21 WATCH THE AURORA FROM A BAR IN ICELAND
If you like the idea of spending winter nights looking up at the northern lights – but you’re not so keen on enduring the sub-zero temperatures – then book in to Iceland’s stunning Ion Adventure Hotel (below), sitting among mountainous lava fields 40 minutes’ drive from Reykjavík. The hotel’s striking Northern Lights bar has floor-to-ceiling windows from which you might spot the aurora from the comfort of an armchair or sofa. If you can summon up the courage to step outside into the icy cold, take a guided (daytime) hiking trip to the geothermal hot springs or, alternatively, strike out on a kayaking trip navigating Iceland’s wild Hvítá river, which carries the run-off from the giant Langjökull glacier on its journey to the Atlantic Ocean (from £290; ionadventure.ioniceland.is).