Leifur Eiriksson Hotel

Clean and tidy, and handy both for daily tours around Reykjavík and for a night before a flight. Breakfast is included, which is a real plus with Iceland's prices. The buffet isn't huge, but there's at least a mix of sweet and savory things. Recommended, 5/5.

The staff were the highlight, always around, friendly, and knowledgeable. Breakfast was fantastic, and tea and coffee were available around the clock. I liked hanging out in the lounge and chatting with a few people, and the location worked well. Getting a bus from Stop 8 can be a bit tricky, though the church is beautiful. Its bells rang every 15 minutes or so, but they didn't disturb my sleep. I chose a larger room on the fourth floor. The sloped ceiling is no joke, so it may not suit tall people, and the bathroom shower is very tight. There's no elevator, so pack with that in mind.

I had a room with a lovely view of the church, both during the day and at night, and housekeeping was meticulous. Leo and Mariko made the stay feel like home. Breakfast was delicious with plenty of choice. If you want protein, the herring, Skyr, boiled eggs, and tuna egg mix were tasty. The pancakes were just right, crisp outside and fluffy inside, without being too sweet. I also loved the range of breads and the condiments for the skyr. Thank you!

The helpful staff, good location, and free 24/7 coffee and hot chocolate in the main hotel were the bright spots. Reception was staffed all day and night, too. My partner and I spent two nights in the hotel's second building, and the room had a lot of problems. It was small, very dark even when the lights worked, and cold. The electricity kept cutting out, so our phones didn't charge fully and we couldn't always use the lights. We could hear people inside and noises from outside because the room wasn't well soundproofed. The shower water smelled of sulfide gas, a bit like eggs, which hadn't been an issue at our previous Iceland hotel. The bathroom flooded easily, the shower stayed lukewarm even at its highest setting, and the water pressure was poor. Blinds on the veluxe windows would help, as the light coming in at night affected our sleep.