Hotel berhampiran Swan lake, Akureyri

My husband, teenage daughter, and I enjoyed staying one night in a triple (a queen bed and a twin bed) with a private bath. This modern hotel with a Scandanavian feel is centrally located, including close to the beautiful Botanical Garden and the harbour area. The room is large, clean and well appointed. There's plenty of room in the closets as well. The bathroom was good sized as well. The breakfast was a combination of hot and cold dishes, so we filled up until dinner. The hotel was packed with tour groups, but it was quiet at night. The hotel staff was helpful and courteous. When we needed to arrange for a reimbursement of our cancelled whale watch due to bad weather, the hotel manager graciously placed the call to the company and explained to them in Icelandic what our inquiry was about (we received the reimbursement).

My wife and I enjoyed a 17 day Arctic journey in the summer of 2022. My only regret is that our journey around Iceland included only a one night stay at Hotel Kea. Hotel Kea is a short drive (about 10 minutes) from the Akureyri Airport. The hotel has free parking spaces available right next to the hotel as well as paid street parking. We were able to park in one of the free spaces when we arrived. Check in went very smoothly and the staff was very friendly and helpful in providing us information about the area. Our suite (Room 504!) was spacious with a comfortable bedroom that included a desk, closets and flat panel television. Plenty of outlets were provided for charging devices. There was also a large living/sitting room with comfortable seating, another flat panel television, coffee service and lovely wall art. Off of the living/sitting room was a balcony with a couple of chairs and a great view of Akureyri city center. In fact the large windows throughout the suite provided great views. As with all of the suite, the bathroom was spotlessly clean with complimentary toiletries. Robes and slippers were also provided for use. Hotel Kea has an extensive bar as well as a restaurant; our stay included breakfast which was served in the on-site restaurant. The breakfast offerings included a variety of baked goods, fruit, breakfast meats, and other typical Icelandic breakfast buffet options. Hotel is conveniently located in the heart of Akureryi and is a convenient walk to cafes, shopping, the waterfront and cultural sites. It is located next to the Akureyrarkirkja the iconic Lutheran Church. Hotel Kea is a perfect “home base” if your journey through Iceland takes you to Akureyri.

Last time I was, there was before the pandemic, and it was a five star for me. I liked the view of the fjord and I like the location for stores around the area and when I wanted to go swimming, it was right across the street. On top of all that the people were really nice, and the food was fabulous! It has since been sold to a different company, so I do have no idea how it is right now! It is now 2023. , I was not allowed to change the date, so this might be a moot point.. I was not there in 2022, so I don’t know how to express on that little rectangle that I was there in 2018/2019.

Obviously a bit of a novelty sleeping in a pod hostel. Getting to the nitty gritty though, whilst the privacy of a sleeping pod is very much appreciated, the pod is not without its flaws. The plastic is hollow, therefore the slightest tap on it causes noise. So bring ear plugs. The neon lights might look cool, but the one next to the pod door is reflected in the mirror & for me, was annoyingly bright when trying to sleep (so I ended up sleeping at the TV end). There are no channels on the TV but you can google cast to it. Pity I had an iPhone then. The pod controls are essentially for the lights, fan & door. As for the rest of the hostel, I thought the kitchen was a bit small, though the dining area was fine. Free Coffee & Tea. Nice that there is a balcony to sit outside on too. Showers & WCs were fine, though renting a towel costs extra. All in all, reasonably priced for what you get (by Icelandic standards).

Naast de brug aan de Godafoss gaat een aarden wegje zo'n 4 km naar de hoeve. Van buitenuit lijkt het een veestal maar binnen zijn er nieuwe, mooie, ruime en nette kamers met een goede en ruime badkamer. De bedden zijn ook zeer goed zodat je door de rustige omgeving kan genieten van een goede nachtrust. Er zijn nieuwe uitbaters die geen diner meer verzorgen zodat je 15 km verder moet om te dineren. Dat was een minpunt voor ons. Het ontbijt is OK maar is niet meer wat het vroeger was. De mensen zijn vriendelijk en geven de nodige uitleg. Ze verwachten dat je bij het ontbijt en in de kamers geen schoenen draagt. Wij hadden bij de reservatie ook diner besteld en werden niet op de hoogte gesteld dat dineren momenteel niet meer mogelijk is. Als je weet dat er ter plaatse geen diner mogelijk is kan je je immers aanpassen aan die situatie. Desondanks wens ik toch een juiste waardering te geven.