During my recent visit to Reykjavik, Iceland, I had the opportunity to complete a few hotel inspections. This allowed me a chance to see a variety of hotels, take pictures, and then share them here with my readers. It’s one thing to see a hotel description online or in a brochure and something completely different to see it in person.
The CenterHotel Plaza is one of Reykjavik’s favorite hotels and part of the city’s rich cultural heritage. Situated in the city center of Reykjavik the Plaza creates the perfect setting for your stay in Iceland. This first class hotel is ideal for business and leisure customers and offers a warm welcoming atmosphere and services to suit all tastes. Located on “Ingólfstorg” the main square in the heart of the old city with restaurants, shopping and nightlife on your doorstep the Plaza is perfectly situated for enjoying all that Reykjavik’s city center has to offer. The hotel is within walking distance of the national theatre, a wide selection of top class restaurants, cafés, art galleries and museums.
With 180 rooms, many of which were recently renovated and boast a bright modern décor with contemporary oak furnishings. Each room has its own free high speed internet connection, TV, shower, hairdryer, tea and coffee making facilities and much more. This room had a seating area with two chairs, a queen sized bed, and beautiful hardwood floors. They styling is modern, but not cold and definitely has a homey feeling.
The bathroom was quite large and had meticulous detail in the mosaic tile throughout. That is one large whirlpool tub, don’t you think? The only thing it was lacking was more counter space, but I assume that anyone booking this room is far more interested in the large tub than the counter space.
After a day of sightseeing, the plaza bar is an ideal place to relax. Located in the lobby, the bar spreads out over a large amount of space so you can curl up with a book and a drink or maybe someone special. Between 5 and 7 pm, you can even get a large beer (500 ml) for 500 Iceland Krona, that’s about $4 USD. Not too shabby!
I especially liked, although I didn’t get to witness it firsthand, the ultra cool and modern glass fireplace.
CenterHotel Plaza would be a great hotel to stay at while in Reykjavik because of its location as it is central to everything right in the heart of Reykjavik. There is a taxi stand right outside the front door so if you need to get anywhere, you’ll have no difficulty getting there quickly. From what I’ve heard, guests tend to prefer the modern part of the hotel over the older part of the hotel, but on the weekends the older part is quieter. Should you end up in a room that overlooks the active part of the city, simply call down and ask for assistance. If there are rooms available in the other part of the hotel, they’ve been known to move people to make their stay better. Now that’s service! I personally would want to stay in a room that was recently renovated so if you can ask for one during your reservation or at check in, definitely do it.
Who would I recommend staying at the CenterHotel Plaza? If you were traveling alone or as a couple and wanted to stay right in Reykjavik with access to everything, this would be a great hotel for you. Rates varied depending on the time of year when I checked on their website, but if you can snag an advanced purchase rate, you’ll get a great deal. With so many hotel choices in Reykjavik it won’t be easy deciding where you’ll want to stay. Hopefully, by providing these snapshots of some of the hotels I visited, I can make your decision making process just a little easier.