OUR STAY: CITY PARK HOTEL, REYKJAVIK, ICELAND

We had planned to stay in Iceland for two nights but last minute, we made the decision to up it to three. By that time, it seemed that every single hotel in Reykjavik, Iceland’s capitol, was already completely booked. As the small, Nordic country gains popularity, Iceland’s tourism increases with each year— summer being the high season. Fortunately, I received an e-mail from a brand new-and I mean BRAND new-hotel, that had just opened the first week in July, inviting us to spend the night, as they had had a cancellation and had one room available for us. City Park Hotel, just outside Reykjavik City Center, is the sister accommodation to City Center Hotel, which is located minutes away, downtown. They arranged for a driver to pick us up at Keflavik Airport, and take us the forty-five minutes to our room, which, being nearly two AM for us at this point, we were very excited to get to.

The staff who greeted us were friendly young men and they helped us with our luggage right away. It was easy to see that the building was new construction as everything was shiny, spotless and sleek with Scandinavian style. The breakfast buffet was already set up since to everybody else in Iceland, it was six in the morning. There was a nice assortment of cereals, fresh breads, yogurt and fruit and we were told that there would also be a selection of hot items coming out soon, but we were too tired to sit for a full meal. There was a small dining area with seating in the same room, across from the check-in area, and never before had I seen beer on tap behind a hotel’s reception counter…I thought that was pretty cool. We grabbed the kids some toast with Nutella to have a quick pre-sleep snack and they were thrilled to have chocolate before bed.

Our room was clean and tidy and it felt like we were the first to stay there. The bathroom was clearly new as the facilities looked equally unused and most importantly, the bed was very comfortable! Because of the the “white nights” in Iceland (the sun doesn’t completely set until close to midnight during the summer in many Northern European countries), the room curtains were thick enough to block the light adequately and we were able to get a good (day’s) sleep.

When we woke up- about seven hours later- we wanted to hit the town so decided to walk to Reykjavik City Center, which took us about fifteen-to-twenty minutes to do. It was an easy walk, going practically straight the entire time, and there was a walking and bike path to stay on, keeping us away from cars. Be mindful when planning your trip into town that if you do walk, there are a couple areas of busy streets which you must cross to get to the sidewalk, but the Icelandic traffic signs are efficient letting pedestrians know when it’s OK to continue and when to stop and wait. Just pay attention to the lights and as always, look both ways! If you don’t feel like walking and you don’t want to rent a car, there is, of course, the option to either take a taxi (which the hotel is happy to arrange for you) or use public transportation, as there is a bus stop very close by. Also, there are a number of tours you can take in Iceland, from the popular Golden Circle tour to trips to the famous Blue Lagoon. The staff at City Park will schedule any of these for you and feel free to ask them questions about each destination as they can help you to decide which day trip might be best for you!

Overall, our stay at City Park Hotel was just what we needed for a short but full stay in Reykjavik. We even caught a most beautiful sunset from our room window (around 11:30 pm)  which was just the icing on the cake. Ryan also ended up trying the beer in the hotel’s main lobby and he gave that a thumbs up as well. I certainly recommend City Park Hotel to anyone looking to stay in Reykjavik who wants to be close enough to the city’s action without being right in the middle of everything and everyone.

A traveler since childhood, Juliana Fraioli Wilson has always had a love for exploring. She is a published writer and an accomplished business owner with a background in music and art. Join Juliana, her husband Ryan, and their two kids in Wanderland! Follow along as they share tips, tricks, recipes and reviews from some of the most beautiful travel destinations in the world.