Rocks on the coast in Reykjavík. The ocean is to the left and the Short and Sculpture Walk is to the right.
Jakec · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Guesthouse Sólvangur

Guesthouse · Vesturbær · Reykjavík

8.6from 134 ratings

Run by a retired schoolteacher who serves skyr, rye bread and weather forecasts at breakfast, this is the local Reykjavík most visitors never find. Vesturbæjarlaug pool is a two-minute walk and the harbor fifteen. Bathrooms are shared between pairs of rooms and the décor hasn't changed since 1998 — nobody who stays here minds either fact.

Why it earns the score

Breakfast conversation with the owner beats any tour desk in the country.

Will you sleep well?

The details that actually decide it — not the thread count in the brochure.

  • residential-street silence
  • thick blackout blinds
  • goose-down duvets

Amenities

Fast Wi-FiBreakfast includedKitchenParkingLaundry

Standard unit sleeps up to 2 guests.

The honest price

Nights
3 nights
Guests
2 guests
Base (3 × $148)
$444.00
Fees (mandatory)
$0.00
Taxes (11%)
$48.84
Total
$492.84

= $164/night all-in

Elsewhere this is advertised at $148 — it actually costs $164/night. We lead with the real number.

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Reviews (1)

Ingrid Halvorsen@ingridnorth

Slow traveler · Solo trip · Visited Sep 2024

9.2

Skyr, rye bread, and the day's weather read aloud

Good
Breakfast with the owner beat every tour desk in Iceland — she rerouted my whole Snæfellsnes day around a storm and was right to the hour. The pool two streets over became my morning religion.
Bad
The 1998 décor and shared bathrooms are exactly as described, and thin curtains plus September's late sun cost me one early night.
Verdict
Solo travelers who want a local home should book immediately; anyone needing ensuite marble should pay triple downtown and miss the point.
Oct 20, 2024 141