Question about Reykjavik Cruise

[ronrick1943]

Well be cruising on then SS Silver Moon not in the to near further- but we want to get ahead of the game.  Does anyone know of a really nice hotel in Reykjavik.  Not necessary over the Top-b it near the Top for hotels.  Location is important, near city center.  Anything else of interest like must see’s…… thanks

[Gourmet Gal]

We stayed in Black Pearl apartments - not a hotel but roomy, clean, modern and very comfortable including a massive breakfast.  Hotel Borg was the other nicer hotel we were considering but the streets can be very noisy there on weekends. The town is very small but somewhat interesting but we rented a car at the airport and drove the Golden Circle in a day.  That is a must unless it’s already included in your cruise.  Would not recommend the Blue Lagoon - tourist trap and not a natural thermal lake.  The water is heated by the nearby power plant.  There are other thermal pools to choose from.

 

The active volcano is the current must see.  Perhaps others can chime in with details.  Not sure how far it is from Reykjavik but I do know it’s about a four mile hike over rugged terrain to get to a safe viewing point.

 

Iceland is an amazing country and well worth at least 3 extra days.

[masscruiser2010]

We stayed in the Hotel Borg for three nights before a cruise in July.  VERY nice, and very well located.

[Catlover54]

Borg is stylish in appearance,  rated 4 star, but has no AC, and the windows in our upper room that faced the park only slightly opened.  So it was sweltering on a warm (65 degree) summer day and then hard to sleep. We found a noisy fan in the closet we used to make it tolerable.  Pretty bathroom.

 

There was no assistance to get our luggage upstairs, not even for a fee.  There is a tiny elevator you can use to haul it up yourself.

 

If you come in on an early flight, do not count on the room being ready before checkin time unless you buy it ahead of time, or are an important person.

 

The breakfast buffet was crowded, overpriced and understaffed.  Self-serve, even for coffee, no table service, tables unwiped. A lot of plate clanking, missing items, stressful atmosphere, and  surly non-Icelandic guest workers who had too much to do. They got irritated when I asked if they had sparkling water.  NO!, they barked.
 

Good location centrally, but that was all.  We were there three nights, and will not be back.

 

 

 

Edited September 18, 2021 by Catlover54
Typo

[masscruiser2010]

Wow!  That was certainly not our experience.

 

The front desk provided a porter for our bags both on arrival and departure.  And when we arrived at 8 am, an early check-in -- which we had requested in advance for an added fee of $50 -- had us in bed sleeping off the time change within minutes of our arrival.

 

I can't comment on breakfasts because we discovered that the mezzanine coffee shop on the outdoor balcony of the bookstore around the corner -- the oldest bookstore in Iceland -- had great cappuccinos and pastries, and we did that every morning for probably 1/3 of the price of the hotel prix fixe breakfast.

[Catlover54]

Restaurants  we liked ( central):

 

Tapas Barynn ( unlikely location and concept but very good)

Messin ( freshly prepared fish pans, also open for lunch)

 

walk along the harbor, and on surrounding colorful streets with art shops and cafes

check out some of the museums listed and partially shown below ( hours vary), also Pearl

 

The Golden Circle is an all-day loop

You could also take a private tour of the south of Iceland, many waterfalls, a black basalt beach, and a "yoda" cave

 

 

 

[highplanesdrifters]

Post cruise we also stayed in the Black Pearl an apartment hotel and really liked it. It was well located and perfect for our needs. Always nice to have that extra space. No view, but we had a balcony. Great little Ramen place next door.  I wouldn't  hesitate to stay there again.  Next summer we are staying at the Center Hotel Arnarhvoll near the Harpa as our group is staying there. Friends stayed there last time and liked it. We ate at the Grill Market, upscale Icelandic food. Did the tasting menu. They could make cardboard delicious. Although I said I would not eat the horse or whale, after a few glasses of excellently pared wine I did. Horse was great, whale not so much. Apparently, whale is not cardboard. We also ate at Krua Thai, excellent. After a long day of touring we took Thai leftovers home to the Pearl apartment for dinner. We were advised that the famous hot dog stand that always has a line was not worth it. It's just a tourist thing.

[ronrick1943]

Thanks to all, that was helpful—we plan 4/5 nights before the cruise.

[QueSeraSera]

On 9/18/2021 at 7:46 PM, Catlover54 said:

Messin ( freshly prepared fish pans, also open for lunch)

ditto on this, we had a great lunch there

[Gourmet Gal]

On 9/19/2021 at 5:39 AM, highplanesdrifters said:

Post cruise we also stayed in the Black Pearl an apartment hotel and really liked it. It was well located and perfect for our needs. Always nice to have that extra space. No view, but we had a balcony. Great little Ramen place next door.  I wouldn't  hesitate to stay there again.  Next summer we are staying at the Center Hotel Arnarhvoll near the Harpa as our group is staying there. Friends stayed there last time and liked it. We ate at the Grill Market, upscale Icelandic food. Did the tasting menu. They could make cardboard delicious. Although I said I would not eat the horse or whale, after a few glasses of excellently pared wine I did. Horse was great, whale not so much. Apparently, whale is not cardboard. We also ate at Krua Thai, excellent. After a long day of touring we took Thai leftovers home to the Pearl apartment for dinner. We were advised that the famous hot dog stand that always has a line was not worth it. It's just a tourist thing.

Glad you liked Black Pearl Apts. I thought it was quite the little find. 

[jpalbny]

On 9/18/2021 at 7:46 PM, Catlover54 said:

Tapas Barynn ( unlikely location and concept but very good)

 

Oh wow, that restaurant is still there!

 

Chris and I did a winter weekend in Reykjavik about 10 years ago for her birthday. It was so cool to be in Reykjavik during the slow season! We stayed downtown in the Hotel Reykjavik Centrum. It was really cheap in January.

 

One night we had dinner at Tapas Barinn. Agree with your comments - no way this should work in Iceland but we really liked it!

 

Other choices include Fiskfélagið (Fish Company). We had an amazing multicourse tasting menu there on that 2011 trip. I was also going to recommend Laekjarbrekka, but Google says it's closed. We've had a few nice meals there. I hope that's wrong, or temporary.