A refuge from the modern worldIn the fall of 1870, four young bachelors from the Icelandic fishing village of Eyrarbakki landed on Washington Island. By the end of the century, the island had become a center of Icelandic culture. Washington Island is the second-oldest Icelandic settlement in America, and if you know where to look, I assured Mel, hints of that history still abound. Established in 1904 by Ben Johnson, another Eyrarbakkian, the colonial-style Hotel Washington now offers eight small guest rooms and two shared bathrooms above a farm-to-fork restaurant awash in natural light. Once the island’s social hub, the hotel retains an old-world feel, despite the updates.

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Persons: ”, “, Mel, Ben Johnson Locations: Eyrarbakki, Washington, Iceland, America