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"Unqualified recommendation"
Spent two nights in Reykjavik at the end of November, en route back from the US. Booked the Borg through Expedia and got a very good deal (about £60 per night for a single room). Excellent hotel. Extremely nicely renovated, with a real and proper Art Deco feel (even down to the design of the carpets in the hallways). Can't understand a recent reviewer who called the lobby tired - it's authentically retro to me! Room was warm, plenty of space, bathroom great. Not much of a view from the window (room at the back), but that's the only minor grumble. There is also a very good looking bar and restaurant, for which I read good reviews.
On Reykjavik generally. I was there on my own in the middle of the week, and it was pretty dead. Nothing really got going much until about 11pm, and only then, only a few places. A bar called Sirkus just off the main street was my favourite. Quite a Shoreditch or Lower East Side feel. But if I was to go back to Reykjavik (which I'd like to), I'd go back either with someone, or at the weekend, or during the summer, or preferably all three.
On prices, Iceland is expensive, but it's not *that* expensive. Beers are a bit more expensive than London, but not hugely - similar to, say, Stockholm. Food in restaurants can be expensive, I'll admit. What I did detect is that, for certain types of food (especially, say, steak), the 'expensive' restaurants are not much more expensive than those which claim to offer good value. Think a reasonably expensive London restaurant (e.g. around £30 for a main course) and you're about right. But you can easily get, say, a burger and fries for less than a tenner (e.g. Bar Oscar). Wine did look expensive, though.
Reykjavik hotdogs are, apparently, well known. The place to go in town is out opposite the harbour, across from the back corner of Hotel 1919. Just a little hut. But it has a very steady stream of customers. And they're dirt cheap. Bill Clinton famously went there.
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"Pefect stay"
I loved this hotel. I'd bought this holiday for my partner's 30th Birthday and as a surprise I emailed a week before our trip to ask for a complimentary upgrade to our room, which they sent a very helpful email back to say they would if there were rooms available. When we arrived the receptionist (who were very helpful) told us our room had been upgraded to a suite, they also brought us a bottle of champagne to top it off.
The room was lovely in an Art Deco style. You can see it had been recently renovated but very sympathetic to the building. The quilts and pillows were wonderful, and was hard to get up in the mornings. We had a room at the back and although the view wasn't great we opened the curtains in the morning and were able to watch the sun rise (about 9.30-10 am). The rooms and bathroom were spotless with crome accessories everywere, they had obviously spent a lot of time and money to update the hotel.
You couldn't ask for a better location, set in a square very close to the harbour, the old town and the main street. I would recommend Cafe Paris and also the bakery at the back of the hotel for coffee and doughnuts in the morning. The bar/pub next door to the Borg was was perfect for a hot drink or cold beer. Also recommend Cafe Opera for a lovely meal and Icelandic Fish and Chips which is down by the harbour which serves Icelandic fish (I recommend the Gellur) and is nothing like your traditional cod and chips here.
Reykjavik itself is a beautiful place, especially at this time of year where they make a real effort with there Christmas decorations - everywhere is lit up with fairy lights, so it's the perfect place to go to get into the festive spirit. It is very expensive there but you can find some places which is a little (but only a little) cheaper. You cannot leave without going to the Blue Lagoon and, Geysir, Gulfoss waterfall and parliament fields the whole trip felt like the set of Lord of the Rings!
Iceland is one of the best places I've been to and will definitely go back again.
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"A Fab Weekend Break"
I agree that the entrance lobby does not do justice to the Borg as a first impression. However, beyond the lobby, we loved the hotel and I would recommend it to anyone.
I normally love design hotels but even I could not justify the astronomical cost of staying at Hotel 101 for our trip to Iceland. So, as a second choice, we booked the Borg (and got a great deal on the rates).
Before we even arrived in Iceland, I emailed the Borg on several occasions to organise a taxi to meet us at the airport and take us to the Blue Lagoon (which is unmissable, by the way). The staff that helped me with organising trips in advance were brilliant and really quick at replying.
Our room was really big and, ahilst not overlooking the main square (which I had asked for), more than adequate for the 2 night stay.
Location was good too - a couple of nice bars across the square, or it was close to the main drag too.
Be warned - to enjoy Reykjavik to the full, you have to get your head around the cost of everything and just go with it. Accept that a meal for two in a perfectly normal Italian restaurant is likely to cost £80 and prepare to pay it. If you spend all weekend moaning about the costs then you wont enjoy it. The other thing is that for us at least, this is not somewhere that you need to go back to again. So, treat it as a one off. It is small enough to do everything in a weekend, so pack as much in as you can.
Relatively speaking, I would say that the Borg was good value and the room we had was excellent with a nice art deco feel.
Go there and enjoy. I am pleased that we did not book 101 because believe me, it is better to have that extra money to spend on enjoying yourself while you are there.
Don't miss the Blue Lagoon!
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"Excellent"
My wife and I stayed at the Hotel Borg for 3 nights at the end of July. We were delighted by the, hotel, its central position, the staff and our excellent room. The breakfasts were first class, we ate out during the evenings. There was still some painting going on on the top floor due to the recent building work, and although we heard one guest complain about the paint smell it didn't affect us at all. The bedroom and en suite were excellent and the bed the most comfortable that we have ever slept in. Should we be lucky enough to return to this fantastic island we would certainly begin, or end with a few nights at this hotel.
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"Best hotel in Iceland !"
Our final stop on our trip around Iceland. This was by far the best hotel. They have recently renovated the rooms and they have done a great job (bathroom was a dream !). We had a beautiful suite decorated modern twenties with a view on the square. It can get a bit noisy on the week end but it's not disturbing as you get the vibe from the capital. The hotel is very central and the staff friendly and laid back. The restaurant has strange amazing food you should at least try once. We stayed at the Nordica when we arrived and in comparaison, Hotel Borg is a real 4 star. The only bad point i would give (and its really not a problem) is for breakfast : not included, price 1300 k per person and quite boring. Much better to have breakfast in a cafe or go to 101 supermaket next door for very good fresh croissants !
So if you are on honey moon, definitely the best choice ! (i saw a the douible rooms as well and they looked beautiful too)
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Highly recommended
Hotel Borg made my trip to Iceland perfect. The staff were extremely helpful recommending tours, providing directions, assisting with logistics and more. The location couldn't be better - located on the old city square, you are only a short walk from all the action. (Not being on top of the action is *good thing* in Reykjavik where people party way into the night.) The room renovations are tastefully modern and on par with what you expect traveling to boutique hotels around the world.
Hotel Borg is pricey, but so is everything in Iceland. I felt that the hotel does everything to give you a first class experience.
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"Stylish hotel in expensive city"
Yes the Borg is expensive - but not vastly more than other hotels if you shop around on the internet! The reception staff were really friendly and couldn't do enough to ensure our stay was an enjoyble one. The city centre location is great, although in the room we had at the front, you definitly noticed the late night noise from the club across the square...unfortunatley, the price of eating and drinking in Iceland meant it was early to bed for us!!
The room was large and sylish with really comfy beds. The bathroom was spotless - all black, gold and white, and the shower itself... well! The shower head was the size of dinner plate and the hot, sulphur scented water comes directly out of the ground - wierd, but brilliant!!!
You can book excursions at reception, and they pick you up from the hotel at the appointed time - they are not cheap, but fantastic! We went snowmobiling, saw the northern lights, (just), and wallowed in the Blue Lagoon, and I wouldn't have missed any of it for the world.
Reykjavik is a strange and unique city, and the Borg is a comfortable, stylish, if expensive base from which to explore it - Go if you get the chance, but be prepared for the shockingly high prices!
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45km
Business Facilities 
Modems Available 
Safety Deposit Box 
Restaurant 
Bar 
24 Hour Front Desk 
Breakfast in Room 
Dry Cleaning 
Room Service 
Currency Exchange 
Gallery
Museum
Stadium or Arena
Airport
