Welcome Riverside Guesthouse

The road was completely closed by snow, so we couldn't reach the place before 9pm, despite having a reservation. They still refuse to return our money for a service we couldn't use because of circumstances outside our control. This feels like awful customer service and, honestly, a scam. It's not fair.

The cleaning lady was very helpful, and the place itself is fine for a night or two. Check-in is the problem. Like other people have said, it's not easy, and you can only call, WhatsApp, or contact them another way between 4pm and 9pm. I'd recommend finding somewhere else because of the check-in hassle.

There are no workers on site, so there's nobody to answer questions or deal with concerns. The only positive I could force myself to notice was the high ceilings, which made the rooms feel more spacious. I felt unsafe here the whole time, and the check-in mess made us anxious all day about whether we'd even get into the place we had reserved. We saw lots of reviews from people who never got their details and had to sleep in the kitchen. You have to call for check-in information, but the Icelandic number they gave us had nine digits instead of ten. After a long morning trying to guess the actual number, we reached one that nobody answered. It was just a recorded message in Icelandic. We took a chance and left our information on it, and luckily got the check-in details a few hours later. They already know who has a reservation, so I don't understand why they can't send the information automatically to the email address they have. That headache isn't worth the stay. Security is nonexistent. Only your room is protected. Anyone can enter the building, kitchen, hallways, or bathrooms, and people were sleeping on the floor around the building. With the check-in details often not being sent, people end up locked out of the rooms they booked. There are about 18 rooms, but only two toilets and two showers for everyone. The private shower area has nowhere to put your clothes or towel, so you have to leave them in the main bathroom area, which anyone can access. There are no locks, and anyone could walk in while you're changing. There's nothing to stop someone opening the door, and people on the street can see you. There's another hostel across the street. I'd suggest going there. This place can't be worse.

The kitchen and our room were clean and ready, and we especially liked having a sink and faucet in the room. But we hadn't received the access code by the time we arrived, even though it should have come by email earlier. None of the hostel's phone numbers answered our calls. We found an email address at the entrance and got a reply about an hour later.