Reykjavik Hotels

Old Apr 20th, 2003, 03:55 PM
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Reykjavik Hotels

My husband and I are considering taking a short trip (4 days, 3 nights) to Reykjavik in May or June. I think that we will go with a package trip through IcelandAir since we live in NY.

The following hotels are the ones that are offered as part of the package. Has anyone had any recent experiences at any of these hotels?

Icelandair Hotel Loftleidir
Top Hotel Reykjavik
Hotels Skjaldbreid/Klopp
Radisson SAS Island
Radisson SAS Saga
Nordica Hotel
Hotel Odinsve
Top Hotel Grand
Hotel Borg
101 Hotel

Any information would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
valerie is offline  
Old Apr 20th, 2003, 04:33 PM
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Valerie-We stayed at Hotel Loftleidir last June-it's a full service hotel literally at the end of the runway on Reykjavik's domestic airport-it's about a 45 min ride from the international airport. Service staff were very friendly. Great, hearty full breakfast in the hotel's dining room. About 1/2 hr or so walk from downtown Reykjavik, and maybe a 10 minute cab ride from Kringlan Mall. We took advantage of Icelandair's Take-A-Break package on our return from Oslo. Reykjavik offers a wide range of things to see/do-the downtown is small enough to be easily seen in one day-and allows for plenty of time to browse in all the wonderful shops. Plenty of restaurant choices as well.

Reykjavik is virtually pollution free, although you may experience heavy fog at times. And, oh, was it windy! It's a beautiful city so take lots of time to explore it, and of course, the surrounding countryside. Probably quite unlike anything you've seen before! ENJOY!

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Old Apr 20th, 2003, 06:11 PM
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Skjaldbreid is a great location, right in the heart of town, but it's got rather tiny rooms. The rooftop breakfast room is really nice, though. Island (Eesland, by the way, as in the country, not i-land) is okay, but kind of out of the way. Loftleider is the pick-up point for a lot of tours, but pretty basic. Saga has very nice and very large rooms and is about a ten minute (nice) walk to the heart of town. If you're just taking the short trip and want to see as much of Iceland as possible, Loftleider is probably your best bet; if you want to experience mostly Reykjavik, you might want to try Borg (haven't been there yet, but heard lots of good things) or Skjaldbreid or Saga.

I'll be happy to answer any other questions that I can!
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Old Apr 20th, 2003, 06:16 PM
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I agree with Debs' take on the Hotel Loftleidir. Here's a link to my Rough Guides entry on Reyjavik. It's brief and there are several pix, but if you click on the hotel entry and then click on the photo, it will take you through some quick interior shots:

http://travel.roughguides.com/planning/journal.asp?JournalID=1983

You'll have a great trip to Iceland. It's a very interesting and friendly place.
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Old Apr 21st, 2003, 07:28 AM
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I stayed at the Radisson Saga. It was a nice hotel and about a 10 minute walk into town which was handy. They have a nice breakfast that comes with the room and a tour desk in the lobby. Beware though, the gym is an extra charge and not included with the room. I didn't stay there, but I would say check out the Hotel Borg and see what the cost is. It's right in town and convenient for walking to the shops and restaurants. The Loftleidir is not within walking distance to town, but convenient for all the tours as the buses all leave from there. Enjoy your stay in Iceland. It is amazing. You must go to the Blue Lagoon.
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Old Apr 21st, 2003, 08:31 AM
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eri
 
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For real Icelandic atmosphere I would choose Odinsve. It is right in center of town, it is small and friendly. Nothing like those huge places that look and feel like any other place in the world. And on top of that it has one of the best restaurants of Reykjavik.
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Old Apr 23rd, 2003, 02:51 AM
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Valerie, if money is no object, I'll go for 101 hotel, one of the hip hotels of the world. It is conveniently situated, just off the main street Laugavegur/Bankastraeti where most restaurants, cafes, bars and shops are located. The exterior is nothing to write home about but once you get inside you know why it is voted one of the hip hotels of the world, it's uber chic. The entrance of the hotel is very discreet if you don't know it you'll probably miss it.

My second choice will be the elegant Hotel Borg, the grand dame of Reykjavik. The rooms are furnished in a old fashioned yet charming way. The room is comfortable, bathrooms in some rooms can be small. It is situated near Austursitra (very convenientfor the Tourist Information Centre), in front of a quiet square, the Tjornin (the Pond) is also nearby.

Hotel Kopp will be my third choice for location and price. It is situated a street parallel to Laugavegur hence convenient for shops, cafe, restaurants and bars. The room is a small but adequately furnished. You'll have the view of the harbour in some rooms.

Hotel Skjaldbreid is situated on Laugavegur, it can't be better situated but the Laugavegur gets pretty noisy during Friday and Saturday nights, as the locals making their way to the nearby bars and clubs around 1 a.m. and stagger home around 6 a.m

The SAS hotels are quite away from the city centre, so you just want quiet nights in and prepare to walk or catch the cab to the city centre, it may suit you.

Other hotels in your list are within walking distance to the city centre but not as convenient as the three I mentioned above.

I just got back from Reykjavik yesterday and have a wonderful time there. I am sure you'll enjoy the city as much as I did for Reyjavik is such a cool city.
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Old Apr 28th, 2003, 10:13 AM
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I'll be staying at the Radisson SAS Saga Hotel from May 5 to May 9. I can tell you what I think about it after that.
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Old Apr 28th, 2003, 04:05 PM
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You might price the Saga through its own reservation website. The rate I got from them was cheaper than through Iceland Air. The rate does fluctuate with the Dollar though, so my rate had gone way up by the time I got there. The Saga is fine. The rooms aren't that fancy, but it was fine. There is a movie theater right across the street and the bus stops out front. Have fun.
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Old May 9th, 2003, 07:41 PM
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Well, I just got back from Reykjavik today, and we had a fantastic time. We stayed at the Saga, and it was a good deal for the money, but in the future, I think that I would try to stay somewhere else. As noted above, it is a 10-15 minute walk into 'downtown', which got somewhat tiresome each day. The rooms are nice, and the view is good from many of the upper-floor rooms. It seemed to be filled with package-tours of mostly Americans and Germans who then bused off each day on big bus tours. I would have liked something with a more international flavor. The 'Icelandic' breakfast is reminiscent of many a cheap U.S. restaurant breakfast buffet (greasy bacon, scrambled eggs, sausages, pastries, cereal). The University of Iceland is across the street, and it was interesting to stroll the small campus and browse the library.

The Loftleidir is even further out of the way, and looked a bit run down to us. We walked into Hotel Borg and Odinsve, and both of these looked to us to be more attractive (albeit without as many nicieties) than the Saga.

On another note, we hired a fantastic guide who showed us a lot more than most typical tours (such as the ubiquitous Reykjavic Excursions). His name is Olafur (Oli) Schram, and I'd highly recommend him, provided you could get together a group of 6 to 8 folks. Otherwise, he is too expensive, at US $600-$700 per day. His Web site is www.highlander.is, and his email address is [email protected]
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