Reykjavik Hostel Village

The place was clean and very quiet and peaceful, with great wifi and a room that stayed at a comfortable temperature. I liked having a sink and small mirror in my room, though there was no hand soap. There wasn’t much chance to meet other travelers, and breakfast wasn’t included. For the price, there are a lot of upkeep issues that bring my rating down to 3.3. The location is good, about a seven minute walk to the church, but the huge sign on the building is completely wrong and I walked right past it. The room is small, but spacious enough that it didn’t feel claustrophobic. It badly needs a bigger trash can. Expedia sent me information 48 hours before check-in, but I didn’t realize how important it was and never opened it. The email had the door codes and wifi details, which are crucial because there’s no staff on site. My local SIM didn’t work, the doorbell didn’t help, and I couldn’t connect to their wifi or see any guests through the windows. I was nearly panicking about how to get in. Eventually I picked up wifi from across the street and found the email with the codes. I hate that the owners don’t accept phone messages, so email is the only way to reach them and then you have to wait. The keypad code is complicated, and sometimes it doesn’t register a touch with a beep, so I made several wrong attempts. Then it blocks you and sets off a loud alarm, which is totally unnerving. I locked my things in the room and got locked out while trying to enter my PIN. I had the same locked-out alarm at each accommodation I booked with this exact keypad. They need clearer instructions for it or, better yet, should replace the keypads. The email should explain that luggage storage is an unmanned room with no camera, the fridge room. I would have kept my bags with me before check-in if I’d known, instead of leaving them there and getting them locked inside. They should have a locked room for luggage, with a camera inside or facing it. One of the main floor bathrooms has a toilet seat broken in half. Imagine getting your butt cheek stuck in it! OW. Neither shower on that floor has shelves for bath products, and both were really confusing to use. Instructions are needed. The toilet paper is as rough as it gets, and if you’re female it feels awful to use. Places all over Iceland seem to buy this very rough paper.