Árgerði - Family home in North Iceland

Once the house of the regional doctor's practice in the mid XXth century, this Funkis gem in north Iceland is now a family owned paradise. Ideally located in a bird reserve connecting the grandiose Svarfaðardalur valley and the village of Dalvík, La Maison Rivière welcomes guests and friends in an elegant house surrounded by picturesque landscape to be found in every direction. The space Árgerði is a cultural and architectural landmark in north Iceland that is owned by an Icelandic and French family. It is located right by the banks of a large river flowing from the beautiful Svarfaðardalur valley. The fishing village of Dalvík is at a few minutes walking-distance from our house. Our neighbours are local farmers and the nature surrounding the house is breathtaking in every direction. We live in a bird sanctuary where wild geese and ptarmigans can be find nesting in our yard among many other species. The skiing slopes of Dalvik are situated within a five minutes drive for a “ski in and ski out” experience. We will be happy to assist you in participating in that activity during winter as well as for the other activities available around such as fishing or horseback riding during spring, summer and fall season. Guest access The entire first floor has private entrances and is dedicated to our guests with 3 bedrooms, a living room, a piano study, a sunroom and one large bathroom to be shared among guests only. It has a direct access to our garden and the land that stretches into the valley. Our accommodation is a single group rent only so you will not be sharing the space with other people. You will be hosted privately whether you are an individual or a group of up to six people. There is no kitchen on the first floor and cooking is not allowed in the rooms or the premises. We would be happy to arrange a delicious breakfast for you and dinner can be pre-ordered as well. Coffee and tea are included free of charge during your stay. There is a grand piano in our house that is not for decor. Playing the piano is permitted upon request and we ask our guests to treat it as an instrument and not as a furniture. Nothing except music sheets and books should ever be placed on top of it. Please also take care of not touching the instrument with sharp or metallic objects, and watch out for greasy hands :) Other things to note Our house is ideally cross-located within the amazing nature of the Svarfaðardalur valley and the fishing village of Dalvík. The road 82 passes in front of our property and there can be a bit of cars passing by on “rush hours” (considering that we live in the countryside). The proximity of the road has pros and cons but we appreciate that our kids can easily meet their friends in town just by using their bikes. A few minutes walk along that road will lead you into town where you will find everything that a small community village in Iceland has to offer. To name a few, the cultural and information center “Berg” that has an excellent program of various events including concerts, exhibitions and other hosted activities. The bar coffee “Gisli Eirikur Helgi” with its unique and authentic atmosphere where a truly delicious fish soup is prepared daily from 11 am to 3 pm. The harbour of Dalvík which is the best place in Iceland for whale watching departures. This also where you can catch a ferry for Grimsey, which is the northernmost Island of the country and sits above the polar circle.