Dis Cottages

These cottages really aren't suitable for winter stays. We booked a three-person Superior cottage for one night at 240 euros, and arrived to find it completely cold. The water had frozen, with nothing coming out of any tap, so I couldn't get water or use the toilet. The heat comes from air conditioners set to "heat." In my view, that's not suitable for a northern country: two walls are glass, there's nowhere to dry clothes, the air gets very dry, and the unit is noisy on its highest setting, even though it has to run constantly to keep the place warm. Many people also get sick from air conditioning, even on warm mode. They offered to move two of us to the neighboring cottage while the third stayed behind waiting for this one to heat up. The water still hadn't thawed until morning, so there was no water from 6:00 PM until then. The shower isn't usable as designed. There's no barrier between it and the bathroom, so water spreads across the room; guests are expected to clean it up with the brush provided. The water heater is right beside the bed, and I think a technical fixture like that should be hidden from view. The coffee is instant. In our group of three, one person was expected to sleep on a badly scratched sofa that hadn't been made up. I wouldn't even feel comfortable sitting on it, let alone sleeping there, and then having to make it myself after arriving. I can't be sure the cottage had been cleaned before we got there, because a cleaner would have noticed straight away that it was cold and had no water.

It was such a peaceful first night of our trip. Sitting on the deck with coffee and looking across the landscape was breathtaking, and while we were there we saw a horseback trail ride returning from a tour of the mountains. The place was easy to find, comfortable, cozy, and had incredible secluded views.

I thought we'd booked one of the little cottages, but we ended up in a loft in the larger building. The room was very small and okay, but I didn't feel it was worth the price. We paid for two nights here what five nights in Reykjavik cost us. A cottage might have felt worth that price, but the loft didn't. The shower drained very slowly and flooded the bathroom every time. I suspect this is a known problem, since there was a squeegee in the shower.

The deck has great views, especially around sunset, and the cottages seemed well soundproofed. We knew there was someone next door but couldn't hear them through the shared wall. Still, with so many glowing reviews, I expected more. I'd rate the place 3.5 at most. The bathroom was frustrating: water spread everywhere because the shower floor doesn't slope toward the drain, there was nowhere to put things in the stall, and hardly any room elsewhere for toiletries. The bathroom door wouldn't stay open either, so it swung into my back whenever I stood at the sink. Each side of the bed had one pillow, if you can call it that. It was so flat it may as well not have been there, and my husband's neck hurt for several days. Check-in communication was confusing too. An email first said cabin 10, then the next day it changed to 1, then to #4. Good thing I had internet and checked my messages, or we might have tried to enter someone else's cabin. It's expensive for what you get, even by Iceland standards, and we'd look elsewhere if we came back to the area.