Icelandair Hotel Loftleidir - Reykjavik, Iceland 

Great start to our holiday
Posted: Mon, Nov 12 2007
Heading to Boston for a tour of New England we stayed at Hotel Loftleidir as part of Icelandair's free two day stopover whch turned out to be the highlight of the whole trip. The Flybus from Keflavik Airport goes direct to the hotel and for ISK1,200 was good value. The hotel exterior looks very much like an office block but inside the reception area is well laid out, the staff were very helpful and the the view from the balcony as we left the lift was over the domestic airport to the Atlantic Ocean. Our room was clean and comfortable with good views over the city to the cloud-shrouded escarpment beyond and the beds were very comfortable. Breakfast was very busy but there was enough space for eveyone and there was a wide choice of hot and cold dishs. We used the free shuttle bus to the city centre once but decided on all other occasions to walk to and fro, which took about 20 minutes. We booked the 'Golden Circle' day tour through Reykjavik Excursions and were collected and dropped-off at the hotel. This excursion was the best day of our entire holiday as the sky was clear we saw beautiful waterfalls, geysirs and the wonderful world heritage site at Thingvellir. Another fine experience was the return trip to Keflavik as we took advantage of the early departure which inclded a three hour stop at the Blue Lagoon. Although the air temperature was no more than 2/3c the water was a very pleasant 38c. A very relaxing way to prepare for our flight to Boston. We wll certainly stay here again if we ever cross the Atlantic again.

Great as a base for exploring
Posted: Sun, Nov 04 2007
This hotel isn't a 4* by British standards but is perfectly decent. The staff are very helpful, they let us check in 4 hours early and gave good advice on what to do and where to go etc. The location isn't great and is either a 25min walk, a free bus (not very frequent though) or a £10 taxi ride to the restaruants. The room was basic but clean. Breakfast was fine, nothing special but a decent selection. Only watch out is the location and don't forget that the price of food and alcohol in Iceland is VERY expensive.

Picky traveler & I would definitely stay again
Posted: Sat, Oct 27 2007
The outside of this hotel is pretty deceptive. It looks plain, old and “motel-ish” from the outside. Also, the pictures people took of the room are the most basic (ala cheap) room they offer and look gloomy. But, inside is a very modern, pretty, updated European hotel. I’m not sure why they haven’t fixed the outside but the inside was great. We saw the room from the pictures, thought it was nice but upgraded for more space. While in Europe that still doesn’t get you a lot of space we paid $40 extra per night and were very satisfied. All beautiful wood floors, modern appliances, super comfortable beds, flat screen tv... Fyi--I’m an extremely picky traveler (ie> I won’t stay at anything less than a 3 ½ star hotel and normally only do 4 ½ minimum) and would definitely stay here again. The only reason I don’t consider this hotel a 4 star by American standards is they miss some of the ‘traditional’ things you would expect…no alarm clock in the room (and none available), limited lobby staff; no real gift shop; no early check-in, no bathtub in our room even with an upgrade, etc. Pretty minor stuff overall but items that make a difference in ratings. The staff isn’t that friendly either, but I believe that’s more of an Icelandic cultural difference than anything else. (ie>don’t expect Icelanders to say ‘excuse me’, ‘thank you’, etc. a lot if at all) But the staff is efficient. We asked for extra stuff (towels, etc) a few times and it came right up. And everything was very clean and neat. I also enjoyed the restaurant’s buffets. Decent selection for breakfast and dinner. The bar is small but comfy with a full drink and decent food menu. One thing to keep in mind—every single thing is beyond expensive. If you’re lazy/in a rush, try the hotel restaurant. If not, go into town and get a fuller menu with slightly better pricing. No taxi’s out front but there are several taxi phones in the lobby and our longest wait was 10 minutes. (and the city was super crowded with the Airwaves festival) Hint- Land of the midnight sun only has blackout curtains in the upgraded rooms! If you’re going when the sun doesn’t go down, upgrade immediately or you’ll regret it. (or pack really really good eye blockers)