Hotel Selfoss

About an hour an fifteen minutes away from Reykjavík lies the town of Selfoss where Hotel Selfoss is located. I have to be honest. I had a very little expectations of this hotel as it was more of a stopover for us to get over the jet lag but when we arrived, I was pleasantly surprised.

THE PROPERTY

The lobby is decorated with cute modern decor and a cool clear elevator in the center of it all. There is also a little restaurant in the back only open for breakfast (which is included) for a few hours and dinner for a few hours so in between you have to find something to eat, but there is a food court right across the street that is so cute and has lots of dining options and there’s a lot of things in the area so it’s very easy to venture out. I walked across the street to get some food and it was easy and quick. 

What really sold me was the neighborhood. Selfoss is the cutest quaint little town. I was completely obsessed. I love all the little shops, marketplaces, and cafés on the river. Last time we came to Iceland we didn’t stop in Selfoss and I can’t believe we didn’t because I really really loved it.

There’s not much more to the hotel. It’s a very simple no frills hotel where you are going to have a nice clean comfortable place to sleep. Our room did overlook the river, which was so so gorgeous.

THE ROOM

I would describe our room as simple, cute and functional. Like I said it’s no frills. It was a simple room with a sofa bed, double bed, a TV and a bathroom. It did have some basic amenities like tea and coffee and a kettle along with a safe and closet. It was clean and the bathroom had heated floors. Our view was spectacular but other than that there was not much to it. When you walk down the hallway to your room it kind of feels like a hostel, a very nice hostel I would say,  or almost as if they were dorms. Each room is pretty much set up similar you can see as you walk by rows and rows of rooms. It definitely is more of a minimalist vibe but really it’s all you need. If you’re spending your whole day in the room in Iceland than you’re doing it wrong anyway.

THE FOOD

I can’t speak to the food too much as this was stopover hotel for us but I will say they offer a simple continental breakfast in the morning that’s included in your stay. Having breakfast is a nice touch anywhere you stay with kids so it was convenient to be able to get the girls fed and not think about food for them. Their breakfast included, oatmeal, cereals, fruit snd a deli section, eggs, bacon, vegetables, breads and other pastries as well as tea, coffee, and juices. Just what you need to start the day. The restaurant is only open for breakfast and dinner. We did not have dinner here but on the first night we enjoyed food from the food court across the street. It offered many options for food and everything we got was very tasty.

THE NEIGHBORHOOD

Aside from the fact that Selfoss is a very cute town. This hotel is right smack in the golden circle or the golden ring so you are really really close to some of the top attractions in Iceland. It’s only 15 minutes to Kerid crater and Gulfoss waterfall and also very close to the Geyser geothermal area. Staying here makes it really easy to see different parts of Iceland away from the capital.

If you’re looking for a simple no-frills hotel that is affordable I definitely recommend Hotel Selfoss. It’s in a great location and it offers everything you need. The only thing I would say is the customer service is not how us spoiled Americans would expect in the U.S. When we call down to the room and we asked for more sheets, they did not bring them up and we tried to call the front desk multiple times and no one answered so it’s kind of like you are on your own a little bit. We did track down the housekeeper and ended up getting the sheets but you’re not going to get those things that sometimes people expect from hotels where they’re catering to your every need. There is also no room service. These things are not deal breakers for us personally but I wanted to mention as for some this is important. Hotel Selfoss is really just a great place to lay your head at night and to be close to some of Iceland’s main attractions.