The Stykkishólmur Inn by Ourhotels

The town has plenty nearby, including a bar, supermarket, gym, and a fantastic outdoor pool with hot tubs. It’s a handy base for exploring the Snaefell peninsula, and the host was fantastic. Super friendly, with excellent value.

Breakfast came with the room and, though there were no hot dishes, there was plenty for the price. The bathroom was clean and had local branded shower gel, though I can’t remember the name. Our room was small, with no room for three suitcases, but that’s understandable in a small hotel. We’d only booked for one night, after switching from another place because this was much cheaper. A big tour group had booked rooms, so we felt lucky to find one available. We also got lucky with the northern lights: we saw them by Stykkish harbour and even from our basement room, so we didn’t have to go out into the cold. There’s a viewing deck on the top floor too. City lights mean photos won’t look as good, but it’s nice to watch from the hotel instead of chasing them. I’d definitely stay here again.

I never found out whether the stay itself would have been good, though the accounts I read sounded positive. A major storm kept me from getting to Snæfellsnes, and what I do know is that I was charged twice, then may have been overcharged for nonrefundable rooms. The inn stopped replying when I asked for proof of the price. The first problem came when I booked a triple room and the website charged my card twice. I contacted the inn, and someone who seemed confused at first resolved it quickly and was helpful. Later, I added a double room for my party. A few days before the stay, I noticed it had become a triple room and the card charge was higher than I remembered. I asked why the room type had changed, since I hadn’t booked another triple, and requested a receipt or screenshot showing the charge was correct. I’d never received a confirmation email with payment details or any receipt, so I only had my own memory to go on. After the earlier duplicate charge, I was worried their payment system had an issue. If they’d shown a receipt or timestamped record of the original price, I would have accepted that I’d remembered wrong. Instead, they told me, “You will not get two nights for the amount you are referring to anywhere in Iceland.” That wasn’t true: I’d seen lower prices for two nights on their OurHotels site and had booked elsewhere in Iceland for less. They also said double rooms sometimes get upgraded to triples when the double rooms are occupied, which left me wondering how the room I’d already booked had become double booked. I understand how that can happen at a large hotel, but this was a small inn. I followed up asking why they wouldn’t send a timestamped receipt and why they’d lie to me and patronize me. They read the message and stopped responding. Maybe I was mistaken about the charge, but I’ll never know because they wouldn’t provide proof or answer me.

The staff were really helpful. I’d booked the wrong date, and although I couldn’t cancel, they changed it without a fee or any questions. Not everyone would do that, so thanks a lot. The hotel also has good facilities and breakfast, and the price was reasonable.