"Affordable" hotel for family of 4 in Reykjavik mid-November

Picking a random mid-November date and inputting your demographics and budget found 11 choices at $210 or less rated 8.0 or higher.

Seems there are good options available.

We have been to Iceland many times and if you are just going to be in Reykjavik, you do not need a rental car. However, it may be cheaper to do that. Your options are the Flybus, which is about $39 per person each way and you make a transfer at the central bus terminal, and then onto the closest bus stop to your hotel. A taxi is about $150 each way and the fastest, at about 45 minutes. A rental car takes a bit more time even with contactless pickup/dropoff, and then you need to figure out overnight parking. Many hotels do not have parking and the ones that do are limited and first come first serve. So with all that said, I would opt for a taxi as the most efficient use of your time.

As for hotels, I have not looked at prices and dates would make a difference of course, but take a look at Hotel Fron for their penthouse apartment. It has 2 bedrooms and one bathroom. It is right smack in the heart of things, and a great place to stay. The beds are two twins pushed together, and over there each person gets their own duvet, so the kids won't feel like they are sharing a bed. This particular room does have a kitchen, but also a nice seating area and dining table. So you don't need to cook, but it would be nice to have that extra room to spread out. You can leave your luggage at the front desk.

Hotel rooms for 4 in town are not that common. Take a look at booking.com and use the filter. I almost always use booking for our lodging when we are there and have never had an issue, FWIW.

Your budget is low for Iceland. We usually pay that for a room for two, and nothing fancy, to give you an idea. Last month our room at Center Hotel Laugavegur was $224/night for instance.

I just did a quick search on Booking with a random November date. I forgot that Center Hotels has apartments, and they show one for $305 which is a steal. One night at Hotel Fron runs about $350. You do want to put in the filters the Reykjavik 101 which means the central area so you can walk to things.

You're only staying one night? It takes at least 45 minutes get to/from Reykjavik and the airport. You might not have much sightseeing time depending on when your flight from London lands and when you need to return to airport to catch your onward flight (need to allow the 45 minutes return, time for rental car return if you have one, plus arriving 3 hours ahead if going to USA). Also time of year will matter, as daylight hours are very limited in the winter months and driving in winter time can be hazardous conditions.

That said, if you decide you want to stay in city center Reykjavik at a property that can hold your luggage, you will have a challenge finding a room for 4 for less than $250/night. If you decide not to drive, make sure you select a hotel that is close to one of the tourist bus stops so you have easy access to return to the airport (BTW, you ride the bus from airport to the central bus station, then take a shuttle bus to the tourist stops through town - it's not a door to door service).

If you have a rental car, you can leave your bags in the car after checking out. Also, having a car allows you to see much more than you otherwise would. Depending on your flight times, you could even get out of the city and do the Golden Circle.
Staying in an AirBnB doesn't require food preparation or grocery shopping. OTOH, when my son was 12, he LOVED grocery shopping in other countries because of the different candy and snacks sold there. The issue with AirBnB is more likely to be a two-night minimum stay.
Booking.com includes both hotel rooms and apartment rentals. The first result I got was for a 1BR apartment close in for $231. The second result was a studio for $194.

Thanks for the recommendations. I'm not super comfortable using booking.com because I periodically get messages about someone trying to log in as me, but I looked on the guide to Iceland site and was able to find some decent options there.

I know lots of folks have recommended Hotel Fron.
The other hotel that popped up was Hotel Klettur. Anyone stayed there? It's in a different part of town, not sure if that's a good thing, bad thing, or neutral.

The Hotel Klettur location is fine. There isn't much near it, but it is a short walk to the sites etc. As for Guide To Iceland, that is a 3rd party website as well. Why not look at hotels directly to book with since you are not comfortable with booking.com? For hotels in Reykjavik, I book directly with them. Booking is great though for out of downtown as many smaller places do not have their own website, so only use the booking platform. Look on Booking and see what you like and then see if you can book direct. As for Guide To Iceland, I have not come across anyone that has used it for lodging, just activities. So I can't say whether or not they stand by it etc.

Hi eshrimps.
when in Reykjavik I stayed at Berjaya Reykjavik Marina. It's right on the waterfront in close proximity to restaurants and downtown. The pricing will be close though. Location: Mýrargata 2, 101 Reykjavík.
Website: https://www.icelandhotelcollectionbyberjaya.com/en/hotels/reykjavik/reykjavik-marina

eshrimps,
I was scrolling though some of the posts. Take a look at the post by jrthomp99 on 09/22/24 12:06 PM. She/he/they did not stay in Reykjavik they stayed in Hafnarfjordur at the Hotel Viking for $250.