Year: 2014 (Page 3 of 7)

We stayed in by far the tiniest room of our whole trip. There was barely room to open our suitcases. The bathroom was tiny also. With the toilet being place almost in the shower. This hotel is very basic, but its location makes up for that. This is the right starting point to visit the beautiful and rugged Landmannalaugar. Actually this hotel is more a hostel, with long, unwelcoming halls.

We also had dinner here, since there were no other options around. Too bad the vegetables on our plate were cold. Probably the vegetables were placed on the plate some time before the meat. We would have send it back, but we were so hungry that we ate our cold dinner. A pity. Breakfast was also basic, but ok.

The Highland Center Hrauneyjar, Sprengisandur, Hella 851, Iceland (Formerly Hrauneyjar Guesthouse)

Stayed July 2014. You can find my review about The Highland Center Hrauneyjar also on TripAdvisor. My scores: value 3/5, cleanliness 4/5, service 3/5.

We had an absolutely wonderful experience with North Sailing. We made online reservations, which was fast and convenient. We were lucky to have lovely weather: very sunny and a clear blue sky. We were advised to wear warm clothes though. I’m very thankful the lady at the counter stressed this, because it was very cold and windy on the boat.

It didn’t take long before we saw our first whale, no, two humpback whales swimming together. What a spectacular view! We got to see them lots of times and got to marvel at the beauty of these creatures. We also saw a minke whale.

Very succesful trip!

North Sailing, Husavik Harbour, Husavik 640, Iceland
https://www.northsailing.is/
+354 464 7272

Visited July 2014. You can find my review about North Sailing also on TripAdvisor.

It was a rather strange experience to stay in a school building. We got a strange back to school vibe. The room was spacious with lots of room to put our belongings away. The room had no decoration and was rather plane. Their was also a large desk with two chairs. The chairs were very dirty though. View wasn’t much either, since we oversaw the parking lot. Too bad we didn’t get to see the lake. There was wifi in the room, which is rather uncommon for Edda hotels, so we were happy.

The young lady at reception was super friendly and very helpful. Breakfast wasn’t anything special, just the standard Icelandic hotel breakfast.

Hotel Edda – ML Laugarvatn, Laugarvatn 840, Iceland

Stayed July 2014. You can find my review about Hotel Edda – ML Laugarvatn also on TripAdvisor. My scores: value 4/5, location 3/5, service 4/5.

Lots of people want to eat the traditional sachertorte here, so it can get very busy and you’ll probably have to wait outside for a table. It is well worth visiting though for the historical building ánd of course the lovely sachertorte. I also liked the hot chocolate very much. Be warned: use of the coating room is obligatory and you have to pay for it.

Cafe Sacher Wien, Philharmonikerstrasse 4, Vienna 1010, Austria
https://www.sacher.com/
+43 1 514560

Visited May 2014. You can find my review about Cafe Sacher Wien also on TripAdvisor. My scores: value 3/5, atmosphere 5/5, service 4/5, food 4/5.

We stayed for 3 nights in Reykjavik Lights. Rooms are not big, but you have everything you need. I liked the fact that the theme of the hotel (lights) was also used in the rooms. Bathroom was modern and very clean. Loved the rain shower. The staff was friendly and professional. Breakfast was ok, but choices were limited.

There is lot of parking space at the hotel, so this is an ideal place to start your roadtrip through Iceland. The hotel is located quite far from the city center though, so be prepared to walk a while or just take the car, parking isn’t a problem in Reykjavik.

I would have loved for the room to have better curtains though. We visited Iceland during summer and since it was light early in the morning we couldn’t sleep very well. Why not invest in better curtains or another means to keep the light out?

Reykjavik Lights by Keahotels, Sudurlandsbraut 12, Reykjavik 108, Iceland

Stayed August 2014. You can find my review about Reykjavik Lights by Keahotels also on TripAdvisor. My scores: value 4/5, cleanliness 4/5, service 4/5.

My boyfriend and I stopped here for food on our way to Reykjavik. The cafe is a cosy place with a friendly atmosphere and staff was very nice (albeit a little slow). I had the goulash soup, which was good, but a little too much for me. I especially liked the fresh baked bread (it was still warm when served) with my soup. My friend liked his pasta chicken Alfredo also. The cakes looked delicious, but we both didn’t have any room left for dessert.

Alafoss Cafe, Alafoss 27, Mosfellsbaer, Reykjavik 270, Iceland
+354 566 8030

Visited August 2014. You can find my review about Alafoss Cafe also on TripAdvisor. My scores: value 4/5, atmosphere 4/5, service 3/5, food 4/5.

We found Farmhotel Efstidalur through tripadvisor. I was very curious about ‘dining with the cows’. We made a reservation and were seated at a table by the window with a nice view of the cows. It was clearly dinner time for the cows also, because soon the stable below us was full with cows. (I did smell them a little bit though.)

Of course I had to order steak. My boyfriend ordered the burger. The meat was delicious: very soft and perfectly baked. Loved it. Staff was friendly but they dropped the ball a little bit when we ordered dessert. I absolutely wanted to try the icecream made on the farm and my boyfriend ordered the chocolate cake. My icecream arrived very quickly and was delicious. But after ten minutes my boyfriend still didn’t have his dessert. We asked the waiter and just then the cake arrived. The cake was lovely, but should have arrived together with my icecream.

A pity, because we really had a lovely evening between the cows.

Efstidalur II, Efstidalur 2 Farmhotel Efstidalur, Laugarvatn 840, Iceland
http://efstidalur.is/
+354 486 1186

Visited August 2014. You can find my review about Efstidalur II also on TripAdvisor. My scores: value 4/5, atmosphere 5/5, service 3/5, food 5/5.

We stayed for 3 nights in Reykjavik Lights. Rooms are not big, but you have everything you need. I liked the fact that the theme of the hotel (lights) was also used in the rooms. Bathroom was modern and very clean. Loved the rain shower. The staff was friendly and professional. Breakfast was ok, but choices were limited.

There is lot of parking space at the hotel, so this is an ideal place to start your roadtrip through Iceland. The hotel is located quite far from the city center though, so be prepared to walk a while or just take the car, parking isn’t a problem in Reykjavik.

I would have loved for the room to have better curtains though. We visited Iceland during summer and since it was light early in the morning we couldn’t sleep very well. Why not invest in better curtains or another means to keep the light out?

Reykjavik Lights by Keahotels, Sudurlandsbraut 12, Reykjavik 108, Iceland

Stayed August 2014. You can find my review about Reykjavik Lights by Keahotels also on TripAdvisor. My scores: value 4/5, cleanliness 4/5, service 4/5.

I highly recommend taking the guided tour. You get a unique look behind the curtains of this great concert center. Architecture is great and everything is built with the best materials to ensure great acoustics for every performance.

Harpa Reykjavik Concert Hall and Conference Centre, Austurbakki 2, Reykjavik 101, Iceland
https://en.harpa.is/
+354 528 5050

Visited August 2014. You can find my review about Harpa Reykjavik Concert Hall and Conference Centre also on TripAdvisor.

We got a friendly welcome at Framnes hotel although we arrived quite late. We learned that we wouldn’t be staying in the old building, but in a new one further up the road. We had some trouble finding the entrance of this new building, since it was very badly indicated. The rooms in the building were new indeed, there was a very noticeable paint odor in the building. We promptly opened all the windows in our room to get rid of the odor.

The room was small but clean and there was only one chair. Bathroom was also small, but very clean. Shower was clearly new. It is a shame though that the lovely view on the harbor, promised on the website was nowhere to be seen from our room.

Breakfast was basic, enough to fill our stomach, but really nothing special.

Hotel Framnes, Nesvegur 8 Grundarfjordur, Grundarfjorour 350, Iceland

Stayed July 2014. You can find my review about Hotel Framnes also on TripAdvisor. My scores: location 4/5, cleanliness 5/5, service 3/5.