After spending 5 nights in London, I flew into Keflavik Airport on Icelandair, then took Flybus to the BSI Bus Terminal in Reykjavík. The cost for the transfer was $23.63 one way, and the ride took about 50 minutes.

From the bus terminal I had about a 15 minute walk to the hotel. If you have a lot of luggage, or maybe you just don’t like walking, it is possible, for an additional fee, to hop on a bus at the terminal that will take you directly to your hotel. Some hotels and other places to stay are much further out than 15 minutes walk, so many times it will be better to pay the few extra dollars to get dropped off at the front door. I like to walk whenever possible, because it’s easier to get to know a city that way.

It was a beautiful brisk sunny day when I arrived, so It was a quick and easy walk into town, and my first thought when I got to the corner where the hotel was located was “Wow!”

As I crossed the intersection to the Canopy by Hilton Reykjavik City Centre, I was right in the heart of Reykjavík. As I looked to the right, at the end of the street, there was the iconic church Hallgrimskirkja, with the statue of Nordic explorer Leif Erikson in front.

Check in:

The lobby area of the Canopy has more of a bookstore/ library/ cafe feeling than an actual hotel lobby. It’s very warm and welcoming with tons of comfortable seating, both downstairs and on the level above that’s accessible by a staircase.

There are loaded bookshelf’s all around and even vinyl records that apparently can be borrowed along with a turntable to play them on. Off to the left when you walk in the door is a Coffee Shop and Bistro with pastries and fruits, as well as lemon water.

To the right is the check in area which is just a big informal table with cushioned stools to sit on while you check in.

There were big open staircases to each level, so if you didn’t want to take the elevator, it was easy to walk up and down.

The front desk agent let me know that as a Diamond Hilton Honors member I had been upgraded to a Twin Premium Room on the 4th floor. She also gave me a bottle of water and explained where and when the included breakfast in the restaurant would be.

Room 427:

I was assigned Room 427 and it was wonderful. Upon entering, there was a short entryway with hardwood floors, a bench, a storage rack and a cabinet with a refrigerator. On the shelf in the cabinet there was a coffee and tea maker, for anyone that enjoys that. There were 3 storage drawers in the bench that included a clothes iron and 2 pairs of heavy Canopy socks. I thought that was a nice little touch at a cold location hotel.

To the left when you walk in the front door is the bathroom. It featured very nice subway tiled walls, a barn style door, a rainwater shower, and plenty of lighting. The bathroom amenities were Aptiva brand, and there was a small vanity kit, which was virtually impossible to open without tearing the box, with q-tips, a cotton swab, a nail file and a tooth pick.

One thing to note about the shower, it was a little tricky to operate at first. It took me a few seconds to get it working as intended as I fumbled with the handles. Later I realized the instructions were actually on the handles! 

Once past the bathroom on the right, there was a large Samsung TV with a Bose speaker mounted in a rack on the wall, and on the left a small desk and chair, with a phone and desk lamp.

I worked each day I was here, so I have to mention that one drawback is that the desk chair is not conducive to sitting for very long, and the desk could have been an inch or so taller. Being a fairly big person, I wasn’t able to sit there long without getting up and stretching my legs. If you will need to work at all in one of these rooms, be advised that the small desk and chair were definitely geared more towards form than function.

There were two twin beds in the room, which were extremely comfortable. The gray down comforters were a very nice touch and made it feel more like home than a hotel room. The pillows were also very much to my liking, and there was an extra blanket if it got cold at night. It was low 40’s at night and upper 40’s and low 50’s during the days in early October, but it was always very comfortable in the room, even with the heat off and one of the windows cracked open.

I really liked the warehouse feel to the room with the beam through the center of the ceiling and the two floor to ceiling poles. There was also a neat wooden rack with back lighting, that went up the back of the bed and across half of the ceiling. On the wall opposite the bed were some artwork pieces, which in this room featured weird faces staring at you.

On the far end of the room there was a very comfortable chaise lounge and a small fan if needed. Room 427 looked out onto a popular local gathering area, which at night got a little noisy, but never bothered me at all. On the topic of noise, I really appreciated the big heavy door to the room. I wasn’t able to hear much of anything in the hallway, even when the cleaning crew was working.

I loved this room because, like the rest of the hotel, it felt very cozy. It’s definitely not a generic cookie cutter hotel.

Interestingly when my flight home was cancelled (which you can read more about here) because of high winds, I had the opportunity to come back to the Canopy by Hilton Reykjavik City Centre for another night. They put me in the exact same room type one floor directly below 427.

For the most part, the room was exactly the same, but there were a couple of notable differences. The floor in Room 327’s bathroom was heated, which was not the case in 427, unless there was a switch I didn’t know about. Also, the bathroom soap was Aptiva brand in 327, with much bigger bars, whereas in 427 the soap was a very small Icelandic brand. Not a big deal, but worth mentioning.

Roof Top Terrace:

Up on the 5th floor there is a roof top terrace with some nice views around the city.

Breakfast:

Breakfast was in the first floor restaurant called Geiri Smart. It ran from 6:30am – 10:00am and featured a buffet style breakfast.

Along the area near the kitchen the spread included breads, croissants, eggs, bacon, salami, ham, potatoes, quiche, cheese, mini pancakes, and on the far end, tuna salad and the fixings for a garden salad.

Alongside the bar there were cereals, pastries, fruit, and several types of juices. On each table was a fresh pot of coffee.

The restaurant, in keeping with the theme of the rest of the hotel, was very warm and cozy. The seating on the opposite end from the windows featured bench seating with plenty of pillows.

Some might say that there wasn’t a huge selection of food, or that the variety was the same every day, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. I especially liked the mini pancakes with powdered sugar and maple syrup. With food being so expensive in Iceland in general, you could definitely eat enough at breakfast each day to be able to skip lunch. That could be a huge cost savings over the course of several days, especially if you are a large group.

The hotel even offers a Breakfast Bag, which consists of fruit, yogurt and juice that they will deliver to your room if you can’t make breakfast, or will miss breakfast exploring Iceland.

Each night for a couple hours the hotel also hosts a local tasting where you can sample a local Icelandic beer or wine, and Happy Hour is between 4-6pm with 50% off drinks.

The Neighborhood

As I mentioned earlier about my walk from the bus station, this hotel is in a prime location. After walking all around Reykjavík, I don’t think there is a better location, especially if you are just on foot, as I was.

There are plenty of small restaurants a very short walk away, and there are cool and quirky things everywhere you turn.

Bikes are available to check out if you want to explore the city that way, and there is a fitness room on the bottom floor, with several cardio machines and a set of free weights.

The Wrap Up:

My 4 night stay at the Canopy by Hilton Reykjavík City Centre turned into 5 when my flight home was cancelled, and I can honestly say this hotel ranks in the Top 5 of hotels I’ve stayed in worldwide in the past several years. It’s not cheap as I see rates over the next couple of months ranging from $185 per night to over $400 per night. If looking to redeem Hilton Honors points, the rates fluctuate between about 50,000 & 80,000 points per night for the next few months, so you’ll definitely want to consider a 5 night stay if you have elite status, in order to get the 5th night free. In the summer months rates can reach $500 with very limited, if any, rewards availability.

There are two other Hilton hotels in Reykjavík including the Reykjavík Konsulat Hotel and the Hilton Nordica, if you are looking specifically at earning or redeeming Hilton Honors points.

This hotel was warm and cozy, and everything you don’t expect with a hotel. Even though the desk and chair were not very conducive to actually working, most people won’t need to worry about that, so it’s not a major issue. I would definitely look to stay here again when I return to Iceland.