A Wintery Week in Iceland: Hotels

During my time in Iceland, I had the opportunity to stay at three lovely hotels. Although I did not choose these particular hotels given that they were part of the tour package I booked (i.e., I did not spend hours exhaustively researching options before finding the perfect place), I would stay at each of them again. Icelandair Hotel Reykjavik Marina

For my night in Reykjavik, I stayed at the stylish and quirky Icelander Hotel Reykjavik Marina. Located, as the name suggests, right next to the water, the hotel provides easy access to the marina and some of the best seafood restaurants in Iceland. When I arrived extra early in the morning (my flight got in before 7 am, after all), the front desk kindly stowed my bags and prioritized getting a room clean for me while I set out for breakfast. The major shopping streets of Reykjavik, discussed in my previous post, were about a 10 - 15 minute walk from the hotel. Although, perhaps even shorter if I did not have to walk gingerly in order to avoid slipping on the ice.

Not only was my room fantastic, the hotel had great common spaces, including a small cinema and a library, and served a generous and delicious breakfast buffet that was included with my deluxe room. I loved everything about this place.

Hotel Grimsborgir

For the next three nights, I stayed in the absolutely gorgeous Hotel Grimsborgir.  Located in the dark and quiet Icelandic countryside along the famous Golden Circle, this hotel had a unique set up that was both my favorite and least favorite aspect of the stay: the hotel was not a single building. The main building housed reception and the restaurant, where dinner was available and where the breakfast buffet was served in the mornings.

The hotel rooms were located in multiple buildings spread throughout the property. This meant that going to dinner or breakfast involved a beautiful walk through the snowy landscape.

It also meant that going to dinner or breakfast meant an icy, cold, and slippery walk through the snowy landscape.

It was always a bit of a relief to make it back to my room each night knowing I had made it another day without wiping out in the snow. It also probably helped that my room looked like this:

Getting to end each day in this hotel room with a hot bath or by curling up in the cozy chair for a FaceTime call with my boyfriend was wonderful. My patio was also a great spot to keep my eyes out for the northern lights while in my pajamas. The Hotel Grimsborgir was perfection.

Northern Light Inn

This was my least favorite of the places I stayed. Most likely chosen because of the convenient location to both the airport and the Blue Lagoon, the Northern Light Inn was perfectly adequate, but could not possibly compare to the other places I stayed. The room was clean and comfortable, but missing the small touches such as blackout curtains (which would sort of seem necessary during the Icelandic summer) and fancy bathrooms (I sort of have a thing for nice showers).

I cannot speak to the breakfast, because I slept too late to enjoy it, but the public spaces were spacious and provided a nice place to spend time after checking out of my room and before my shuttle to the airport on the last day of my trip.

Overall, I could not have asked for better places to stay while in Iceland. I would not hesitate to recommend each of them to anyone traveling in Iceland. I know not everyone gets excited about hotels, but if, like me, you enjoy staying in nice places, these are fantastic options.