A summer trip on the Ring Road, all the way around Iceland, led to several surprises. For instance, the sign above. Icelandic names in English tend to be direct, meaning they tend to call it what it is. The sign does not indicate that this is now a hotel.
Old black-and-white photos illustrate how the building was originally used
Circling Iceland provided quite a few logistical challenges. Distances between towns can be far; distances between towns with accommodations can be even farther.
Leaving a few lab coats and boots was a cute touch
At the time the hotel was booked, I thought the name was unusual but didn’t think about again. Only when we checked in did I realize that our hotel was a former milk factory.
The center is used as a common area and for breakfast. A hallway on each side leads to rooms.
Rather than tear down an old building, Icelanders prefer to repurpose a building. A former storage shed with a turf roof is now a restaurant. And a former milk factory is now a hotel. It was fun to check out the conversion, which was well done.
Rooms are modern with plenty of space.
Fully modernized bathrooms hide one important item: wonderfully warm geothermal water. You can have a hot shower almost instantly.
A few of the larger spaces were converted into rooms to accommodate families. This standard room also has a set of stairs leading to a loft with another set of beds.
Just off the main road, in the little town of Hofn, The Milk Factory is surrounded by farms, volcanoes, glaciers and the ocean.
