Atlantica - 01.05.2007, Page 95

94 A T L A N T I C A
DRINKING
b5. One of the latest additions 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 the
headquarters of a bank, is the perfect place to enjoy
an espresso while sur ng the net. With large windows
reaching 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 love seat for two.
552 9600. b5.is
OLIVER. While Cafe 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 permitted on the second  oor. After 10 pm, when
the beautiful partiers show up, smoking is allowed on
the  rst  oor, but because Oliver is so spacious, there
are no cumulus clouds of smoke su ocating you while
you try to chat up that woman.
552 2300. cafeoliver.is
KAFFIBARINN. Packed with beautiful, young, drunk
Icelanders who fancy themselves as writers,  lmmak-
ers, artists and bohemians. 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  oods down the street.
551 1588.
SIRKUS. Go before the line starts out the door around
midnight, install yourself at a corner table or on a
barstool, and watch the evening unfold.
You’ll  nd it.

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
and a suit and you are in business. (Or
not. You can rent them at any pool
before you take a dip.)
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
arctic Jacuzzi  ll if you take a dip
in Sundhöllin’s art-decoish hot tubs.
551 4059.
VESTURBAEJARLAUG. The pool
for you if you are looking for the
neighborhood experience in Reyk-
javík. In addition to the 25-meter
pool, there are hot pots, a steam
room, and the only Finnish sauna
found among 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
94 A T L A N T I C A
SLEEPING
HÓTEL 101. The glossiest 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  replace and
enough international design magazines to keep
you busy for weeks. 580 0101. 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 Reyk-
javík’s shopping street.
511 4666. 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.
552 7262. roomwithaview.is
NORDICA HOTEL. ‘The hotel to the stars’ is
what they should rename the Nordica Hotel.
When celebrities travel to Iceland for  lm 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. Yet Nordica has more than star sight-
ings. 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 Faxa ói
Bay. 444 5000. nordicahotel.is
ICELANDa