Take Me Higher

Reykjavík has its charms, but Iceland's real five-star attraction is more elemental. As a stunning new luxury base camp opens in Kerlingarfjöll, the country's otherworldly highlands beckon.

- Josh Condon

AS I ARRIVE at Highland Base by helicopter in August, the main hotel appears in the distance as a jagged sliver of blond wood dropped into a sprawling expanse of glacial mountainside. On approach, the gravel parking lot is filled with stacks of camping gear and hulking 4x4s on massive, knobby tyres; preposterously fluffy Icelandic sheep amble past A-frame cabins that dot the surrounding hills. Welcome to Shangri-La for the hard-core adventurer-especially one who still appreciates all the high-touch comforts of a luxury resort.

The air taxi came courtesy of The Retreat at Blue Lagoon, the five-star wellness destination perched alongside the country's famously turquoise geothermal pond; Highland Base, which soft-launched in July, joins the same portfolio. Located in the kaleidoscopically hued Icelandic highlands, the new property couldn't feel more temperamentally estranged from its spa-centric sibling. While the unofficial uniform of The Retreat is a robe and slippers, Highland Base is awash in hiking boots and muddy day packs. Yet visitors will recognise the former in the design language of the latter, all softly lit stone, wood and wool accented in every shade of matte black. And here, as at The Retreat, silence rules; there are no televisions to be found. But then, soaking in the suite's balcony hot tub with a looming view of Hofsjökull, Iceland's third-largest glacier, you'll hardly find yourself missing Netflix.