Looking to travel to an area of sublime natural beauty away from the usual flow of sightseeing tourists. If you fly north to Iceland’s remote Troll Peninsula you will find the most un-farmlike of farms - a place where you can go heli-hiking on fresh powder slopes, fly fishing for salmon in clear blue rivers or simply immerse yourself in a flotation pod following a gong sound bath.
Deplar Farm is an outfit run by Eleven Experience, a host of super-high-luxury properties owned by private equity extraordinaire, Chad Pike. Each property is true to the loves of Chad’s family; fishing, skiing and a whole host of outdoor activities. The stunning interiors at the property are done by Chad’s wife and give you a feel of a cosy family home as well as keeping in with the vibe of the extra-luxe Eleven Experience brand.
One of the standout aspects of the property is the oh-so-wonderful food. You will indulge in locally sourced meats and fish from a range of highly talented chefs that rotate during your time at the property, giving you wonderful exposure to different presentation styles and flavours. During our time, we tried some traditional Icelandic dishes, ranging from classic reindeer to an 80-year old halibut dish which the chef managed to get his hands on. Should you be feeling a little peckish in between meals, do not fret. We were bought delicious snacks to nibble on ranging from delicious home-baked cookies and hot chocolate in the morning to homemade guacamole and nachos by the pool with a delicious cocktail in the afternoon. Whilst all meals are taken communally by Deplar Farm guests, we opted for a private supper in the wine cellar one evening which I highly recommend.
The indoor-outdoor geothermally heated saltwater swimming pool draws in guests most evenings, as does the private bar set within it. For the extra wow-factor, there is a northern light viewing platform in the pool where you can lie and take in the beauty of the skies with a loved one. You’ll find the pool located by the most luxurious spa, where activities range from traditional facials/massages, to sensory-deprivation pods and gong meditation rooms. It really is quite spectacular.
There are two aspects of Deplar that stand out for me; ; firstly, the activities on offer. There really is no end to what you can do… Upon arrival we embarked on a whale watching and fishing tour where we saw Humpback Whales and caught fresh cod whilst sipping on cinnamon buns and hot chocolate. For a traditional Iceland lunch, we visited the famous Gísli, Eiríkur & Helg, where we enjoyed local fish soup for lunch before our trip back to the Farm.
We were subjected to a few snowstorms which somewhat restricted what we could do during part of our stay. Nevertheless, this didn’t stop the Deplar team. We filled our snow-day with visits to the local Herring museum in Siglufjörður and Frida’s chocolate shop! We returned home for my husband to embark on a two-hour snow mobile on the fresh powder, a rare treat for guests and you can only imagine how much he loved it! On Saturday we had blue skies and enjoyed pretty much every activity Deplar had to offer; our SPECTACULAR guide Emily took us snowmobiling on the lake, cross country skiing and snowshoeing. We enjoyed a picnic lunch at the Lake House with our new Deplar Farm friends and watched the sunbeam over the beautiful mountains before us. You come to appreciate direct sunlight when visiting Iceland in the winter months!
The second aspect that stood out for me was the high-quality staff. Our guide/experience manager Emily made our trip, there was nothing she couldn’t do, she even suggested swimming in the freezing ocean with a smile on her face! The activities on offer are endless and having someone on hand to tailor your time is incredibly helpful. The chefs, talented spa professionals and wonderful bar staff were also fabulous, I can’t speak more highly of everyone on this team.
We visited Deplar in the winter months and were lucky enough to see the Northern Lights on our final night. There is a range of activities on offer dependent on the time of year. I wouldn’t like to say that the winter is more special than the summer as each is as magical as each other. I personally cannot wait to return in the summer to see the landscapes green and the rivers flowing but it will not take away from our once in a lifetime winter wonderland experience.
