As summer turns to autumn, one can’t help but look back on the summer that has passed. A popular activity for many during weekends and summer vacations in Iceland is to head into the countryside and spend a few days—or longer—at a summer house.

In Iceland, summer houses, or vacation homes, are usually wooden cottages, often left unpainted, and equipped with a hot tub and other modern-day comforts. They may be referred to as summer houses, but they are equally popular during autumn and winter.

Many labor unions and some companies have summer houses which are available to rent at a reduced rate for a few days or a week by their members and staff. A few years ago it was even popular for people to build their own holiday cottages.

But there are also many other options too.

And that’s a good thing as union and company-owned vacation homes book out fast. On my quest to find the perfect weekend accommodation, I’ve been browsing several websites designed specifically as intermediaries between house owners and those looking for a place to rent. Some of them are in English and offer special deals from time to time.

One of those is bungalo.com, a website set up to assist Icelandic families rent out their summer houses. The website allows people to select from hundreds of properties and book them online.

According to Bungalo’s website, the idea came about when two of its founders were looking to rent a summer house of their own. The idea was born after much time spent on the internet and realizing that booking a summer house in Iceland was no easy task.

Launched in 2010, the website allows you to select accommodation by location and dates, as well as by facilities offered. For example, some summer houses offer hot tubs, barbecues and internet.

Another good option is Icelandic Farm Holidays. The association is a chain of almost 180 farmhouses around Iceland.

Unlike bungalo.com, they offer accommodation in not only cottages but also in homes, guesthouses and country hotels. Again, you can make your search for availability based on location, dates and accommodation type.

The only problem is trying to choose from among them...

Zoë Robert – zoe@icelandreview.com