Welcome back to my Iceland series. In this post, let’s focus on where to stay. In Iceland, you’ve got multiple options from camping to luxury hotel rooms. During my initial phase of planning, we considered renting a camper van and just camping our way around the Ring Road. I still love this idea, but we were going at the start of winter. I really wanted to drive around the entire country, and camper vans don’t always handle well in wind and snow. However, the campgrounds are very affordable, and a camper van would be a fun adventure so look into that option if you’re trying to keep your budget lower.
Since we chose to rent a car, we needed lodging. You can find hotel rooms and rental homes in all price ranges, from hostels and family owned guest houses to luxury hotels with spas and fancy restaurants. We chose a little mix of everything, but before I give you my reviews on the places we personally stayed, I want to share a few tips on ways to save and what to expect from your lodging in Iceland.
One tip I highly recommend is looking for places that include a free breakfast. Food is one of the bigger expenses on the trip, and we saved quite a lot by eating a hearty breakfast before we set off on our travels. You can also choose rooms with a shared bathroom. All of the shared facilities that I saw were clean, comfortable, and never too crowded. As always, the rooms will be cheaper during shoulder seasons. In high tourist areas and in the high season, definitely book in advance if possible. Even in October, I noticed many places were at capacity.
As far as the rooms, most or all of ours included a hair dryer, toiletries, and electric kettles. About half of our rooms had a television, but only a couple had access to streaming services. Most rooms did not have washcloths. A couple had refrigerators, but on more than one night, we simply set our collapsible cooler outside and it was cold enough for cheese and yogurt to stay fresh. The rooms themselves are quite warm, so consider bringing a travel fan. We used ours every night.
One last quick topic is laundry. We did not find any laundry facilities during our twelve day trip. I was aware ahead of time that washing could be an issue, so I packed laundry soap and a sink kit, and we washed our clothes by hand. Fortunately, the warm hotel rooms dried the clothes overnight. Without further ado, here are the places we used as lodging for the night.
Reykjavík Natura: This hotel in Reykjavík was one of the fancier places we stayed. Convenient to the bus, it offers a spa experience for purchase and is a short distance to Perlan. It did not offer free breakfast while we were there. This hotel is accessible with elevators, although they were small and frequently in use. We were quite tired from the flight so we didn’t check out much of this lodging. It did have some interesting art in the lobby.
Björk Guesthouse: A small guest lodging with self-service rooms located in Laugarvatn, this building is one of the oldest houses in the area. We got emailed a key code to get inside and into our room. This building is one story, but as you can see in this photo, it does have a few steps to get in. This guesthouse didn’t have free breakfast, but it did have a fridge and kettle. The delightful owners also left us a complimentary Icelandic chocolate bar. The front area had an honor fridge with drinks such as soda and beer. Bonus: this guesthouse is within walking distance of Laugarvatn Fontana and is situated in the heart of the Golden Circle.
Bitra Guesthouse: We enjoyed this guesthouse conveniently located in Selfoss the most on our trip, and for an in-depth review, check out this post. One experience we were really looking for was what an Icelandic home might feel like. This family owned lodging lived up to our imaginations. Our room was comfortable and spacious, and we had a door opening onto the back terrace. This guest house is convenient to both the Golden Circle and the south coast. They have a common room with a library, large screen television, games, maps, and more. The free breakfast here was excellent, as well. Please contact them for accessibility help.
Hörgsland Guesthouse: This lodging offers both a guest house and cottages. We stayed in the guest house itself. If you cannot climb stairs, be sure to get a room on the first floor if you stay here. The rooms were decent, the showers were difficult to get into and out of if you have mobility issues. Free breakfast, convenient to the South Coast, and in a scenic location, this guest house was a perfectly fine place for us to stay for the night.
Milk Factory: This hotel used to be a milk factory, and they have all kinds of historical items and photos from those times. Our room used to be the loading dock, so it was large and very accessible. The bathroom was a wet room, lots of space, and very easy to navigate! We could see horses from our large picture window in the room. Breakfast was free and lots of choices, including freshly made skyr parfaits. I highly recommend staying here if you find yourself in Höfn.
Hotel Eyvindará: We adored our stay here at this little inn. They offered a happy hour bar with beer on tap. They also had hot tubs and a terrace. Our room had a gorgeous view of the sunset, and that night we saw the Northern Lights right outside of the hotel. Our room was on the second floor, and I would inquire about wheelchair accessible rooms if you need one. Breakfast was included. A simple, quiet hotel just outside of the city and perfect for looking at the skies.
Sél-Hótel Mývatn: One of the fancier places we stayed, this hotel was very accessible with ramps and a nice elevator. The lobby had lots of bird art, taxidermy animals, and interesting wall hangings in the hallways. Our room was on the second floor, and it was huge! We had a separate living room area and one and a half baths. The bar offered a happy hour, including beer brewed by the hotel. A free breakfast was included with two rooms filled with delicious options such as breads, meats, cheeses, drinks, oatmeal, waffle bar, fruit and vegetable trays, and more. This hotel also had hot tubs available for use, as well as a pool table and darts, and a restaurant.
Hotel Akureyri Dynheimar: This fun little hotel was themed around movies. Our room had a guitar in it and we heard a few other people playing in their rooms as well. The staff was very friendly, and the bar at the main hotel had a happy hour as well. Our room was on the first floor and accessible, including the shower. I did see stairs though so be sure to let them know you need an accessible room if you go. This hotel had free breakfast but we ate some of the snacks and skyr we’d bought that morning. We loved the movie quotes on the door to every room.
Fosshotel Reykholt: A chain hotel, this one was perfectly fine if fancy run of the mill hotels is your thing. Everyone was nice, it had spa facilities available, a restaurant, and breakfast for purchase. We chose it for the location near the Snorrastofa, and to head to the Snæfellsnes Peninsula the next day. The room and the hotel itself were accessible and easy to navigate, although more expensive than I really wanted it to be. The restaurant offered delicious food but at a steep price.
Hotel Langaholt and Restaurant: This family run place was a great choice for us. It was a little more expensive than some places we stayed, but it was in the perfect location for our trip. I was not disappointed in the dinner buffet or the free breakfast buffet. Both had lots of choices, yummy homemade style food, and we got to try some fish dishes I hadn’t ordered yet. Our room was directly off the parking lot and very accessible. The bathroom was also easy to navigate. We had a gorgeous view and could see and hear the waves crashing on the beach in the distance from our own private terrace. Magical. The hotel itself has lots of common areas and fun old collectibles to look at.
Hotel Viking: I chose this lodging for location and I will be honest, it looked kitschy and fun. Loads of viking themed funny stuff, spa facilities, and another excellent free breakfast at a reasonable price, this hotel offered us a last fun evening in Iceland at a location convenient to the airport. The rooms were small and the bathtub required you to step over and into it. They did have an elevator, so please inquire about accessible rooms if you go. We got to watch some stormy skies and a choppy harbor from our room.
So there you have our list of where we stayed and how we fared as far as lodging. On average, we paid about $175/room for two people, and 8 of the 11 places we stayed offered a free breakfast buffet. All offered free parking as well. I think the the primary issue you may find is accessibility if that is something you need. Iceland is amazing, but often we found that accessibility is a little different than what we in the United States think of as accessible. However, every lodging offered assistance where necessary. Just be sure to double check the accessibility with the hotel before reserving. If you have any questions about where we stayed, use the contact us form to send me an email!