Thank you for the welcome. This is AngieSilver I’ve changed my handle to SilverSpoon.



I’ll preface this by saying that Deplar Farm was one of my all time favourite hotels and is an excellent full service hotel. We didn’t do the heli-skiing as it was the wrong season and I am not a fan of extreme sports. My husband would have loved it though if it had been the right time of year.



Highs



· Deplar Farm is a home away from home and as such you’re treated like one of the family. The atmosphere is relaxed and there’s no need to dress up – you can go to dinner in your robe! You’re also welcome to take any food or drink from the fridges around the hotel just like you would t home.

· Location – Couldn’t be faulted. It’s ‘in the middle of no where’ nearly two hours drive from the airport and the scenery is stunning.

· The Lodge – Still very new and beautifully decorated in a local style. Everything is pristine. The bar is gorgeous and there’s lots of games and even a band stand.

· Food – Excellent quality ingredients for every meal – fresh ingredients, great wines and personal service from the sommelier and barman who will make whatever cocktail you want. There are also delicious fresh snacks in your room.

· Service – Very personalised, you are allocated an experience manager before you arrive and he creates an itinerary around your needs.

· Spa – Beautiful with fantastic views. Mr S and I both had a very enjoyable massage. One of my favourite things about this hotel was the geothermally heated pool. There’s a bar built into the pool too so that you can order drinks directly. There’s a second geothermally heated small hot tub.Also gives that real feel of Iceland.

· Excursions – The opportunity to see more of this beautiful country with personalised, expert guidance. We loved the excursions. If you do Drangey Island beware if you’re afraid of heights!



Middling



· The rooms – At first I was a little disappointed by the rooms which are quite small. There is so much space on the property they would be able to have individual cabins. However having a small room added to the home-like feeling of the place as everyone is located close together. I got used to the smaller room and it didn’t bother me. As we were there during summer and the sun rises early there are black out blinds in the room. We found these very effective.



Low



· Group Excursions – My husband and I love meeting new people and being sociable but we prefer private excursions. For our first excursion, the family in our group were a hour and half late meaning we were left waiting around for them losing precious time on our holiday and not returning from our morning trip until 3pm. I look forward to staying in the Awasi properties in April where all excursions are private.

· Dining is family style – Again we liked the social aspect of this but disliked having to run on everyone else’s timings. Again a couple were an hour late for a meal so we had to wait for them. On another occasion my husband and I had just got back from an excursion and wanted a shower but we were told we couldn’t as everyone was waiting for us for dinner. As we arrived late the only seats left were on the children’s side away from the other adults. However the staff quickly rectified this and put us on a private table. (we did feel rude though!)



Overall as mentioned we loved this property and there’s just a few things that need ironing out.



You can read a full review on my blog: A Home-Away-From-Home: Deplar Farm, Iceland - SilverSpoon London