On our first night in Iceland, we chose to stay at the Hilton Reykjavik Nordica.
As a reminder, here is the itinerary followed:
Booking
We booked this property just a few days before our arrival.
The hotel we had initially booked, the Reykjavik Konsulat Hotel (Curio), also in the Hilton family, is not open for the season.
So, a few days before our arrival, we found ourselves with two choices: a Courtyard Marriott close to the airport, but a long way from the city, or this rather basic Hilton, which in the end fulfilled its purpose.
So we’ll be staying at the Hilton for around €150 a night, with no need to choose a rate that includes breakfast since I’m a Gold member and so is my wife, and it’s a Hilton Honors benefit.
Arrival
We arrive at the hotel mid-morning. The receptionist immediately tells us that our room is not ready, without even looking at his computer. It’s clear that the hotel is determined to keep to the 3pm check-in time.
At the very least, we leave our luggage at reception to pick it up when we return from our stroll through the city.
We return at around 4pm to check-in. The receptionist has changed, but seems just as lost as the first one when it comes to check-in.
Nevertheless, her colleague (trainee…) comes to his rescue to complete all the formalities. We’d already given our credit card, but we’re asked for it again… And a few minutes later we’re on our way to the room.
Room
Our room was on the fifth floor of the property. This is a classic standard room, but with a beautiful view of the city and the sea.
As soon as you enter, on the right-hand side, you’ll find the bathroom, which is rather plain and equipped with a bathtub/shower.
Then there’s the bedroom itself, with the TV on the left, the desk by the bay window, and finally the king-size bed with Scandinavian bedding, i.e. two separate comforters for each occupant.
It’s all in very light wood tones, but you can see that the hotel is rather worn, the furniture is scuffed in several places, and the room is overall of 90s design, with few power sockets around the bed.
Finally, the virtual visit in video:
Hotel facilities
The hotel’s facilities are fairly well developed for a city-center hotel.
The property has a fitness room, as well as a fairly large spa.
Gold and Diamond members of the Hilton Honors loyalty program have free access to the spa area. We enjoyed it on our evening at the hotel before dinner with my wife.
Food options
Catering is provided by the hotel’s main restaurant, located on the first floor near the lobby. We dined there on the evening of our stay, and had breakfast the next day before departing on our tour.
Dinner service
I booked a table for dinner when we arrived at the hotel in the morning. The place looked pretty appealing, and the menu looked appetizing.
So we go to the hotel for dinner at around 7.30pm, and are seated at a table near the entrance.
We’ll be very satisfied with our meal. Special mention for the dessert, which was delicious. And fish soup too.
Breakfast service
Breakfast is served from 7am to 10:30am in the same restaurant as the dinner.
It’s a classic buffet, just like before the Covid, and we’re going to make the most of it.
It should be noted that this was the best breakfast we had during our entire stay in Iceland, the other breakfasts being much more basic. Special mention to the omelette and bacon, which were just succulent.
Departure
Check-out formalities will be pretty fast, as we’ll just have to pay for our room and the previous evening’s dinner. All this, before we leave for our getaway.
Bottom line
A basic room, but all the comforts you’d expect from a four-star hotel in this category. Special mention for the top-quality restaurant.
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