Guesthouse Gullsól — Hotel in Akureyrarbær

I went to Grímsey Island to cross over the Arctic Circle and to see the Puffins. I did both. There are 1000s of Puffins to see. I ended up staying in a quaint guesthouse called GullSol, it was perfect. Grímsey is inhabited by less than 100 people so the island is mainly nature as nature intended it to be - simple and beautiful which can also be said about GullSol. ||I was greeted by one of the owners Anna María and her daughter Lily. (They are truly two of the nicest people I have ever met). There are 6 small guest rooms. Five have twin beds and are the size of a dorm room for one, there is one room with two twin beds and another, downstairs, with a full sized bed. There is a shared kitchen, living space, and bathroom. The bathroom and 5 of the bedrooms are located up a fairly steep set of stairs and through a trap door. It's small and modest, yes but it's perfect for sleeping. You will want to spend all of your time outside (watching the birds, the Northern Lights or the Midnight Sun). Downstairs in the back of the guesthouse is the island's gift shop. You WILL want to stop here. The Icelandic sweaters here are actually knit by the islanders and not manufactured in China like most of the ones on the mainland. The name of the person who knit each sweater is actually pinned to the sweater. Better yet, the price is LESS than what you will find on the mainland! ||||The island is about 3 square miles. You will see the Puffin, Arctic Tern, Guillemot, gulls, and more. The Arctic Circle is located just past the airport. Take the path to the left to the cliff and you will get an up close and personal view of the Puffins. Be sure to walk into the church and to the lighthouse on the south side...

This is an adorable, tiny little guesthouse right next to where the ferry drops you off (and less than a 5 minute walk from the teeny little airport.) Anna-Marie is a lovely hostess. She also runs the charming gift shop attached to the guesthouse (and apparently handles the mail for the island as well.)||||The kitchen is the largest room and has the basics of what you would need. There is a big fridge. Attached to the kitchen is a little room with 2 nice comfortable recliners, another seating area, and a TV (which I didn't try). The WiFi works well, no problems.||||The rooms are very small and very clean, with a cozy duvet on the bed. The little bathroom is fine, no problems. The stairs are quite steep... someone with mobility issues should stay in the room on the first floor (I think that may have been Room 1?). ||||The guesthouse is right next to the island restaurant... convenient!||||Anna-Marie was very gracious to offer to drive me to the one end of the island that I didn't get to see the day before, and then drop me off at...

This guesthouse has modest rooms that access a common bathroom on the second floor and a common kitchen and living area on the first floor. A steep staircase provides access to the second floor. The bottom floor of the building houses a gift shop open while the ferry is docked (4 hours every other day). One restaurant is across the street (pricey), or you can bring food with you to cook in the full kitchen. The small local store has a limited selection of food. The budget traveler should bring enough food to cook during their stay. The guesthouse is located just steps from the ferry dock and central to all roads and hiking trails. The arctic circle monument is located about one kilometer up the road to the north. In the summer months millions of birds inhabit the island, including Arctic terns, puffins, ptarmigan, snow bunting, murre, etc.....