The Swan House Hotel by ylma

I’ve stayed here twice and enjoyed both visits. The shower is hot and powerful, there’s plenty of shower gel and conditioner, and the TV pulls out so you can watch it in bed. The kitchen setup is good too, with a fridge, hob, utensils, plates, pots, and pans. The door code has worked easily for me both times, though I’ve seen other guests struggle. That made me less comfortable leaving luggage in the luggage room after check-out. The location is really nice, close to both the shore and the shops.

The property is in a very good location, and the apartment itself was nice. The kitchen had what we needed, the bathroom was clean and ergonomic, and the radiators warmed up quickly. We didn’t have any trouble with the fire alarm mentioned in other reviews. There weren’t enough hangers or places to organize our things. We were a family of four, so I had to leave almost everything in the suitcases.

We chose this hotel because it was near religious meals for my parents, and the room was supposed to have a microwave, or at least one available on request. There was never one available. It did have a stovetop and fridge, which worked out okay in the end. We’d arranged early check-in through the online option, but nobody told the staff, so the room wasn’t ready. We were also given a room quite different from the one promised and shown. One cleaner wanted to call the police because we were there early and didn’t understand management had made a mistake. It took a while to reach management by phone and sort things out somewhat. After a long flight, it was exasperating. The room was in rough shape, with damaged walls, dirty curtains and pillowcases, and thick dust on the air vents. They clearly hadn’t been cleaned in a long time, and triggered my allergies until I cleaned them myself. Guests have to collect their own clean sheets and towels from a designated area. The digital locks on the rooms and hotel entrance are another problem, and there’s nobody around to help. The beds were hard and uncomfortable, and the hotel was sometimes loud. The soundproofing advertised online was nonexistent. The location is okay and it’s generally safe, which is the only reason I’m giving it two stars. Links on the hotel website for help and checkout don’t work, and management is mostly unresponsive to problems or complaints. I didn’t enjoy the stay and wouldn’t recommend this hotel. Iceland itself was great and a pleasure to visit.

The website was detailed enough that getting in and figuring everything out in the apartment was easy. The kitchen even had oil, salt, and sugar, which we really appreciated, and the luggage room was a huge bonus. The room was spacious, the location excellent, and there was nothing bad to say, really. We loved this hotel. It was the best one on our trip and a great start to it. Worth the price, and I truly wish I could stay again.