Center Hotels Plaza

The breakfast was good, much like the similar buffets we found at other Icelandic hotels, and the location made it easy to get around. I stayed one night after arriving from Copenhagen, then came back for nights two and three after visiting eastern Iceland before flying back. Both rooms were clean, tidy, and spacious, on levels 2 and 3. The bathrooms were the weak point. In the first room, the fittings seemed badly worn by previous guests. In the second, the sink was visibly cracked but thankfully didn’t leak, and the shower head was broken where it joined the hose. Staff replaced it, but the holder still wouldn’t keep it in place, so I used a thick rubber band to point it where I needed.

The central spot is great for exploring Reykjavik, and the staff were friendly and helpful. Breakfast was great too. Sleep was the problem: the street stayed noisy until the early hours, and there seemed to be construction in rooms above us starting at 9am. It could suit someone there for nightlife, but it wasn’t ideal when I wanted to rest.

The staff were fantastic. I arrived early after a long flight, and they tried to get me into a room ahead of time and even offered breakfast. I really appreciated that after the journey. But I couldn’t settle in the room they gave me. Finding it meant winding through back hallways and taking an elevator I had to put a lot of trust in. At one point it felt like a Monty Python skit. Once inside, I found holes in the walls, loose sideboards, partly destroyed furniture, and a tiny, dark room that looked nothing like the one I’d booked. The bathroom floor was painfully cold, and the heater gave no heat for hours. The radiators were still cold when I left. I could hear everything the neighbors did, and the jet lag didn’t help with how stressed I felt. I left almost immediately and checked into another hotel. I’m disappointed because I’ve stayed at Center hotels in Reykjavik before and had fantastic experiences. Maybe I happened to get the one room badly in need of care, but I don’t know.

The staff were really friendly and helpful, and the hotel is nice, though for the price it felt a bit budget. My room had a loose bathroom tap and very little space around the sink. There’s a nightclub opposite, and its bass could shake the room. Being right in central Reykjavik also means plenty of people and traffic noise. I was personally okay with it, but less noise would have been nice. I’d still half recommend it.