Our day with Gummi was without question the h...
Iceland | Jun 16 - Jun 19, 2025

B
Bruce K.
San Jose, CA | Reviewed on Jun 20, 2025

Our day with Gummi was without question the highlight of our trip to Iceland. He is very knowledgeable about his country, historically and culturally.

Hotel Review
Hótel Keflavík by Keflavík Airport
Keflavík

In a word, I was disappointed. Not what I expected from a supposedly five star hotel at the rate of $350/night. The disappointment started when we arrived two hours before checkin time, and were told that our room was not ready but that for an extra fee, it could be made ready immediately. When I refused to pay the extra charge, we waited in the lobby until the official 3pm check-in time and when nothing happened, I again inquired as to the status of our room. Again we were told that it was not ready but then shortly thereafter, it mysteriously and inexplicably became ready. In other words, the hotel could have accommodated us but declined to do so. The room included breakfast, but, again not what I expected for the price. The assortment of items was inconsistent and the buffet would randomly run out of food and utensils. One day it was lids for the to go coffee cups (which were the wrong size anyway), another day it was bowls for the cold cereal. Sometimes there was smoked salmon, but only if you arrived early before it was all gone. Sometimes there was as orange juice in the juice dispenser but sometimes not. Sometimes there were no empty tables because they had not been cleaned. Overall, very disappointing. Finally, despite being an “airport hotel “, the hotel does not offer a shuttle service to the airport. That is, unless you are an airline employee in which case there actually IS an airport shuttle. In conclusion, this hotel would be my very last choice for my next trip to Iceland.

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Inconsistent. Some were better than others. Overall, the guest-facing employees need a refresher charm-school class.
Cleanliness & Comfort
Local specialist: Guðmundur Óli Pálmason
Guðmundur Óli
Guðmundur Óli Pálmason
Local specialist in Iceland | Replied on Jun 21, 2025
Hi Bruce
Thank you for the kind words. I really enjoyed our day together exploring the south coast and all the various topics we talked about. I'm impressed by how much Mimi remembered from reading the old Icelandic sagas years ago.
As we talked about in the car, I'm also surprised and disappointed in the hotel's service and kinda wish I had been a bit more stern on having you stay where I originally wanted you, but I can understand you felt it would be better to stay closer to the airport.... Read more

Hi Bruce
Thank you for the kind words. I really enjoyed our day together exploring the south coast and all the various topics we talked about. I'm impressed by how much Mimi remembered from reading the old Icelandic sagas years ago.

As we talked about in the car, I'm also surprised and disappointed in the hotel's service and kinda wish I had been a bit more stern on having you stay where I originally wanted you, but I can understand you felt it would be better to stay closer to the airport.

I am going to follow this up with the hotel and will let you know if anything comes of it.

I do hope I'll see you both in Iceland again soon. There's still much to be discovered :)