Eleven Deplar Farm

“An Eleven Sublime Experience”

If there’s one splurge you are thinking about planning your Icelandic adventure, Deplar Farms is well worth it. Opened in 2016 by Chad Pike, former Blackrock partner, started his hospitality company, Eleven, in 2011. This is his premier property. Only 16 rooms and suites, the location is perfectl… Mehr

If there’s one splurge you are thinking about planning your Icelandic adventure, Deplar Farms is well worth it. Opened in 2016 by Chad Pike, former Blackrock partner, started his hospitality company, Eleven, in 2011. This is his premier property. Only 16 rooms and suites, the location is perfectly nestled in a valley surrounded by lakes, mountains, glaciers and nature. All inclusive, meals are top notch and most alcoholic drinks are included. Breakfast and dinner are served at a communal table that seats 32. Dinner is three course pre-fixed but you can preorder almost any option. While lunch is available, the secret is to enjoy lunch in both the Studio and Ghost House where a very special experience is included. The property features a beautiful spa including huge geo-thermal pool, sauna, steam and outdoor cold plunge pool. Spa treatments available. Small gym with two Peloton bikes and a yoga studio. Another highlight is your visit includes your own personal guide to take you on all the outdoor activities you want. We opted for hiking and e-biking and relaxing in the spa in the afternoon. At night, you can enjoy the huge bar and lounge, fireplaces, game room and library. Chad loves music so there is a live band set-up for those that want to play music. The Studio includes a full recording studio. Dinner starts at 8:00pm and typical dishes include lamb, salmon, steak and Arctic char all paired with wine. Rooms are well furnished and the rain shower is hot and powerful. Most have balconies. Service is exceptional as one would expect with 75 employees taking care of the guests. Overall, one of my top 5 lodges and truly an experience you will remember.

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“Best part of our trip!”

We stayed at Deplar Farm as part of our wedding and honeymoon trip around Iceland. We first learned about Deplar from a mediocre television series which only used the outside landscape and pool area. The hotel itself was CGI'ed over. The actual hotel looks rugged and rustic from the outside (note t… Mehr

We stayed at Deplar Farm as part of our wedding and honeymoon trip around Iceland. We first learned about Deplar from a mediocre television series which only used the outside landscape and pool area. The hotel itself was CGI'ed over. The actual hotel looks rugged and rustic from the outside (note the turf roof) and has a casual elegance inside. The best way to describe the decor is modern-rustic-Scandinavian. The staff were amazing and I appreciated their dry sense of humor (my husband joked that he wanted to take the axes and swords off the wall in the gym and play "Vikings." He was told that was fine as long as he took them outside, as blood is too messy to clean up.) They also planned out an agenda of activities for our stay and were very accommodating of last minute changes: I fell off a horse (my fault, not the horse or guide) and needed a day to rest and recover. The staff offered many low impact alternatives to the snowmobiling we were scheduled to do. But we were both perfectly content to stay in the lodge's "living room" reading a book by the fire and sipping tea. It's very rare to want to hang out in the resort as opposed to daily outside activities. But that is just a testament as to how cozy and comforting it is to be there. We also hung out in the media room watching movies on the giant tv screen and munching on the complementary movie style snacks. The food was amazing! I was bit hesitant about the dining situation based on other reviews, but any concerns were quickly dissolved with our first meal. We ate dinner at the main, communal dining table only on the first night of our stay and the other guests were friendly and engaging. The other nights we ate in the private wine cellar which was much more intimate and private. My husband doesn't drink and the staff were amazing at crafting mocktails that he really enjoyed. The food was delicious, but keep in mind that it is regional cuisine: So expect farm-to-table meals that might seem exotic to a typical American palate. If you're expecting steak and pasta, or chicken fingers or grilled cheese for the kiddos, you may want to consider a different resort. They advertise being kid friendly, but it's really not a "family style" resort. My only meal complaint is that dinner is served at 8pm and takes a leisurely pace. So by the time dessert is served, it's time (for me) to go to bed. But many guests retire to the lounge bar or pool for a nightcap. The room was beautiful, quiet and cozy. The fridge was stocked with beverages and snacks. The en-suite bathroom was equally as impressive (although never quite enough room on the sink for toiletries). The staff was stealthy in making up our room so as to be practically invisible. We went to breakfast and by the time we were done our room had already been tidied up, yet we never saw any "housekeeping" staff. Lastly, the spa and pool area were perfection. The small pool is geothermally heated and has a connected outdoor pool with a swim-up bar. The perfect place to relax in the evening. Because of my little accident with the horse, the spa manager offered a complementary massage and isopod treatment. The massage was amazing and really helped with the pain and stiffness after my fall. The isopod just wasn't my thing. I stayed the whole hour but just couldn't quiet my wandering mind. My only regrets about our stay at Deplar are that I didn't take advantage of the cold plunge pool and Viking sauna; I didn't take part in the group outing to see whales and puffins at a nearby island; and I wasn't able to smuggle one of the lambs home with me. Those are for the next visit. And there WILL be a next visit!

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“Great property and true Icelandic experience, and great people. Can't wait to go back!”

Fantastic visit. The property is fantastic - rooms are great, amenities are amazing, activities available to suit everyone's needs - they were great, and the people were fantastic. There are very few organizations that really get it right when hiring people - this is one. Everyone was genuinely gre… Mehr

Fantastic visit. The property is fantastic - rooms are great, amenities are amazing, activities available to suit everyone's needs - they were great, and the people were fantastic. There are very few organizations that really get it right when hiring people - this is one. Everyone was genuinely great. Our guides, both times we were here were fantastic, and the bartenders, Robert and Andrew were also great. They really seemed to understand us and help make our visit fantastic - but that could be said for everyone. Food was also really good and well done. Can't wait to go back. Our only negative was kids - we don't like group dinners/meals (thankfully they accommodated us and gave us a great private meal each night), but I don't want to eat dinner when we're away as a couple with other people's children or other people. Not our thing - but they were great in helping to make it work for us.

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“Great property and true Icelandic experience, and great people”

Fantastic visit. The property is fantastic - rooms are great, amenities are amazing, activities available to suit everyone's needs - they were great, and the people were fantastic. There are very few organizations that really get it right when hiring people - this is one. Everyone was genuinely gre… Mehr

Fantastic visit. The property is fantastic - rooms are great, amenities are amazing, activities available to suit everyone's needs - they were great, and the people were fantastic. There are very few organizations that really get it right when hiring people - this is one. Everyone was genuinely great. Our guide, Nicco was fantastic, and the bartender, Robert also great. They really seemed to understand us and help make our visit fantastic - but that could be said for everyone. Food was also really good and well done. Can't wait to go back. Our only negative was kids - we don't like group dinners/meals (thankfully they accommodated us and gave us a great private meal each night), but I don't want to eat dinner when we're away as a couple with other people's kids, let alone little kids running around. Not our thing - but they were great in helping to make it work for us.

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