Woman in red swimsuit swimming in the hot thermal pool at the frozen lake looking at the dramatic … [+]
Seeing the Northern Lights shimmering right before your eyes is one of nature’s rawest experiences—and they’re now approaching their best for a decade. It’s also one of its most elusive, with aurora-hunters on the edges of the Arctic Circle at around 60-70° North having to put up with extreme cold and freezing winds—and only if the sky is clear and if the lights appear will their mission succeed.
Sure, you can layer-up and stand in the snow for hours while you wait for the “merry dancers,” but there is another way—and all you need is a hat. From Iceland and northern Scandinavia to Alaska and northern Canada, here’s where to go to see the aurora borealis dressed as nature intended from the comfort from a hot tub, jacuzzi or geothermal pool:
1. Torfhús Retreat, Iceland
Come for the turf-covered cottages and Viking farm atmosphere, stay for the custom-made cup-holders in the hot tub. Torfhús Retreat at 64º North near Selfoss is on Iceland’s “Golden Circle” of attractions—Þingvellir National Park, Gullfoss waterfall and the Great Geysir—but it’s on a remote road away from people and light pollution. Each beautiful cottage comes with has a geothermally-heated basalt stone pool while the entire resort—the 10 torfhús and the cosy yet expansive Viking Langhus restaurant—runs on hydroelectric energy. It’s also home to some beautiful Icelandic horses.
Each cottage at Torfhús Retreat, Iceland has a basalt hot-tub complete with drinks holders.
2. Wilderness Hotel Nangu, Finland
Finnish Lapland is most famous for its Sámi culture, husky safaris, cross country skiing and reindeer sleighs (not forgetting delicious reindeer steaks), but it’s got a staggeringly beautiful landscape of endless taiga forests dotted with remote lodging. The remote Wilderness Hotel Nangu at 68.7º North beyond Ivalo offers panorama log cabins, each with a jacuzzi on the terrace.
3. Northern Lights Resort and Spa, Canada
A short drive from Whitehorse in Yukon at 60.6º North, the Northern Lights Resort and Spa features chalets with vast windows and an outdoor jacuzzi. It’s also got a spa area with a Finnish sauna, an infrared sauna and a relaxation room.
The geothermal pool at Deplar Farm, Iceland.
4. Deplar Farm, Iceland
You’ll likely need to fly to Akureyri in northern Iceland to reach the remote Deplar Farm, where a large geothermal pool and hot tubs await at 66º North. An exclusive retreat surrounded by snow-capped peaks of Fljót Valley on the Troll Peninsula, Deplar Farm also offers whale watching to trekking, skiing and scenic helicopter trips. It’s also close to the majestic Goðafoss waterfall and the charming fishing town of Húsavík.
5. Chena Hot Springs Resort, Alaska
Although you can go to the more remote Coldfoot and Utqiaġvik, by far the most popular place to try for the aurora in Alaska is Fairbanks. About 60 miles north at 65º North is Chena Hot Springs Resort, where you can sit in either an outdoor hot tub or bathe in the vast hot springs themselves. Come daylight you can ice-fish or cross-country ski.
People relaxing in the Chena Hot Springs near Fairbanks, Alaska.
6. Lyngen Experience Lodge, Norway
Close to the remote Lyngen Fjord in northern Norway’s Lyngen Alps at 70º North, Lyngen Experience Lodge offers dog sledding, snowmobiling, snowshoeing, cross country skiing and boat safaris, but the main reason to come to the Norwegian Arctic wilderness is for its outdoor hot tub views of the mountains and the aurora. Its apartments all have a sauna with sea view in the common area.
Wishing you clear skies and wide eyes.
