Eyja Guldsmeden Hotel — Hotel in Reykjavik

I usually don't waste time writing reviews except when the experience is truly amazing but this time I feel compelled to share our bad experience as the overall rating of the hotel is strangely high.

I stayed at the hotel with my boyfriend for a little over a week. This is the first time we had a poor experience with a hotel.

When we arrived to check in, the receptionist, a young man with cool tattoos, gave us the impression that we were bothering him. He just handed us the key and gave us the room number. He did not accompany us to our room nor did he introduce the hotel. He was simply nonchalant. It gave us a bad impression right away, even though we had just arrived. We wondered if he had just handed in his notice.

When we walked past the reception desk we had no greeting and no smile. We even wondered if it was cultural since the cleaning ladies did the same. Is there a culture of avoiding eye contact in Iceland? It was pretty awkward.

The room itself was fairly small but it's not a big deal. The issues are mostly concentrated around the bathroom: there is no real door between the room and the bathroom so there is no privacy. The shower seal was not reliable so we found ourselves flooded every time we showered. The device to adjust the temperature was broken. We had sewer odors almost daily (if there had been a door the smell would not have been in the whole room). If we wanted to be picky, I would also mention that we were a little disappointed that the hotel did not provide us with the bathrobes/slippers that other hotels do provide for no extra charge...

The cleaning ladies' service was also disappointing. Dirty glasses forgotten every other day. The bed sometimes was half made; there are 4 pillows and yet 3 are on the bed while one was left on the floor? Another day it was my jacket that was thrown on the floor to make the bed... The least they could have done would have been to put it back on a piece of furniture before leaving.. Moreover, we did not have a 'do not disturb' card so the cleaning ladies would knock on the door to know if they could come in... Convenient.

As for the restaurant part, I keep a bitter memory of the service. I work in the restaurant industry myself and I understand that it is not always easy. However, here the restaurant was always more or less empty and yet this dish or that dish was always constantly out of stock. The young waitress seems to be invested, while the older waitress, who also happens to be friend with the receptionist, leaves the dinning hall unattended and doesn't seem to care much when she messes up. Maybe she handed her notice too?

Besides, I understand that there is a division of tasks between the two waitresses. I understand that the younger one can't offset her colleagues' lack of interest but I believe a better organization is needed because the repeated ignorance after eye contacts is not so professional...

Our experience in the dining room of the restaurant (which is located across from the reception) also enabled us to witness our dear receptionist happily rush to the staff room with the waitress to gossip about some customers who seemed to be a pain in the neck... Professional. At least this time he was smiling!

Also, we expected to have breakfast included at this price, it was not the case. We did not decide to add the option since there was very little choice. However, I discovered during our stay that hot drinks were available free of charge at all times - I might have known this earlier if the receptionist had been willing to do his job...

I still put a star to thank the second receptionist, a tall man with glasses, who was helpful and professional. We were lucky to find him the day we were looking for help with...

If I could describe this hotel in a word, it is mellow. Our stay felt easy, relaxed and cozy.

I loved the zen vibe of the hotel. The dining and sitting rooms were beautifully decorated and comfortable. The lighting was warm and moody. The music playing was always sweet and relaxing. The staff were really helpful (especially the tall man with hair pulled back). Staff were always attentive and kept the tea and coffee bar flowing.

The breakfasts were delicious and filling to set you up for a day of adventuring (porridge, eggs, sausage, bacon, pastries, croissants, muffins, pancakes, chia pudding, fruits, veg, salmon, juices etc.) all were quality foods and ingredients.

The rooms were comfortable, bohemian chic, had plush beds and comforters and most were really importantly clean. The windows could open to some lovely ocean air.

The hotel products were lovely. Great lotions, shampoo and conditioning provided - and all natural too. The bathroom also came with the most refreshing smelling mist which was nice to leave a roommate you are sharing the facilities with ;)

The location was great. Quiet but just a short 5 minuteish? walk back into the hustle and bustle of the city. Parking was easy and free too. It felt very central to exploring downtown Reykjavík.

No complaints at all- suggestions to make the hotel even more amazing: have more temperature control in the room, a water bottle tap or filling station (since staff were filling the small jug constantly)- and more hooks in the bathrooms and bedroom since travellers might have a lot of bulky items to sort- but honestly it was all so wonderful already. I would 100% recommend staying...

We stayed for one night upon arrival in Reykjavik in mid July. This is a very cool property with a laid back vibe, and beautifully decorated in restful style and tones. Even though we arrived very early in the morning they still managed to allow us to check-in very early. We were exhausted from our flight so this was very welcomed and very much appreciated. The room was decorated like Bali style with a canopy bed, very cool and comfortable. Also they use very high quality lotions and soaps and even a bamboo toothbrush and an interesting pill form of tooth paste. The staff (Lilly) at the desk was so welcoming and sweet and helpful. Their breakfasts though you have to buy, are all full of everything you can imagine even açaí. Plus they make great cappuccinos (at extra charge). Very nicely decorated breakfast room too. We loved the location which is just 5 minutes from down town in a very quiet neighborhood and has plenty of parking. Parking is always for pay in Reykjavik so this was great not to have to worry about parking. Some hotels tell you there's parking but only have parking fora few cars so be careful. There's also a grocery store right in the next street in case you need groceries. We stocked up before heading out on the ring road. All in all we loved this property and will look for their other properties in other parts of the world. This family owned business is...