Hotel Grimsborgir

"it’s regrettable that we cannot turn off the balcony light because this makes it difficult to observe the northern lights"

"We recently stayed at Hotel Grímsborgir and overall had a good experience, with a few clear strengths and a handful of frustrations. Location The hotel’s location is excellent and one of its biggest selling points. It’s well positioned with good road links for exploring the southwest of Iceland, including the Golden Circle, Þingvellir National Park, Geysir, Gullfoss, the surrounding volcano fields, and the wider south and south-west regions. We had a hire car and covered over 1,000 miles in four days and never felt the hotel was too far out of the way—there was always somewhere interesting to visit en route or on the return. It’s also in a very good area for viewing the Northern Lights. Rooms The room itself was fine overall, but not what we would class as 4-star—more a solid 3-star. The main issue was the underfloor heating. The in-room controls were unresponsive or locked, so we had to ask reception to adjust it. The first night the room sat at around 24–25 °C, which was far too hot for sleeping. The second night it was reduced to around 22 °C, still uncomfortably warm. Even with the window left open all night (and at times the door), the room struggled to cool and the heat would build up again by around 2–3 am. This was frustrating and definitely affected sleep quality. Another small but noticeable drawback was the lack of a practical area for making drinks. The kettle and cups were placed on top of the fridge with no proper shelf or surface, meaning the kettle had to be plugged in on the floor. A few simple changes—such as a dedicated kettle and cup shelf—would make this much better. Housekeeping was acceptable but average. The room wasn’t dirty, but inspections weren’t thorough; there were clothes left in the drawers from a previous guest, which should have been picked up during cleaning checks. On the positive side, the bathroom was clean and fairly modern, with a bath and overhead shower, and good water pressure as you would expect. Northern Lights tips If you want the best chance of seeing the Northern Lights from your room or balcony, request an inner-circle room. Otherwise, you’ll need to keep going outside to check the sky. Reception will call you when aurora activity is detected, but be aware this can include aurora that is only visible through a camera rather than clearly to the naked eye, which may not be what everyone expects. Facilities Standard rooms have access to four outdoor jacuzzis/spas located just outside the block entrance. Dressing gowns and slippers are supplied, which is a nice touch and very handy if you plan to use the spas. Reception & service Reception staff were friendly and helpful. They arranged for us to be closer to friends who had booked separately—we did compromise slightly on our room, but that was our choice. They also allowed us to borrow cutlery from the restaurant for our own snacks, which was appreciated. Bar & food The bar prices are typical for an Icelandic hotel. A 400 ml draught beer was around £11. There is a happy hour for a couple of hours each evening, which knocks roughly £2 off a beer—don’t get too excited, but it does help a little. If you enjoy a drink, we’d recommend buying from the government-run Vínbúðin instead. The closest one is in Selfoss. It’s still not “cheap,” but roughly a third of hotel prices. We didn’t eat dinner at the hotel as we were often out late travelling back from day trips, but the restaurant was set up nicely. It does appear to cater for coach tours quite heavily, as there was always a very long table laid out. Breakfast was included and was simple but reasonable for a B&B-style offering. There was a small selection of cereals, a couple of pour-your-own yoghurts and yoghurt flavours, a basic American-style hot breakfast (scrambled eggs, streaky bacon, baked beans, fresh tomatoes, and mushrooms—though the mushrooms were often overcooked), plus a small selection of fruit and pastries. One thing to be aware of: when coach tours arrived early, they seemed to consume the majority of the food, and it didn’t always appear to be replenished while we / they were there. There were signs by the food stating you’re not allowed to take items from the restaurant, possibly to discourage people from helping themselves for later meals. The coffee machine was a good commercial bean-to-cup model (Jura-type) and could also fill a 0.5 L or 1 L flask at the push of a button. Takeaway cups were provided too, which was a nice touch. Overall, a good experience with a couple of clear gripes—mainly the heating controls and some room practicality issues. It’s a very well-located hotel and works perfectly as a base for exploring the south and south-west of Iceland. We would use it again as a base and would recommend it, especially if you’re travelling with a hire car and plan to explore widely."

"It was a perfect getaway for me and my husband, close to the Golden Circle for those who like to explore. We enjoyed having a hot tub - the food, the service and the room were impeccable! Highly recommend!"