Vintage Apartment Hotel

PROS - The apartment is in a great location in the main street. It was comfortable, stylish and the kitchenette helped keep the cost of eating down. CONS - If you're on the front the 24hr shop can be a bit noisy at night so double glazing would be good to sound proof. Our shower gel in shower was completely empty when we arrived and finding anyone is hard but we found the cleaners cart and topped it up ourselves. Also washing up liquid was empty so couldn't wash anything up properly. The sound and signal on the tv also kept dropping out.

We had an excellent stay at the Vintage apartments. I'm going to share some info that I wish I'd known before we went! The hotel has a perfect location in downtown Reykjavik. Everything is expensive here, but you will be on one of the main streets lined with restaurants. There is a great Italian directly opposite, but be prepared to pay - we had three pizzas, a garlic bread and three drinks which was over £165 (March 2023). There's also a bakery for croissants, bread and cakes. So if you are on a budget, make use of the kitchenette in your apartment. There are a few supermarkets nearby. You do not need to bring anything else - it has an oven with microwave, a hob, dishwasher, and fridge with ice box. There is a Nespresso coffee machine with coffee pods provided free of charge (decaf also available). They also provide dishwasher tablets, washing-up liquid, tea towel, olive oil, sugar, salt and pepper. So don't worry about bringing anything - just tea bags if you need them. All utensils are there, corkscrew etc - but there are no baking trays. So bring foil or something if you plan on cooking in the oven. The tap water is actually spring water so drinkable and soft and lovely! The bathroom has a hot rainfall shower that you won't want to leave! Again, everything is included - hand wash, shower gel, shampoo and conditioner, lots of towels and toilet rolls. So bring your toothbrush, toothpaste and other toiletries, but no need to bring the others because it's included. They will service the room for you every day if you want, give new towels, but only before 11am. If you are booking excursions, ask to be picked up at Bus Stop 14, which is a five-minute walk round the corner. This is how they work - a small bus will pick you up at the bus stop, then take you to a central bus station where you join a bigger coach for the tour. On your last day, you can store your luggage free at the hotel, go down to floor -2.

The location is fabulous! You are right in the middle of the shopping district; close to many restaurants, cafes and coffee shops, bars, and lovely stores. (So many of the people running the shops, stores, and restaurants are so welcoming to tourists, and we had no problem communicating in English with absolutely everyone.) It is an active urban district so there is a lot of activity - we enjoyed the activity level and energy, but you will hear street sweepers in early morning, people walking home late-night, etc. It is not at all overwhelming, just do not expect serene peace and quiet. We could easily walk to many local attractions such as Harpa Concert Hall and Hallgrimskirkja church, as well as bus stops for pickup and drop off for excursions such as Sky Lagoon and riding the Icelandic horses. Our room was clean, modern, comfortable, and had a great shower. I have a terrible back and the bed was pretty darn comfortable. There are also fairly adequate shades on the windows to block out the sunlight, too! (While we were there the sun didn't set until almost midnight, and rose by 4:00 a.m. - so the shades are important!) We thoroughly enjoyed our stay; not only would we highly recommend to anyone else, we would absolutely stay here again. One tip - the door keypads can be a bit fiddly, just keep patience and press a little harder than you think to get them to start working; once you get them down it's super easy and convenient.

The apartment was absolutely beautiful - everything was either beautiful, useful or both! Although the space was not particularly large by US standards - the bathroom, kitchen/sitting area and sleep area were very beautifully designed, with great flow and some separation between the areas to give privacy. There were not daily cleaners (which was fine!), but there was a cabinet just outside the room with extra towels and toiletries if needed - which meant we did not want for anything while there. While the place is advertised to accommodate up to 4 people, it might be a little cozy for that - although for families traveling with small kids, that would likely work fine. The location is right in the center of town with easy walking access to restaurants, a bodega across the street and easy walking distance to sightseeing, fun shops, and tour pick-up locations (specifically, bus stop #9). The entrance to the building was right on Laugavegur street, accessible via a keypad on a discrete but beautiful entrance and secure door. Inside, there was a great elevator large enough to accommodate all our luggage in one trip, but we usually took the stairs - which we also wide, well-lit, sturdy and beautifully decorated on each landing. The walls, windows, etc. were all sturdy and well-constructed and we could not hear anything from the adjacent rooms except their doors opening and closing when they were coming and going. If not for that, we could have thought we were staying in the building by ourselves. We hope to return for another trip and would absolutely stay here again!

The location is superb, the bed is luxury and the apartment type facilities in the room (oven, fridge, dishwasher) make life simpler than say rushing down for a hotel breakfast. Hints for people if you are staying more than 3 nights: whilst the basic room is excellent, we were there for a week and wish we had upgraded.