Atlantica - 01.02.2006, Page 64

DRINKING
b5. The latest addition to Reykjavík’s crowded café scene
is b5, a swanky bistro located in the belly of 101. By day,
the elegant café, which used to be part of the headquarters
of a big Icelandic bank, is the perfect place to enjoy an
espresso while surfing the net. With large windows reach-
ing out onto downtown, even on the darkest, rainy day, b5
is bathed in that precious commodity: light. When evening
comes, feel part of the moneyed elite while you sip on a
cocktail, sitting on the wall-length sofa that feels as cozy as
a loveseat for two. Bankastræti 5. 552-9600. www.b5.is
OLIVER. While Café Oliver is not smoke-free, it’s one of
the few Reykjavík bars where revelers can actually breathe
in the air. During restaurant hours, smoking is only permit-
ted on the second floor. After 10pm, when the beautiful
partiers show up, smoking is allowed on the first floor, but
because Oliver is spacious, there are no cumulus clouds of
smoke suffocating you while you try to chat up that gor-
geous blonde. Laugavegur 20a. 552-2300. www.cafeoliver.is
KAFFIBARINN. Packed with beautiful, young, drunk
Icelanders who fancy themselves as writers, filmmakers,
artisits and bohemiams. Dress down because the beer spills,
and the bar is thick with cigarette smoke. Wear sunglasses
if you prefer. Just show up before 2am, when the line to
enter floods down the street. Bergstadastræti 1. 551-1588.
VÍNBARINN. Away from the fray, Vínbarinn is a favorite
downtown spot for people more interested in conversa-
tion than sitting on their neighbor’s lap. After shopping or
gallery hopping, install yourself by a big window in the late
afternoon and have a glass of wine. Kirkjutorg 4. 552-4120.
SOAKING
You haven’t seen Reykjavík if you
haven’t been to the pools; there are
16 in the capital area alone. Bring
a towel, a suit (or not; you can rent
them at any pool before you take a
dip), and you are in business.
LAUGARDALSLAUG. The grand-
daddy of Reykjavík’s pools. It has
both indoor and outdoor 50-meter
pools, hot pots, a steam room, sun
lamps, and a waterslide to boot.
553-4039.
SUNDHÖLLIN. If there is ice on
the deck at Laugardalslaug, you
may want to check out the oldest
indoor pool in Iceland, dating back
to the 1930s. You can still get your
outdoor Jacuzzi fix if you take a dip
in Sundhöllin’s art-decoish hot tubs.
551-4059.
VESTURBÆJARLAUG. The
pool for you if you are looking
for the neighborhood experience
in Reykjavík. In addition to the
25-meter pool, there are hot pots, a
steam room, and the only Finnish
sauna found in Reykjavík’s public
pools. You have to pay a little extra
to sweat it out like a Finn, but it is
worth it. 551-5004.
Sleep, Drink & Soak
62 AT L A N T I CA
SLEEPING
HÓTEL 101. The hippest boutique hotel in
Reykjavík, 101 is stylish and stylized in all shades
of black, white and stainless steel. With 38 rooms
and a very cozy hotel bar with a fireplace and
enough international design magazines to keep
you busy for weeks. Hverfisgata 10. 580-0101.
www.101hotel.is
HÓTEL FRÓN. A modest 63-room Scandinavian
hotel, Frón is comfortable, low key, and surpris-
ingly quiet for being smack in the middle of
Reykjavík’s shopping street. Klapparstígur 35a.
511-4666. www.hotelfron.is
ROOM WITH A VIEW. Stay for a night or two
weeks in your own pied-a-terre in downtown
Reykjavík. Not your typical apartment hotel,
these sleek apartments range from stylish to
vampish. Stainless steel, black leather and Jacuzzis
abound. Laugavegur 18. 552-7262. www.roomwith-
aview.is
NORDICA HOTEL. ‘The hotel to the stars’ is
what they should rename the Nordica Hotel.
When celebrities travel to Iceland for film festivals
or New Year’s Eve parties, many stay at the plush
Nordica Hotel, overlooking Reykjavík’s Laugar-
dalur valley. Why, just last January we received an
e-mail from a guest who was all giddy about the
breakfast table he shared with director Quentin
Tarantino. Nordica has more than star sightings.
There’s Vox restaurant. The hotel features live
jazz three nights a week. Then there’s the view,
of Mt. Esja rising above the deep blue of Faxafloi
Bay. Sudurlandsbraut 2; 444-5000;
www.noridcahotel.is.
ICELANDa
SPECIAL PROMOTION
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