ICELAND’S BLUE LAGOON RETREAT

The Retreat Hotel is an ultra-modern design wonder with a super-slick subterranean spa that is centred around its own private section of the worldfamous Blue Lagoon – and makes use of the restorative, revitalising geothermal seawater.

WHY IT’S SPECIAL

The outdoors literally floods into this sleek, 62-suite hotel, an oasis in the middle of what can only be described as an other-worldly lunar landscape of moss- covered black lava and steam rising from the ethereal, cloudy waters of the lagoon.

The spa, carved from craggy volcanic rock, allows you to have a part of the lagoon all to yourself, as well as offering a wonderful mix of treatments that take place both on land and in the water.

The Ritual, for instance, is a DIY affair: move between three separate cavernous chambers, exfoliating as you go with mineral salts and silica and smothering on slippery algae to hydrate before wallowing in 39C (102F) therapeutic waters – even the roughest skin will feel as soft as a newborn baby’s.

There’s also a gym and a small yoga studio offering complimentary classes, so you can work up an appetite for one of the gourmet menus at elegant fine- dining restaurant Moss (the only place guests seem to de-robe for something smarter).

Icelandic dishes such as birch and juniper-cured arctic char with horseradish, cucumber, rye bread and pickled mustard seeds, and mango and chocolate mousse with vanilla ice cream and salted caramel are made from the best seasonal ingredients, presented with innovation and flair.

YOU’LL NEVER FORGET…

The in-water experience, 120-minute Signature massage, where, after enjoying a salt scrub, silca or algae wrap, you lie atop a sort of floating yoga mat in an enclave of the lagoon while the therapist douses each limb in oil and melts away any tension using long, deep strokes. Intimate, intriguing and incredible.

INSIDER TIP

Don’t bother packing toiletries – the bedrooms are littered with full-size Blue Lagoon products formulated with bioactive elements of geothermal seawater with which to lavish your skin. Suitcase stowaways are practically encouraged.

HOW TO DO IT

Suites at The Retreat at Blue Lagoon cost from £927 per night (00354 420 8700; retreat. bluelagoon. com), including an à la carte breakfast.

Suzanne Duckett