Hótel Húsavík (formerly Húsavík Cape Hotel) is a unique family run hotel with a cozy vibe and a lot of history, located in the heart of the Diamond Circle in northern Iceland.
This is the perfect place to spend a couple of days while exploring the wonders of the Diamond Circle and the Arctic Coast Way of North Iceland. Famous Geosea natural bath is just up the road and the whale watching fleet, for which our town is known for, is just a stones throw away. Check out the website of Gentle Giants, apply the promo code JAJAWHALE to your booking and receive a 10% discount on both whale watching tours: GG1 and GG2.
Fans of Eurovision can enjoy the only Eurovision Exhibition in the world. It is officially licensed by the EBU and displays original costumes and props from the world’s biggest music event. Since the Netflix blockbuster“ Eurovision – The story of Fire Saga” was partly shot here in our lovely hometown, thousands of guests visit our exhibition, which covers a wide array of costumes and props from the movie. Again, what makes it unique is the fact that this is the only Netflix production ever which has put these precious items on display for the public.
Both these significant collections are under one roof with the hotel, together with our cozy Jaja Ding Dong bar. Here you can enjoy signature cocktails inspired by the movie, beer from the tap as well as specialties from local producers. Hotel guests benefit from a 10% discount from all food and drinks.
Before the Eurovision Song Contest 2025 all participants were asked to perform a cover of a song of their choice. Remember Monday from the UK chose the epic song "Húsavik (My Hometown)" from the Eurovision movie. The song was nominated for an Academy Award and was performed and filmed at the harbour in Húsavík for the 2021 Oscars ceremony.
Sunshine greeted the band upon arrival in Húsavík and together with the local girls choir, they boarded the oak boat Sylvía of Gentle Giants to achieve their dream. "We're very honoured that they welcomed us into their beautiful town and let us sing that song [...] and we're grateful that it's on film so we can relive those memories forever. [...] We've never seen anywhere as beautiful with our own eyes," are the words of the band in an interview with BBC afterwards.
The band stayed in Hótel Húsavík, had tea with the elves living next to our hotel, visited the Eurovision Exhibition (of course!) and ended the day by relaxing in Geosea. The costumes they wore in ESC 2025 performing "What The Hell Just Happened" are on display in our exhibition.
The music video was produced by Örlygur Hnefill Örlygsson, one of the owners of our hotel, who now runs the Eurovision Exhibition and featured the hotel manager Gerd Eston Sepp as the astronaut.
APOLLO PROGRAM
Did you know that in 1965 and 1967 the Astronauts of the Apollo Program came near this town, Húsavík, as part of their training? Apparently, Iceland is the place on Earth most similar to the Moon environment, thanks to its volcanic geology and lack of vegetation. Nine of the 12 men who set foot on the Moon between 1969 and 1972 first came to Iceland as part of the Apollo geology field exercises to study the country’s geology, the idea being that it would help them understand the Moon’s geology when they visited. The exercises included the ‘Moon game’: The astronauts would pretend to be on the Moon and attempt to complete the most important field observations, such as collecting samples. Next to the Eurovision Exhibition a room is also dedicated to the moon and the men who trained in Iceland for their great journeys to the dark, cold space.
I spent around ten days exploring the volcanically active regions of Iceland, a place so stark and barren I felt as if I were already on the moon. We were there in the summertime, and it seemed like the sun never set. You could be out at 3 a.m. and see people strolling the city streets, the stores still open”
-Al Worden, Apollo 15 Astronaut
We went to Hawaii, to Iceland, great places to focus on volcanic rocks. The assumption was that on the Moon we would encounter tectonic formations principally, or remnants of volcanic and tectonic lava flows, that sort of thing. I was very tempted to sneak a piece of limestone up there with us on Apollo 11 and bring it back as a sample.”
– Neil Armstrong, Apollo 11 Astronaut
One of my most memorable trips was to the volcanically active and very remote region of central Askja, Iceland, in July 1967. Known for its volcanic craters called calderas, this region had a very rocky terrain with black volcanic sand, as well as a large lake and hot springs. It was a misty, surreal place unlike anything I’d ever seen in my travels. And because we were there during the summer it seemed like the sun never set.”
-Edgar Mitchell, Apollo 14 Astronaut
We took one of our best field trips to Iceland. If you want to go to a place on earth that looks like the Moon, central Iceland should be high on your list, as it beautifully displays volcanic geology with virtually no vegetation cover.”
-Dr. Elbert A. King, Apollo Program Geologist
OUR FAMILY
The Örlyson family of Húsavík and Flatey Island (seen on the picture from the Flateyjar Peninsula).
For 400 years our family has lived around the Skjálfandi Bay. Our great grandmother Jakobína was born in Brettingsstaðir, an isolated farm on the Flateyjar Peninsula, and our great grandfather Sigurjón was born in Útibær farm on Flatey Island, across the bay from Húsavík. In 1929, Sigurjón and Jakobína built a new farm on Flatey island, and named it Miðgarðar. The name comes from the the old Norse mythology, where Miðgarðar or Middle Earth is one of the Nine Worlds and the only one that is completely visible to mankind.
In that home our grandmother Emilía was raised with her six brothers and two sisters. During her childhood, most goods needed to be transferred by boat from Húsavík to the island. In hard winters, the Skjálfandi bay would sometimes freeze over and that left the islanders with no other option but to cross the icy bay by foot, a dangerous feat, but necessary to keep live on the island.
In the summer of 1945, our family moved across the bay and settled in the town of Húsavík, where members of the family have since been active in local culture and politics. Two members of our family have served as presidents of the Húsavík Town Council and two have served in the Icelandic Parliament Althingi, the oldest continuous Parliament in the world.
On the picture Gunnar Hnefill, the CEO of Hótel Húsavík, is putting up the sign for our first guesthouse, which our family founded in 2009. Two years later we founded the Exploration Museum, and opened the museum in the town center in 2014.
We have been blessed with friends around the world, and some friends who have been quite far out of this world as well, namely some of NASA’s Apollo astronauts. Our family has always looked beyond the local, and been interested to work with people around the world. We have worked with fur traders in Greece, mustard makers in Maine, we have traveled the world and worked with explorers of land, sea and space.
The house, which is now home to Hótel Húsavík was built in 1950. It was once a shrimp factory, later a salt fish factory and finally a carpentry workshop. The house had mostly been empty and in a rather poor condition when the new owners took it over – with changes and a new role in mind. “We started by stripping the house completely inside and shoveling the floors out to install a new piping system. Then new floors were built and walls were installed. What's left is the construction on the second floor of the house where there are supposed to be ten rooms. I expect that this facility will be in use in one to two years and then it will be a seventeen-room hotel in the best place in town" Örlygur Hnefill said after opening the hotel for the first time in July 2012.
Initially the hotel therefore only had one floor and seven rooms. The building, which is now home to Jaja Ding Dong bar and the Eurovision Exhibition was empty. Instead of windows letting in light and allowing people to have gorgeous views of the town while enjoying cocktails, there was a garage dor. Now Hótel Húsavík is two story building with 19 rooms and at its full capacity more than 40 people can stay here. We keep making improvements, renovating the rooms and updating facilities, while keeping the cozy old-school vibe.
We look forward to welcoming you in Húsavík "where the mountains sing through the screams of seagulls, where the whales can live, cause they're gentle people. In my hometown," as sang by Molly Sandén and Will Ferrell in the Oscar-nominated "Húsavík (My Hometown)".
