Akureyri in Northern Iceland is my favorite city of the island. Also as I expected to be there just the weekend after our Ring Road trip in April and May 2023, my wife and I just spend one night there. Due to its nice location close to Forest Lagoon and very affordable prices, the Hafdals Hotel Akureyri felt to be a rather easy choice for that fifth day arrival. Here is the corresponding hotel review.
Hafdals Hotel Akureyri – Location
Hafdals Hotel (or Hafdals Gistiheimili, which is the Icelandic name) is in fact located on the East side of the Eyja Fjord. The road is the 828 or Veigastadavegur, which I featured in my posting about the Vadlaheidargong Toll Road Tunnel and alternatives. All rooms face West, so that you have an amazing view of the city, the fjord and even of the operations at Akureyri Airport (AEY). The hotel is just a short drive away from the Forest Lagoon, which is right next to the Ring Road.
The hotel is located in a rather residential area with scattered housing. All touristic services are available in Akureyri itself, including all kinds of shops. There is no sensible way to reach the hotel by public transport, though. A rental car feels to be absolutely mandatory if you opt for this place.
Hafdals Hotel Akureyri – Room
We booked a twin room with view from Wednesday to Thursday in May 2023. The room rate, including breakfast, was 16,912.50 ISK, roughly 112 EUR. The room was a real beauty. It was comparably large and easily fit all of our luggage. I loved the wide work desk. The highlight, however, were the large windows and the terrace in front of the room, which lead to outstanding views (see pictures below). Having a fridge and a coffee machine was very helpful for our stay as well.
The shower bathroom had sufficient size and an absolutely nice and modern design. Like the the room, the place was spotlessly clean. Basic amenities were provided. Below are also pictures of the terrace and views from the hotel room. Six rooms are on the lower level, two are on the top, where the reception and breakfast room are located as well. There is limited parking on the lower level, which is very helpful while handling your luggage.
Hafdals Hotel Akureyri – Breakfast
The breakfast buffet offered a quite nice selection of cold items, coffee and drinks. On top of that, the breakfast room as well had the lovely view over Akureyri and thus lead to a perfect start into the sixth day of our journey.
Hafdals Hotel Akureyri – Service
The WiFi in the hotel worked very fine. The host of the hotel was very friendly and helpful. He is a bit of Icelandic in his mind and thus, it may feel a bit of “defensive” at first sight – but he is indeed a really nice person.
Hafdals Hotel Akureyri – My View
When I booked the hotel, I somehow had the feeling that this one could be a great one – but Hafdals Hotel Akureyri even exceeded my expectations. You need to have a car to get there – but that’s finally the only limitation. The rooms are very good and the location and the view is one of these long-lasting memories you will definitely have. I absolutely recommend to give this place a try if you are around.
Postings about Akureyri
Here are all my postings related to Akureyri in Northern Iceland:
2023 Hotel Reviews
Here are all my hotel reviews published in 2023: