Glimpsing the aurora borealis—better known as the Northern Lights—requires only geographical knowledge and a bit of luck, when it comes to the weather. Your options for viewing the once-in-a-lifetime wonder are many these days, but most require you to trek outside your cabin or hotel and into the wilderness to view nature's kaleidoscope. One hotel, however, figures you'll enjoy them best from the comfort of your bed—and you can now do that, thanks to this new series of bubble hotel rooms.
About 1.5 to 2 hours east of Reykjavik by car, the 5 Million Star Hotel (get it?) offers five individual bubble rooms you can book to watch as the Northern Lights wash over the night sky. Each bubble—named Una, Asta, Thorunn, Valdis, and Maria—is "kept inflated by a slight over-pressure from a noiseless ventilation system" that also prevents humidity, and includes "heating elements with thermostat so the bubble stays warm all winter." That's key, given the remote location of all the bubbles and the fact average daily temperatures dip to 28 degrees Fahrenheit in January.
While you'll be out in the wilderness with nothing but a clear plastic wall between you and the elements, you won't exactly be roughing it. Each room comes outfitted with a double bed that can sleep two adults in close proximity to a shared service house, along with a lamp and an outlet to charge your phone—but sorry, no Wi-Fi. In the service house, you'll find a cozy kitchen, bathroom, shower, and dining space that's all relatively no-frills, and you'll have to handle your amenities and food separately. But let's be real: You're not sleeping in a translucent bubble in the forest because you're after amenities. You're there for the scenery.
A night in each bubble costs between $275 to $285 (ISK 28,900-29,900) per night for just the borealis bubble experience. But if you're after a more active journey, Ferdamenn Islands, the company behind the 5 Million Star Hotel, offers a Golden Circle day tour for $569 (ISK 59,900) that includes stops at Thingvellir National Park, a UNESCO world heritage site; a geyser hot spring in Haukadalur; the Gullfloss Waterfall; a dip in the Secret Lagoon at Fludir (that's 100-104 degrees, year-round); and of course, a night's stay in a bubble.
You can only book the bubbles and tour through the company's website—which it claims helps cut out a 15 percent fee that'd normally go to a booking agency. In any case, if you're interested, the best time to see the aurora borealis is between September and March, though you're not guaranteed to see them on any given night.
No matter when you go, these bubbles offer one more way to make your trip to see the Northern Lights feel entirely otherworldly. And that's the whole point, isn't it?
