South Iceland Hotels

• toonsarah
• Reviews: 2396

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Hotel Ranga: A special place to stay

We booked this hotel as part of a special “Northern Lights” deal, choosing it for its reputation as a great place from which to see the Aurora (you can register at reception to be woken up in the middle of the night if it appears). I’m not sure if we would have come here otherwise, as it’s pretty pricey, but despite not delivering on the Aurora (and of course there are no guarantees) we loved the hotel and were very pleased to have had the chance to stay here.

The hotel has apparently been selected as one of the so-called "Great Hotels of the World" and it’s easy to see why. It has a really special atmosphere and you can cosy down here when it’s cold and dreary outside (inevitable at times in an Icelandic winter) or use it as a super-comfortable base from which to go exploring – we did a bit of both. It is definitely a really super place to stay regardless of whether or not the Aurora does its thing. In fact it is almost, but not quite, perfect.

The pluses include its great setting, only a few hundred metres from the Ring Road but seemingly in the middle of nowhere. But do be sure to ask for a river- view room, as those on the other side, while advertised as having mountain views, look out on those mountains across the rather large car park. We were lucky, as our room (#38) was on the river side with direct access to both it (for fantastic sunrise photography opportunities) and one of the hot tubs. We were also very impressed by the very friendly staff and excellent service, and as I have already mentioned, by the wonderful cosy atmosphere throughout.

The (very minor) negative was the relatively small size of the bedroom for the quality and price of the hotel, although it had everything we needed and was fine for just a few nights' stay which I imagine is the norm here. The bathroom was a good size, with a large corner tub and shower, and a good range of toiletries provided, along with plenty of towels on the heated towel rail. We had a flat-screen TV with some English language channels (e.g. Sky News and CNN) as well as movies which had to be paid for (we didn’t bother!) There was a mini bar, tea and coffee making facilities, hair-dryer, and towelling robes and flip flops for the hot tub.

Breakfast is included in the rate and is very good, with a wide selection available at the buffet, including various juices, yoghurt drinks, coffee and a range of teas, bread and rolls with assorted jams and spreads, cold meats, cheeses, fish, scrambled eggs and bacon, cereals, dried fruits and fresh, muffins, pastries and biscuits. It is served right through to 11.00 am which makes sense when the sun doesn’t come up until an hour before that. We also had dinner in the restaurant here (there is nowhere else very close, so in the winter you have little choice unless you are prepared to drive after dark) but I will save my rather mixed impressions of that for a separate restaurant review. And on one evening I was feeling a bit rough and didn’t want to eat, so Chris ordered a burger on room service and was very impressed with it – good quality meat, nice accompaniments, generous portion.

Unique Quality: The manager (owner?) takes a personal interest in all the guests and makes a point of checking at dinner if you are happy with everything. He was very helpful in advising us on our days out, for instance suggesting that we should wait till the following day for our drive to south coast as the weather would be much better – it was, and we were very happy that we’d waited.

We especially liked the small cosy bar, with its wacky bar stools and good value Happy Hour (buy two beers and or wines and pay only for the dearer between 4.30 pm and 6.30 pm). We also developed a taste for the Icelandic Brennivin, the best value digestif on the list, which was served icy cold and tasted a little of caraway. We enjoyed this in the upstairs lounge after our dinner on two of the evenings – a very relaxing space.

And our soak in the hot tub after a day's sightseeing was a wonderful experience...

+++Next tip!+++

• Opinion of Price: most expensive
• Website: http://www.hotelranga.is/
• Related to: Luxury Travel
• Written February 26, 2012

Our bedroom

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• Regina1965
• Reviews: 1065

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Hotel Hekla.: A hotel named after a volcano.

I absolutely loved my stay at Hotel Hekla. We spent one night there the first weekend of February 2012. That weekend the hotel offered Icelanders a very good discount, the normal price for a room for 2 is 160 euros, but we paid only 40 euros for the room. We stayed there from Sunday until Monday and we were the only guests there. And there are 37 rooms there. So it was awesome.

The room was so lovely, first class for a countryhotel like Hotel Hekla - very nicely refurbished and everything was spotless.

There is a good Internet connection in all the rooms, and we brought our mini lap-top and watched some films in bed. There is a small TV in the rooms, but there was nothing on.

The hotel is next to a farm and a lot of horses were in a fench next to the hotel.

The hotel is only 70 km away from Reykjavík, where I live, and the roads are excellent all the way to the hotel.

When it got dark one can go outside on a terrace and the hotel is all lit up with small lights, very romantic and cosy.

I do highly recommend going there, everything was perfect.

Unique Quality: There is a hot-tub in the garden, and it must be awesome sitting in the tub (40 degrees C) on a starry night with the Northern lights flickeringa above you. We didn´t try it, but went to have a look at it and were greeted by 2 big dogs, which turned out to be very friendly - one of them looked like a polar-bear. That dog then slept beneath our room on the second floor and guarded us all night long. It did not mind at all that we threw pieces of chicken down to it from the window of the room ;)

We got a room with a view of the volcano Hekla which was covered in snow. I add photos in a travelogue here of outside the hotel. We also had a view of the volcano Eyjafjallajökull (remember?) and Fimmvörðuháls.

• Opinion of Price: about average
• Address: Brjánsstaðir, 801 Selfoss, South-Iceland
• Phone: 354-4865540
• Website: http://www.hotelhekla.is/english/home/?lang=en
• Written February 6, 2012

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• dassi
• Reviews: 71

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• Regina1965
• Reviews: 1065

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Árnes campground.: Camping upcountry in South Iceland.

Árnes campground is in Þjórsárdalur walley upcountry in S-Iceland. It is a nice campground, with both open campsites and more secluded ones, like where I camped. The facilities are fine, there are 2 toilets, a sink, 2 showers and a hot-tub on the campground. And you can use the toilets at the Árnes community center as well. You pay at the community center and there is a restaurant, bar and guest house/youth-hostel there as well plus another guest house by the swimming pool. By the road there is a gas-station and the Árborg convenience store.

There is also nice swimming-pool next to the campground.

The campground is open from 15.05 - 15.09.

In Þjórsdárdalur walley there are a lot of interesting sights, Hjálparfoss waterfall f.ex. The Saga farm, Búrfellsvirkjun power station and a lot more interesting sights see my tips here Hjálparfoss waterfall

• Opinion of Price: about average
• Address: Árnes, 801 Selfoss, South Iceland
• Phone: 4866048
• Website: http://notendur.centrum.is/~bergleif/index.html
• Written September 13, 2008

My tent :D

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• kezza777
• Reviews: 2

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• RailwayRabbit
• Reviews: 10

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Centrum Hotel: Centrum is very Central

This is a great place to spend a week or more. The hotel is bang in the middle of downtown Reykjavik.
It looks a bit funny on the outside 'cos it's covered in corrugated iron and painted different colours.
Inside it was superb and dead warm.

This is the view from my window

Unique Quality: I tried digging a burrow but I found all these old stones which turned out to be the oldest ruins in town. So they made it into a museum under the hotel.
We bunnies have our uses

• Opinion of Price: about average
• Address: Adalsteati, t6own centre
• Related to: School Holidays, Travel with Pets, Family Travel
• Written April 17, 2007

The view from hotel room

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• coceng
• Reviews: 4800

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To Sleep Here...

Hhmm, accomodation-wise, there's no place to sleep in this area ! No hotel, nothing !
There's a restaurant where you can buy something to eat but it's not opened 24 hours a day either.
I saw some people just set up tents anywhere they fancied around the lagoon...
If this is your choice so be it that way, adventurous right ?
Though prohibited to even set up a tent here but it should be safe as nobody would bother you anyway.
Just make sure you keep the area clean & tidy...
I put a photo of the bridge near the lagoon, maybe you can set up your tent below the bridge but when there's a flood, you will be washed away right to the sea !
So, look for a high area...

• Opinion of Price: N/A
• Related to: Adventure Travel, Budget Travel, Backpacking
• Written September 30, 2004

Choose A Good Place To Set Up Tent !

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