"(Sunday, August 9 to Monday, August 17) We spent eight nights in the Suite at the Sand Hotel as a family of four. We stayed during the August 2026 eclipse and overall had a very, very good stay.
First, the location simply cannot be beat. You walk out the front door and you’re literally in the heart of Laugavegur, surrounded by restaurants, shops and everything else downtown Reykjavik has to offer. You can basically roll out of bed and you’re in the middle of everything.
The staff were also fantastic. We actually started communicating with the hotel about 2½ years before the eclipse, and manager Simon and others were always incredibly helpful, answering our questions and making us feel comfortable booking so far in advance. During our stay, Roberto, Ivan, Liam and Zoe were equally polite and helpful. And in fact, the day we departed, Roberto went out of his way to help us book a cab to meet the FlyBus, saving us lots of money (and a long walk with lots of luggage) in the process.
The included buffet breakfast was delicious and helped save a lot of money feeding a family of four. Our Suite was fortunately on a quiet side of the hotel, the temperature was always comfortable, and the hotel treats its hot water so there was none of the sulfur smell you sometimes encounter in Iceland. The main bed was super comfortable and the pull-out bed had no complaints from the kids.
Our biggest issue was the Suite itself. It was advertised for four people, but it felt cramped and wasn’t particularly functional for a family staying eight nights. Most frustrating - and I guess this is common in Europe and Iceland - there were no dressers or drawers to unload our suitcases into. Four people lived out of suitcases for eight days. There was also no table to sit and eat at, a tiny refrigerator, no microwave, and a very small coffee maker that leaked and didn’t seem particularly clean (but then again, there was no real need to make coffee in your room when you have breakfast downstairs and one of the best bakeries in town attached to the hotel).
The bathroom had no hooks for wet towels or shelves in the shower for toiletries. The shower also leaked A LOT of water with each use, making the floor extremely slippery. We eventually learned to put towels against the inside of the shower door every time we used it. Ventilation wasn’t great either.
The lighting was also unnecessarily confusing: you have to insert your room key into a wall slot before the lights work, something nobody explained at check-in. An elderly gentleman actually stopped us in the hallway one day to ask us how to turn his lights on!
None of these things made the Sand a bad hotel. Quite the opposite — it’s attractive, quiet, the staff is wonderful, and the location is outstanding.
The problem is value. We absolutely recognize that August is peak season and that the 2026 eclipse pushed prices even higher. But at more than $800 USD per night, and for something billed as a “Suite”, we expected more space, functionality and luxury.
All in all, though, the Sand is a very good boutique hotel with exceptional people and probably one of the best locations in Reykjavik. We enjoyed our stay. I think with some relatively modest flourishes, the Sand could elevate itself to providing the luxury experience commensurate with its price. I would definitely consider the Sand again during an off-peak month at a lower rate.
Pros:
• Unbeatable Laugavegur location
• Outstanding front desk and kitchen staff
• Very quiet and comfortable
• Delicious included breakfast
• Treated hot water so there was no sulfur smell
Cons:
• Extremely expensive during our stay
• Cramped for a four-person “Suite”
• Almost no clothing storage
• No table, tiny refrigerator, no microwave
• Poor bathroom design and ventilation
• Shower repeatedly flooded the bathroom floor"
