Metropolitan Hotel, Reykjavik > Reviews > A weekend In Reykjavik

Author's product rating:   

Value for Money	Excellent
Quality of Rooms	Average
Standard of Service	Good
Quality of Facilities	Average

Advantages:	cheap, great location, helpful staff, nice breakfast, nice facilities, tours
Disadvantages:	room very small and a bit cold

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

Reykjavik is the low key capital of Iceland with famous nightlife. It is also VERY VERY expensive. The Metropolitan was great as it offers cheap (for Iceland) accommodation close to the centre of town.

I paid approx £40 per night for a single room in December, which was very cramped but clean, with ensuite facilities, fridge, TV and a double bed which was nice, although had to skirt round the edge of it to get to the shower room, etc.

The building inside is cosy but dated and probably 40 years old and there is a tiny lounge (one couch by the front door) area by reception where you can wait for taxis, excursions etc. There is no real lounge space so you are limited to your room, and my room was limited, so that is a downside.

The staff at the reception (to be honest it's more like someone's house converted) are lovely and will arrange all kinds of excursions from Northern Light viewing (if you lucky) to riding on Icelandic horses.

Step outside the hotel and within five minutes you are in the city centre. Close at hand is the Seafaerinn (Sea Baron cafe) which serves up whale kebabs (if you can stomach it) and lobster soup for approx £7. Huddle up on wooden benches with wind-blown salty sea dogs and fishermen for a feast. It's probably the cheapest meal in town. Other more luxurious and expensive restaurants are close by with such delicacies as puffin, reindeer and Icelandic lamb. I had trouble finding puffin on the menu as most places had a Christmas menu on, but Laekjarbrekka, a classic Icelandic restaurant situated in the heart of Reykjavík comes strongly recommended. Be careful though you are looking at £50 or more per head excluding wine!

Reykjavik is LOW KEY as I mentioned before, and to be honest I find its clubbing reputation hard to believe. There is a tiny photography museum which had a very interesting exhibition of photographs from Finland and some by Icelandic photographers. The Art Museum is well worth a visit, if only for its wonderful modern architecture and glass - box loos. I also dropped in on a couple of impromptu exhibitions in makeshift galleries.

Otherwise there are shops selling knitted goods, restaurants and cafes. Iceland is not about the towns necessarily. The towns have a temporary feel to them, due to fairly simple contruction, a lot of the buildings resemble shacks rather than what we might expect. The colours are primary, with bold yellows and blues and reds. The city offers access to a number of geo thermal pools, which can be a nice opportunity to mix with the locals; and some of the architecture is amazing - the churches especially tend me to be very avant garde in their design. The imposing facade of Hallgrimskirkja church is THE landmark of Reykjavik.

If you come to Iceland, probably you will be interested in nature; this is the reason to be here. Gullfoss waterfall is quite the largest complex of waterfalls I have ever seen in Europe, the spectacular Geysir geothermal areaor a visit to Pingvellir National Park where the American plate and the European plate part company. I also took a Northern Lights tour but unfortunately they did not appear, so if you absolutely need to see them, I recommend hiring a car ( the coach only takes the roads to Pingvellir) and staying a week or so to maximize your chances.

Try Black Death (strong schnapps), rotted shark and skyr (curd) while you are in Iceland and take some home from the special shop at the airport, and don't forget to visit the Blue Lagoon, geothermal spa. See other review.