Double Bed Room at 101 Hotel, IceLand

101 Hotel

The 101 Hotel’s thirty-eight rooms, including five suites, look like the definition of hip Scandinavian design: everything, from bed and desk to open closet and shelves, is angular and geometric; the sink is a bowl that’s part of a freestanding vanity in the bedroom; the shower stalls are lined with mirrors; color is nonexistent. Conceived by Ingibjörg S. Pálmadóttir—a Parsons graduate and, according to our guide, the richest woman in Iceland—the 101 is one of those rare breeds of design hotels that not only look good but are functional too. Except for a few missteps—the black stone floors in the shower got dangerously slippery when wet, and the massive doorknobs on the heavy doors were hard to turn—the in-room details worked well and made for cozy retreats at the end of a long day of sightseeing. Pálmadóttir has assembled an impressive and eclectic collection of Icelandic contemporary art throughout the hotel, including sculpture, paintings and installations, and even designed the unique façade at the rear of the building, visible from the breakfast room, made of white stone mounds.

Request a deluxe room on a high floor with a shower and a claw-foot soaking tub that’s positioned in the middle of the room. Just as at the Borg, if you value sleep and are staying over a weekend, ask for a room that faces the more tranquil back of the building, as the neighborhood around the 101 turns into party central (popular bar Islenski Barinn is right downstairs). The hotel itself is home to one of the most fashionable see-and-be-seen lounges in Reykjavík, decorated like a stylish living room with cozy seating nooks with fur-covered armchairs, a gas fireplace, long tables stacked with photography books and the requisite crowd of beautiful people who are dressed to the nines and don’t blink at the $20 cocktails. It’s a great spot to watch Iceland’s beau monde kick off their evenings.

There is a small, but adequate gym in the basement as well as a sleek steam room and Jacuzzi.

Facade - Apotek Hotel, Iceland

Apotek Hotel

With an ever increasing demand for hotel rooms in Reykjavik, the owners of the popular Borg Hotel acquired the beloved landmark known as the Reykjavik Apothecary and have transformed it into a sister hotel next door. The five-story building, which was designed by legendary Icelandic architect Gudjon Samuelsson, now houses 45 guest rooms as well as a trendy all-day restaurant called Apotek Kitchen & Bar. The interior design mixes historic touches like sculptures by Gudmundur Einarsson with Scandinavian style furnishings, hardwood floors and all white tiled bathrooms. Room sizes range from small standard singles to junior suites and one very memorable Tower Suite (though the bathroom layout in some rooms is odd).

Living Room at Black Pearl Apartments, Iceland

Black Pearl Apartments

Opened in 2013, the Black Pearl Apartments occupy a modern-style tower across from the Reykjavík Art Museum and near the port.  Located slightly away from the bustling city center (good for nighttime noise levels), all of the city’s restaurants, bars, shops, and sights are still within easy walking distance.

Originally built as luxury apartments, as opposed to a hotel, The Black Pearl has only a small reception area. However, the no-frills lobby has no bearing on the generosity and capacity of the hotel staff who can do everything from hiring a babysitter to booking a helicopter tour.

The apartments fall into three categories: standard suite, deluxe suite, and penthouse suite. The standard suites are just over 800 square feet and can sleep 2–4 adults, using a sofa bed with a high quality mattress. The deluxe suites are over 1,200 square feet and can sleep up to 4 people.  From the balconies of the deluxe suites, guests enjoy views over downtown Reykjavík all the way to the Hallgrímskirkja church. The Penthouse suite, which combines two deluxe suites for over 1,500 square feet, sleeps up to 6 people.  All accommodations are decorated with sleek furnishings in dark grays, plums, and cheery whites.  The kitchens are fully equipped with state of the art appliances, and meals (whether self-catered or prepared by a professional chef provided by the hotel) can be enjoyed in the spacious dining room or alfresco on the balcony. Bathrooms are large, but equipped with showers only.

Note: The hotel is planning to add a gym, spa, and hot tub in the near future. In the meantime, guests have the possibility of using a gym in town and the concierge can book in-room spa treatments.

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Canopy Hotel 

%%excerpt%% A review of the hip Canopy Hotel in Reykjavik, Iceland, which features quintessentially Scandinavian design, with bright and lively common spaces and minimal yet comfortable rooms.
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single-story hotel building with grass-covered roof blending into landscape of iceland
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Lounge at  Hotel Alda , Iceland

Hotel Alda

Most hotels in Reykjavik try to embody Scandinavian style, with varying degrees of success. At its most design-forward, the aesthetic can be a little aggressive; conversely, it can resemble an Ikea catalogue with a more laid-back, apartment-style sensibility, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

This is where Hotel Alda comes in. It’s design-conscious enough while still feeling accessible, but you won’t mistake it for a pied-a-terre. Located on the main shopping street, the hotel has 64 rooms spread over four floors. On the top floor, the “Attic” rooms and suites share a large balcony with expansive views over Reykjavik and the snow-capped mountains in the distance. Everything feels fresh and new (the hotel only opened in June 2014), and all of the rooms feature a monochromatic palette with blond wood and one or two whimsical accent pieces like a red chair or a gold cage lamp.

What makes it special though is that the hotel elevates the experience by adding delightful features that engage the guest beyond appreciating well-appointed accommodations. These include a barbershop and chocolate store in the lobby, a vinyl record player in the breakfast room, and a cell phone programmed with local apps and maps provided to every guest at check-in.

The hotel is popular with locals who come for a cocktail in the lounge. There is also an outdoor hot tub –an integral part of the Nordic experience—and Hotel Alda is the only hotel in its tier that offers this.

Suite at Hótel Borg, Iceland

Hótel Borg

The Borg, well located in downtown Reykjavík within walking distance of all the shops and most restaurants, is an authentic Art Deco property (I met a young American woman whose grandparents were married in Iceland during World War II and who came to the Borg for Champagne and dancing to fête the occasion). Opened in 1930, the Borg has an old-world feel that’s missing from most other hotels in Reykjavík, like the 101, which go for a more cutting-edge design scheme.

The hotel’s fifty-six rooms, housed in the original white façade building and new addition, were all redone in 2007 and feature parquet floors, black marble–clad bathrooms and gray-painted walls. Standard double rooms are small—I overheard one couple complaining that there was not enough room for both of their suitcases, so one ended up on top of the desk during their stay—so go for a suite. The best is the Tower Suite, which occupies the top floors, with a cozy sitting room that has spectacular views across Reykjavík. Don’t expect five-star amenities, though: there’s no turndown service, and room service ends at 10 P.M. during the week and 11 p.m. on weekends.

Indagare Tip: If you’re staying at the Borg (or any hotel in downtown Reykjavík, for that matter) over a weekend, request a room facing the back. The capital is known as a party town, and rooms on the lower floors at the Borg that face pretty Parliament square get a lot of noise, especially on Friday and Saturday nights.

Aerial View -  Hotel Grimsborgir, Iceland

Hotel Grimsborgir

Only an hour’s drive from Reykjavík (and 90-minutes from KEF), The Hotel Grimsborgir boasts a serene countryside setting in southern Iceland that is also the perfect base for exploring the Golden Circle. It is also well-located for the fantastical excursions of the South Shore, from Thórsmörk to the black sand beaches, saving visitors at least 2 hours of driving time if they opt for the countryside over Reykjavik.

An ideal option for families and groups, the Grimborgir “apartments” (which are really more like comfy country-style cottages) are airy and spacious with large living rooms, fully equipped kitchens, outdoor porches, and private hot tubs that look toward snow-capped mountains and the River Sog.  The bedrooms are sizeable, decorated mostly in white, and very comfortable with ample closet space and generously sized private bathrooms (although even in the 4-bedroom accommodations there is only one bathroom). The largest accommodations, the deluxe apartments, can sleep up to seven and afford the luxury of really being able to spread out and make yourself at home.  It is important to note, though, that even the four-bedroom houses feature only one bathroom to be shared by everyone. You will find everything you need in the kitchen (there is even an outdoor grill), but there is also an elegant (but unpretentious) restaurant in the main hotel building, which serves traditional Icelandic specialties as well as American-style fare.

Summertime tourists can enjoy a variety of nearby activities including: white water rafting, fishing, hiking, horseback riding and, of course, all of the sights along the Golden Circle (Geysir, Gullfoss, Thingvellir, and more.) During the winter months, guests at the Hotel Grimsborgir have a good chance of seeing the legendary Northern Lights and will definitely take advantage of the in-room fireplaces.

Exterior View -  Hotel Husafell, Iceland

Hotel Husafell

Opened in the summer of 2015, Hotel Husafell is set in an area of western Iceland that is known for its waterfalls, glacier experiences and lava caves, including Vidgelmir, one of the world’s largest. A one-and-a-half-hour drive from Reykjavik, the region has long been a popular summer retreat for many residents of the capital who come to enjoy its natural splendors. This new Scandinavian style hotel now provides a comfortable base for those who want to experience the Into the Glacier excursion or spend time exploring the area’s wilderness.

The style is contemporary and eco-chic with an emphasis on the outdoors. In addition to the sleek dining room with gourmet Nordic cuisine and a thermal swimming pool, the hotel provides access to hiking and Arctic golf. Its thirty-some rooms are quite simple (light wood floors, spare Scandinavian-style furniture and beds with white duvets), but comfortable and family accommodations are in the works.

Exterior View - Hotel Kvosin, Iceland

Hotel Kvosin

The Hotel Kvosin is the kind of place that makes you feel at home right away.  Instead of a formal check-in, guests are welcomed into the cheery café/gourmet grocery/gift shop on the ground level and offered a cup of coffee before getting shown to their room or suite. Another sign of home are the kitchenettes, which are standard in every room and make it possible to self-cater (whether that means cooking a full meal or just opening up a bottle of wine and finding the perfect dishes to arrange some cheese and crackers.)

The interior design of the rooms is elegant, modern, and playful.  The predominantly gray, white, and light-wood décor is enlivened by a smattering of fun flare like a set of small wooden animals on a bookshelf or a brightly colored throw pillow in the shape of a giant Gordian knot.  Everything is stylish, comfortable and user-friendly.

The largest suite, located on the hotel’s top floor, boasts an impressive outdoor deck space.  In summer, when the days are nearly endless, one could imagine spending ample time enjoying the view and the fresh air from this prime and private vantage point.

Standard room at Hótel Rangá, Iceland

Hótel Rangá

A cozy log cabin, made entirely of pine imported from Canada, the Rangá has 38 lovely rooms, most of which have easy access to outdoor hot tubs from which to enjoy the expansive views. The new wing of the building can be rented out in its entirety and includes the spacious Royal Suite, with a large sitting area and a Jacuzzi. Seven master suites feature unique decorations that describe each of the seven continents. Among the over-the-top decorative elements in these one-of-a-kind rooms: an ostrich egg chandelier in the “Africa” suite, a beautiful wooden bar hidden behind a sliding screen in the “Japan” suite, and a copper tub in the “Canada” suite (which is rumored to be the most expensive single item of furniture in the hotel).

The area’s activities include everything from glacier tours, hiking and ice climbing to cave diving, river rafting and fishing. Rangá named for the East Rangá salmon river, draws avid fishermen for salmon fishing.  (Fall is the best season for salmon fishing and it is necessary to obtain a license.) If you come during the winter, the Rangá is in a perfect location to see the Northern Lights. You can request that staff ring your room with a wake call, if the unpredictable light show begins in the middle of the night. And, if you should happen not to be so lucky as to see the Northern Lights, stargazers can still take advantage of the hotel’s own telescopes—the most powerful such instruments in all of Iceland, which allow viewers to see solar eruptions on the surface of the sun.

The hotel’s restaurant provides a delightful culinary experience that pairs a sophisticated menu with upscale farmhouse-style surroundings. The rotating menu features local fish and meats prepared in unexpected ways, like Atlantic salmon accompanied by fresh strawberries or Reindeer Carpaccio with ruccola salad and truffle oil. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are events you will want to savor while enjoying the window filled dining room, which provides sweeping views over flat grassy plains and down to the East Rangá River.

Aerial View - Ion Hotel, Iceland

Ion Hotel

Since opening in February 2014, the Hotel Ion has received high praise from travel magazines and was quickly adopted into the Design Hotel family. Indeed, the architecture and interior design of this small hotel (just 43 rooms, equally divided between standard and deluxe) in southwest Iceland (less than an hour drive from Reykjavík) are laudable. Working with an existing structure, which had previously provided housing for workers at the nearby power plant, Iceland-born, LA-based architect/interior design duo Minarc expanded the Ion’s property using innovative materials such as driftwood, lava, and recycled rubber.  The hotel’s eco-friendly vibe continues with a set of sustainable practices including geothermal heat for the hot water and large windows throughout the hotel, which reduce the need for artificial lighting. Fun design touches like cardboard chandeliers in the bar and the brightly colored woolen throw pillows in the lobby lounge play up the emphasis on recycled and locally sourced materials.

Rooms at the Ion are comfortable and sleek-looking, though not particularly luxurious or spacious.  (In fact, the bathrooms are very tiny.) You can spring for a suite, but the main difference between these and the standard rooms is that the suites are housed in the building’s new extension (on the way to the bar) and equipped with fancy coffee machine and heated floors (and similarly tiny bathrooms with no tubs).  The size and design of all guest rooms are virtually the same and feature black and white furnishings, a wall-size photograph of an Icelandic horse, a small desk, and a chair decorated with a calfskin throw. The minimalist design highlights the most impressive feature of the rooms, the view appreciated through large floor-to-ceiling windows. To enjoy the best views, ask for a room facing away from the geothermal power plant, and for quiet, request rooms at a distance from the Northern Lights Bar.

After a day of hiking or other active adventures, the spa is a nice way to relax. Spa treatments featuring local products are available, and you can also soak in the outdoor heated pool. The untreated water, which is heated naturally, has natural healing benefits, but also causes a slick of algae to accumulate on the bottom of the pool. The small glass-walled sauna over looks the pool and is yet another vantage point from which to enjoy the spectacular views of the surrounding landscape.

The Silfra restaurant is a highlight of the Hotel Ion experience.  The long dining room continues the hotel’s eco-chic aesthetic with unpainted plywood walls and black tables lining a long row of windows leading all the way to the end of the room, where an enormous painting of brown trout (a local fish found in the rivers and lakes throughout Iceland) dominates the back wall. The dinner menu is short and seasonal and features local delicacies like cured arctic char and fillet of lamb, which are expertly prepared and beautifully plated. For dessert try the traditional Icelandic pancake, filled with Skyr (a delicious thick and creamy yogurt) and fresh blueberries. Reservations required.

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Konsulat Hotel

A product of Reykjavik’s burgeoning design scene, the Konsulat Hotel is a stylish reflection of Icelandic tradition. The 50-room property, part of Hilton’s Curio Collection brand, is centrally located on the site of a former department store. The sophisticated décor fosters a gentleman’s club ambience, with bronze fixtures, herringbone headboards, vintage steamer trunks and tufted-leather upholstery. As a quirky local touch, the tiles in the bathroom recall the star motif of a classic Icelandic wool sweater.

After a day of outdoor adventure, guests can retreat to the hotel’s bath house—which includes a sauna and hot tub as well as a gym—located one floor below street level. The hotel is also home to Gott, a family-owned restaurant with an additional outpost on the Westman Islands.

Families should note that there is only one twin-bedded room, though connecting rooms can be reserved. Those traveling with little ones can also book a Deluxe Room, many of which have pull-out sofa beds. The most spacious accommodation is the Diplomat Suite, a corner option with a separate living room and private terrace.

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Exteriors - Marina Residence, Iceland

Marina Residence

Located on the harbor of Reykjavik, these seven luxury apartments bring a new level of personal attention and hipster chic to the city. Connected to a three-star hotel called The Marina, the two private houses, with views of the shipyard and the North Sea, have been turned into an oasis for those looking for comfort and privacy. Guests check in at the sister property next door and have access to its front desk and concierge staff while staying at the Marina Residence, which includes a large ground-floor kitchen and sitting area where guests can gather for breakfast or drinks around a central fireplace. Upstairs, the apartments range from 440 square feet to one jumbo apartment (at over 800 square feet), the Adaljborg, which includes a loft bedroom perfect for kids.

The décor in each apartment mixes a vintage vibe (Oriental carpets, needlepoint upholstery and oil paintings) with a modern edge that evokes a Brooklyn chic. The quirky layouts—one bedroom is tucked behind a wall for a ship cabin effect—add to the hipster appeal, as do the convenient touches like small kitchen areas and state-of-the-art entertainment systems. While the apartments offer the privacy of a true residence, the sister hotel next door allows guests access to a gym, in-room dining and such services as babysitting. There is also a charming coffee shop right next door called the Kaffislippur, so guests can tap into the neighborhood buzz if they want to leave their oasis.

Lounge at Radisson Blu 1919 Hotel, Iceland

Radisson Blu 1919 Hotel

Near Reykjavík’s main port, the city’s new opera house (Harpa), and just steps from all of the restaurants, shops and bars of downtown, this well-situated 88-room hotel occupies a former fishing company headquarters, originally built in 1919. Rooms are comfortable, modern and decorated in a neutral palette of whites, beiges, and grays with shiny hardwood floors. The most interesting interior design elements, however, are left over from the original building.  For instance the elaborate ceiling moldings in room 201 (a bright and spacious junior suite), give the impression of a classic Parisian apartment. The largest suites, which occupy the top two floors of the hotel, feature skylights, an open sitting area, and a private Jacuzzi.

In addition to a comfortable lobby lounge whose clubby leather chairs and round porthole-style windows give the space a vaguely nautical vibe, the hotel has an elegant in-house restaurant, a large bar/lounge, several meeting rooms, a business center and a small gym.

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Sandhotel

Opened in June 2018, the modern Sandhotel is one of Reykjavik’s newest properties and boasts a central location on the hip Laugavegar street.
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The Retreat at Blue Lagoon

This sleek and luxurious spa resort was built into Iceland’s volcanic frontier and offers exclusive access to the famous Blue Lagoon.
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rooftop patio looking out over the ocean and mountains

The Reykjavik Edition

Arriving on the scene in November 2021, The Reykjavik EDITION answered the call for a true 5-star property in the city.

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Tower Suites

Commanding the top floor of an office building on the outskirts of central Reykjavik, Tower Suites is the most luxurious boutique hotel in town.
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