B18 Apartments

The location is about a 15-minute walk from Reykjavík city center, and communication was quick and informative. I found the room better than expected: very clean, with blackout curtains, a comfortable bed, a little outdoor balcony, good shower pressure, and great coffee. I’d definitely stay again.

Our worst problem was getting stuck outside in the freezing cold after midnight. The laundry area is outside the building, and on our second night we found it unlocked, but the key was needed to get back into the building. I ended up jumping over three fences, going around the block, and getting inside to let my partner in. We’d already had trouble using the laundry both nights because its key wasn’t in our apartment keybox. The owner replied almost a day after we messaged, telling us to check other apartments’ keyboxes and giving us three codes. We tried them all, but they were empty too. We booked despite earlier reviews because the listing advertised features we needed. The listings on booking.com and airbnb were inaccurate, and there were also double-booking problems that left us feeling unsafe and without privacy. Awful experience with the manager. There are better options, especially if you need several facilities.

We couldn’t get help with the door code when we arrived, despite trying several times to contact management. There was no phone number or email listed for issues, and we waited at the entrance for more than two hours before finding another hotel. I’ve also made several attempts to get a refund and haven’t received a reply.

The apartment was fine during our stay, and the location and facilities were great. We were booked for May 6-8, but bad weather and a missed connection at JFK meant we couldn’t get a flight to Iceland until May 7. I contacted the owner right away to explain. He said, “Sorry for your bad luck,” and that it was too late to rent the apartment. He offered a larger one if he couldn’t rent that one on Wednesday, but since we wouldn’t be there much, it wasn’t a great solution. I later reviewed the stay on Booking.com, and Willi said I was ungrateful, that he couldn’t help my bad luck, and that I should have bought travel insurance. He also said the airline should take responsibility, and they did reimburse me for a hotel in New York. Iceland doesn’t really get busy until June. I hope this doesn’t happen to someone else. The owner didn’t do the right thing, and I wouldn’t recommend the place.