This was my 7th trip to Iceland, so I thought I would share my thoughts yet again on places we stayed, ate, experienced. Some of these are repeats from past trips, for good reason.
Hotels:
Reykjavik--Center Hotel Laugarvegur. We have stayed here several times and it is consistently good. They have free parking on site, a bit hard to find the first time though. Breakfast is included. It is an easy 15 minute or so walk to the heart of the city, but all along Laugarvegur which is the main road that visitors wander down. We paid for 2 nights so that we could get right into our room as we arrive very early in the morning. If you do not do this, they do let you leave your luggage until check in. This is also at a bus stop, so if you are doing tours this is a pick up spot. We paid $224 per night, which included a welcome drink.
Stikkisholmur--Hotel Egilsen. We have stayed in Stikkosholmur before, but this was our first time at this hotel. Free parking on site, breakfast was extra, about $20 pp, and the best breakfast of our trip. We had a superior twin room and paid $221. The room was very nice, and quite spacious. There is no elevator and the staircase is narrow and steep, but easy enough to maneuver with luggage. The shower was great, and we appreciated a little lip down so that the water did not go onto the rest of the floor in the bathroom.
Reykholt (Golden Circle area)--Arbakki Farmhouse Lodge. We had a double room with a private bathroom and paid $168. Breakfast was included. Our room was right next to the entry way, but we never heard a peep. We also had a back door out the bathroom to a little patio and that led to a hot tub. Just past that is a wide open field that was a great place to watch the northern lights. They ask you to leave your shoes at the front door, and they have slippers for your use if you want.
Vik (just south of there)--Giljur Guesthouse. We had a twin room (2 twins) with shared baths and paid $201. They leave an envelope at the front door entry with your name and room number and key. Again, you leave your shoes at the front door. Our room had a 3rd twin bed, so that was nice to put our luggage on. There were very few outlets I the room, but they did have a power strip on the desk. The two shared bathrooms were very clean and we never had to wait to use them. They provided washcloths as well, which is rare. You had the use of a kitchen and dining room, but we did not use it except to fill our water bottles in the morning. The windows look out over big open sheep fields, so a great spot to watch the aurora again. There is no food on site, so you need to either bring your own for in the kitchen or drive to Vik which is about 10 minutes away.
Hofn ( about 40 km away)--Guesthouse Nypugardur. We had one of the two cottages here and paid $140. This guesthouse is in the middle of nowhere, but has a Hofn address. It sits up on a bluff, so you get the full weather experience;) our cottage was very comfortable, but quite rustic. The door lock stumped us a few times and we had a hard time getting out. The beds were comfy and they had the heaviest duvets, which was good as it is much colder up here. The bathroom was pretty sparse, but doable. There was a couch in the room, which again was nice to have somewhere to put our luggage. The cottage also had a small table and chairs. Our deck looked out over a huge sheep field and we had sweeping views. There is a restaurant on site. Breakfast is included, but dinner its not and is served only from 7-8:30pm. Limited menu, but good.