Especially due to a scheduled flight with Norlandair, I looked for a stay not too far away from Akureyri Airport (AEY) when I have been in Iceland in July 2021. I finally opted for Hotel Kjarnalundur, which is finally even the closest option and offered reasonably priced accomodation. Here is my review of the hotel.
Hotel Kjarnalundur – Location
The hotel is located on the Southern edge of Akureyri, on a small hill overlooking the fjord and the airport. Due to its location, I would only recommend the place if you are having a car. The parking lot is large.
The location is on the one hand remote and quiet, so that there are not important facilities in very close proximity. On the other hand, the traffic connections of the hotel are very nice as it is just a short drive to route 1.
Hotel Kjarnalundur – The Room
I booked two nights in August in a single room, including breakfast, for a total of 198 EUR via booking.com. The rate was non-refundable. I have to admit that I did not read the room description right which clearly stated a room size of 12 sqm. That would already be quite a challenge for a two night stay regarding all my equipment – but I personally doubt that the room had that size and estimate some 9 to 10 sqm.
At first I had to remove the chair from the working desk and work from the edge of the bet as the gap between bed and table was too narrow – but this is just one example for the compactness of the room design, which was functional and not too bad if you are hanging out in Iceland anyway. I did not like that they manipulated a power plug to make the work desk fit into the room, though – see last pictures.
Unsurprisingly, the bathroom was rather compact as well – a sign which similarly find in many Scandinavian / Nordic places. Housekeeping was very good and the room was very nicely cleaned.
Hotel Kjarnalundur – Breakfast
Breakfast is served in the restaurant room, which is having a lovely glass front. The hotel seems to serve dinner for major groups as well – there have been bus tours during my stay who dined there. The breakfast area may also be rather crowded in peak times, but the buffet is rather well organized. You have a nice selection of items, which I would rate as in the upper average range of Icelandic breakfast buffets. Like during the whole hotel stay, it was a bit annoying that the staff did not really have a clear policy regarding wearing masks in Covid-19 times, though.
Hotel Kjarnalundur – Service
The staff at Hotel Kjarnalundur was not as welcoming as in other places, but overall very nice. I did have some issues with the WiFi capacity in peak times like in the morning or earlier evening hours – but apart from that, it worked out well. An absolute highlight of the hotel is their lovely hot tub place in the park-alike garden area, which is available in the evening hours. However, it is a popular place, so that I did not have a chance to try it during my stay.
Hotel Kjarnalundur – My View
Kjarnalundur is coming with a lovely location, the great hot tubs and beautiful views of the fjord of Akureyri. The rest is a very solid to good economic stay in the largest city of Iceland outside the Reykjavik area. If you want to feel the lovely vibrant life of Akureyri, this place might be too remote for you – if you rather jump into your car and go out for hikes or enjoy nature in other ways, it is a very reasonable option. The price is nice, regarding Icelandic hotel prices.
Airport Hotels
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Beautiful Nature Postings
Postings tagged with Beautiful Nature in here are dealing with unmodified lovely places: