides information. the guests of the arrival of the Northern Lights. You feel that no request is beyond the staff who realize this holy grail of service: friendly and attentive without being in any way intrusive. Like accomplished professionals, they make it easy.

The design of the hotel, meanwhile, pays homage to its surroundings with a calming color palette reflecting the landscape’s muted tones of greens, grays and slate while large picture windows allow the majestic lagoon to take in the sun. front of the stage. It’s a breathtaking introduction.

The calming color palette continues in the guest suites, with soft, snow-gray linens and thoughtful detail. Gorgeous cotton cord holders for bathroom pieces laid side by side with luxuries and the arctic glow of plush bathrobes are a lovely sight. And, unlike some larger getaways, The Retreat is famously generous with its high-end toiletries.

My suite was a serene sanctuary with such a magical view of lava fields and opalescent waters that it wasn’t until the third day that I realized there was no TV. Not that I would have used it. The idea is that the guests have a detoxification of the body and the mind; When you soak in a marble bathtub contemplating such a sight, the last thing on your mind is Sky News.

Turndown service is also a treat with the delivery of freshly hand-made chocolates, and the plentiful bar in the suite is free. It is, however, the quality of sleep that I will remember. I’m normally an insomniac, but apparently a combination of health-promoting waters, a sleepy environment, and a king-size bed helps.

Other touches include personalized Moleskine notebooks to record feelings and thoughts. It’s amazing how quickly your mind clears up in this environment and you find yourself noting all kinds of things. As I leafed through mine on my return to London, I discovered that I had jotted down choice remarks such as: “This must be what real relaxation looks like – I can’t find the words” and: “It is. the most heavenly place. I must claim the rights of the squatters and refuse to be evicted from my room upon departure (I’m only half kidding!). ” For those looking to seriously step up the luxury, the Lagoon Suite has its own private waterfront to dive into.

The world famous spa is, of course, the star of the show. It is out of this world, and also beneath it, being built into the 800 year old inky volcanic rock. Privacy is a priority, and while guests can ask staff to take pictures of them, they themselves are not allowed to use phones or cameras in the spa.

A hypnotic atmosphere permeates the cave-like spa, which features an outdoor hammam, traditional saunas, relaxation modules and the Blue Lagoon ritual room. The latter is the jewel in the crown; where clients exfoliate, cleanse and hydrate their face and body using the natural products of water – mineral salt, silica and seaweed. The result, for me anyway, was the kind of fresh, plumped skin that I haven’t had for many years.

You could spend a wonderful week browsing the extensive treatment menu, but the one not to be missed is the full body massage in the water. Unrolling as you float on a bed like a lilo, it manages to be both deeply relaxing and tingling at the same time, and unlike a normal massage, you don’t have to slip into your clothes and hit the world. outside after. Instead, after you’re done pampering yourself, you’re just left adrift, like a trance on hot water, feeling you’ve got all the time in the world. It is divine.

It’s terribly hard to find fault with The Retreat, but I tried. A pantyhose can be put off by the faint sulfur smell of water, which everyone quickly becomes immune to, but that’s about it. In addition to its reputation for beautification and well-being, the hotel houses three restaurants. Lava is the oldest and largest, and merges Icelandic cuisine with modern European cuisine. The Spa Restaurant is a wonderful option to eat between baths, with light and healthy dishes such as arctic char ceviche, succulent sushi and barley salads.

For serious and dedicated foodies, however, the hotel’s iconic restaurant, Moss, is a must. The ambros tasting menu includes dishes like pine-smoked reindeer, appetizing Gravadlax, tangy liquorice ice cream and still hot Magdalenas pistachio. All, of course, accompanied by wine from what is arguably Iceland’s most fabulous winery.

For more down-to-earth and comforting dishes, coffee and freshly made Icelandic treats are served each afternoon in the lounge. There is something deeply heartwarming and blissful about this tea taken, with everything at The Retreat, with a mesmerizing view of the waters.

Over the past year, we have all suffered in one way or another. Those lucky enough to escape physical symptoms may have struggled silently and mentally, and anything that helps them is welcome. Whenever I am overwhelmed by an explosion of anxiety, I am lucky enough to be able to close my eyes and imagine that I am back in those warm blue waters of Iceland. They are my new one, and I suspect my forever and happy place.

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Read more: The best five star hotels in London

A ‘poisonous’ blue lagoon has again been filled with black dye in an attempt to prevent Instagram selfie seekers from flocking to the Derbyshire beauty site during the lockdown.

The flooded lime pool, once the site of an industrial kiln that towered over Harpur Hill, near Buxton, in the Peak District, was the source of huge problems for locals last year, as thousands of people were drawn to the vivid blue hue of the water.

Dozens of improperly parked cars have caused traffic chaos and blocked driveways, and there have been dozens of reports of anti-social behavior, including people urinating in the gardens and in the church yard, while ‘they were on their way to the quarries in the surrounding towns. .

At the site of the pit itself, which is privately owned and has no official access other than a hole in a fence, rubbish was strewn everywhere, including evidence of drug abuse, open fires and barbecues.

And despite signs near the site, officially known as Hoffman Quarry, warning people that the water has the same pH level as bleach, due to the toxic mixture of chemicals, some people have been views swimming in it as the warm weather arrived last year.

As visitor problems came to a head in 2020, Derbyshire Police, who patrolled the site regularly, poured black vegetable dye into the water to make it less appealing to ‘Instagramers’.

And after a sunny weekend that saw over 100 people come every day to see the quarry, this process has now been repeated by the High Peak Borough Council.

The harmless dye was spilled on Tuesday, then again on Wednesday, and it’s now starting to disperse in the water, gradually turning it into an unappealing jet black.

Borough Councilor Keith Savage, for the Cote Heath neighborhood, said the dye would now continue to be poured roughly every eight weeks.

He told Derbyshire Live: “We have enough dye for the rest of the year if we need it, and we’ll make sure that is done. So it won’t be blue again this year.

“This weekend we went up there to keep an eye on the place and there weren’t thousands of people up there like there was last summer, but it is still the beginning of the year.

“There were probably around 100 people a day, and they’re from Sheffield and Manchester and so on, so the first thing is, by pandemic guidelines, they shouldn’t be there at all. They shouldn’t leave the house.

“And they also travel in groups, not just in domestic bubbles.

“Most of them are between 18 and 25 years old, the people who come, and I’m not going to give the impression that they are going wild, most of them come to take a look, to take pictures. , but from the local perspective of the residents, they have memories of what happened last year and they fear it will happen again.

The current non-lockdown roadmap could see the “stay at home” rule relaxed at the end of this month, and people would be allowed to meet outdoors in groups of up to six, or in two households.

The flooded lime pool, once the site of an industrial kiln that towered over Harpur Hill, near Buxton in the Peak District, was the source of huge problems for locals last year as thousands of people have been drawn to the vivid blue hue of the water

Some fear that this stage of easing, especially if it coincides with sunny weather, could see a return to the chaotic scenes the village experienced last summer.

Cllr Savage said: “If a few dozen people go up there and take a look, they’re not going to cause a huge nuisance, but it happened at the stadium last year where over a weekend over 2,000 people came, and they left a tremendous amount of stuff behind.

“Harpur Hill is a growing place, but it’s a quiet place, and that’s why people choose to live there. That’s why they’re a little puzzled to have thousands of people jostling for a party.

“I can’t imagine what it’s like to live with it, even if it’s only once or twice a year.”

Derbyshire Police first took action last March, after being told people continued to congregate at the water’s edge, despite Boris Johnson’s stay-at-home orders.

In a Facebook post, the Buxton Safer Neighborhood Police Team said: “This is undoubtedly due to the scenic location and good weather (for once) in Buxton.

“However, the location is dangerous and this type of gathering contravenes current UK government instructions.

“With that in mind, we went there this morning and used water dye to make the water less attractive.”

Man raises his arms as he swims in the lagoon last year, after police used dye to blacken the water

But despite this much publicized decision, a few weeks later, a man was caught swimming in the lagoon.

The man, who has not been named, is said to have abused nearby firefighters before deciding to bathe in the water – which is full of toxic chemicals from a quarry.

The site is also said to be filled with animal carcasses, dung and even a rusty car floating just below the surface.

The Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service tweeted at the time: “Despite a friendly chat from one of our prevention teams, this person still decided that a swim in toxic black water was in order. .

“What was not in order were the abuse our officer, who could be called upon to save his life if he encountered any difficulties, suffered while trying to warn him of the danger.”