Tripadvisor gives a Travelers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travelers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Tripadvisor gives a Travelers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travelers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Exeter Hotel is a modern independent lifestyle hotel situated in downtown Reykjavik, by the old Harbor area with all the best activities close by. The hotel offers an in-house restaurant and a bakery, as well as a sauna and fitness room. Each room at Exeter Hotel is designed with industrial décor, modern furnishings and wooden floors. Every room has a smart TV, refrigerator and coffee machine.
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Giata.
Places to stay are graded on a 0-100 scale. The higher the grade, the easier it is for travelers to find restaurants and things to do within walking distance.
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The Exeter Hotel boasts a stylish and modern atmosphere that many guests adore, complete with a chic decor that creates a trendy vibe. Reviewers consistently commend the cleanliness of both the rooms and facilities, and the hotel staff receives accolades for their exceptional service. The hotel is also celebrated for providing good value, particularly noting the varied breakfast and central location that offers easy access to city attractions.
While the rooms are modern and well-appointed, some guests mention they can be on the smaller and warmer side. Despite some feedback about basic breakfast options, the hotel's amenities and dining conveniences are generally appreciated.
Location
Convenient
Atmosphere
Stylish
Rooms
Modern
Value
Reasonable
Cleanliness
Spotless
Service
Helpful
Amenities
Satisfactory
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Room - excellent, clean, great shower & amenities. Breakfast - full choice of hot and cold items. Staff - all friendly and helpful. Location - ideal. Atmosphere - a very chilled place to stay and hang around for a coffee, beer, beigel, live music; whatever you fancy.
We were a small group between 29-60 years old and we all felt the same and loved the hotel.
Highly recommend and I'll definitely return when I next visit Iceland.
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Review collected in partnership with this hotel
Date of stay: November 2023
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Front Desk, Guest Services / Front Office at Exeter Hotel
Responded Nov 20, 2023
Dear Beloved Guest , Thank you for such a good review. we are glad that you liked your stay in our hotel and the service was up to your expectations . Hopefully , we will see you very soon. Youssef
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
We had a lovely stay at this hotel. We arrived quite early and asked to drop off our bags while we waited until check in time. And to our surprise we were able to check into our room early and get a much needed nap after a long night of travel. Front desk people were also very nice. The design of the hotel is fun and has kind of a minimalist industrial style. Attached is an excellent restaurant/bar (with a fun local beer selection on tap) and little breakfast place that has the best breakfast sandwiches and (iced!) coffee available for the Americans who don’t do hot coffee haha. The room was a bit small but I read that this is typical of Iceland. There isn’t much in terms of closet space for luggage and stuff but there are some hangers and small drawers. Beds were nice and comfy and our room was cleaned each day as requested. The bathroom on the other hand had a spacious shower with a rainfall head and local moisturizer, soap, shampoo and conditioner were provided. The best part was the heated towel rack which doubled very nicely as a bathing suit drying rack. The location is also great and right on the harbor and is an easy walk to everything in town. There was quite a selection at the included breakfast from the hotel and had the typical European style breakfast of bread, meats, cheese, juice, cereal, donut holes, hard boiled eggs, fruits etc If you’re more in the mood for bagels or breakfast sandwiches you can certainly pay for breakfast at the little cafe and honestly their breakfast sandwiches were worth paying for. Our room was on the first floor and opened into a back alley way that had a guard tie on the window to prevent break ins. Reykjavik seemed like a pretty safe city to me so opening the window and cracking it wasn’t a big deal to me overnight and thankfully the alley was pretty quiet (but it was also pretty cold out). The hotel is nice and toasty considering it was rainy, windy and around 40 each night but our room was too toasty and I couldn’t figure out a way to turn the heat down any further. We used the provided fan in the room each night and needed to open the window to get a good nights sleep. Other than this minor issue, we really enjoyed this hotel and would stay here again next time we visit Reykjavik.
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Date of stay: September 2023Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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We had a great stay for 4 nights at Exeter Hotel. The location is fantastic, 2 mins walk to nearest bus stop for pick up at all major tours and drop off from the airport and 5-10 min walk to all restaurants and bars in downtown Reykjavík. Staff were lovely and decor was really cool. The room was spacious with a lovely harbour view. It had lovely touches like local Icelandic toiletries, robes and coffee machine. We used both the bakery and burger restaurant downstairs and both were fab. The staff were great and let us check in 2 hours early, we also made use of the free luggage lockers after check out before we went to the airport. There was a little traffic noise at night as to be expected in a city as our room was facing the road but nothing that disturbed us too much! We would 100% stay here again and I would recommend it to anyone visiting Reykjavík.
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Date of stay: November 2023
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Front Desk, Guest Services / Front Office at Exeter Hotel
Responded Nov 20, 2023
Dear Beloved Guest , Thank you for your lovely review . we are glad that you enjoyed your stay with us and that you liked our service. Hopefully, we will see you soon. Youssef Exeter Hotel
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
A very compact “deluxe” room! The entrance to the hotel is through the bar/ bakery (superb breakfast bagels). Reception is fine, with lockets behind that you can lock and leave luggage. Our room was on 4th floor. We booked through EasyJet Holidays for a deluxe room, I was surprised at how small it was and would worry what size a standard room would have been! Industrial decor, clean and comfy bed. Small balcony but just meant we could open a door - not a balcony to sit on. There was no space for cases, no wardrobes and 2 tiny drawers so we lived out of our bags. This doesn’t bother me, but for a 4 star hotel deluxe room I would have expected more. Breakfast wasn’t included. Do check if booking with easyJet as I do prefer breakfast on a city break holiday. Coffee pods and tea bag’s were replenished but no milk (if you take it). The shampoo, body wash and conditioner was all very nice and in large bottles not creating all that plastic waste -don’t need to take your own. A wonderful location right by the harbour. Very nice trip, just small but clean room, not very deluxe but the city and the views make it very special.
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Date of stay: January 2024Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
The location of the hotel is excellent, close to the harbour and is near to many great restaurants. Bus stop 4 which was our airport drop off point for excursions is very close by. The selection of items at breakfast was good and some of the items varied each day although the hot items were not particularly hot. Staff were very efficient at clearing tables.
As other reviewers have said, the rooms are very dark and we found the lack of storage challenging. On checking in we were very surprised to be advised that there is no housekeeping service. Staying for four nights in a four star hotel we found this very unusual and not ideal. In other hotels we have been given the option to opt out of housekeeping. The free Wi-Fi was good.
Overall while the hotel had positive and negative points we were a little bit disappointed with the hotel Exeter given the previous glowing reviews.
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Date of stay: March 2025Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We stayed at the Exeter after returning to Reyjkavik from a South Coast overnight excursion. The check-in was later at night - 9pm ish - and the staff was available and friendly with explain ing the hotel as if it was the normal check in time. The room itself was a tad on the small side? The bed and bathroom took up most of the room, but oddly enough it never felt cramped. There is a small sitting nook with a really unique, ingenious fresh air flow crack for the windows. Perhaps the most travel-friendly option in this hotel is directly behind the check in desk. There are lockers to stow your luggage either up early arrival or late departure. You simply put your luggage in, set your own 4-digit combination and then lock it up! the code can be changed each time you open/close the locker. Really a great, smart idea for when your flights don't align with normal check-in/check-out times. To access the hotel you do walk through Deig bakery which is slightly odd, but not off-putting. They also have a direct connection to Le Kock and that's where the complimentary breakfast is served before the restaurant opens. It's a good use of shared space, really well done. We only stayed one night but would absolutely be willing to stay here on a return trip to Iceland.
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Date of stay: November 2024
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Traveled as a couple
Room Tip:Lockers available for luggage storage
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Exeter Hotel, Guest Services / Front Office at Exeter Hotel
Responded Dec 21, 2024
Dear Beloved Guest, Thank you for your wonderful review. We are glad that you enjoyed your stay at our hotel and that the service met your expectations. We hope to see you again very soon!
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Really enjoyed our stay at the Exeter Hotel. Good facilities including a basic gym. Excellent restaurant on the ground floor for breakfast and dinner with live music on a Monday (not sure if it is every Monday). There was also a bakery with great donuts and bagels in the hotel. Location was brilliant for exploring the harbour area as well as the city centre. It was also only a 1-2 min walk to bus stop 4 which is a pick up and drop off location for many of the excursions.
Rooms had everything that you needed and included coffee machines, fridges, ironing boards and irons. The rooms were a bit on the dark side and there was very limited storage for clothes etc but beds were very comfortable.
It terms of the staff we cannot speak highly enough of them. Unfortunately on the last day of our stay we had a scary medical situation which meant that we needed to get my husband to hospital. We were travelling as a family with 2 children (11 and 15). The hotel were amazing sorting out a taxi within minutes. The manager came and waited with us and offered to look after the boys in the hotel as they knew we would have a long wait at the hospital. The manager kept in touch with us throughout our 6 hours in hospital and her and the team ensured the boys were fed and well looked after. They were truly amazing.
Would highly recommend the hotel and are already talking about when we might be able to return.
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Review collected in partnership with this hotel
Date of stay: February 2025
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Exeter hotel was our first step on our tour of Iceland, and it was probably the best accommodation we had during our stay. It is located in the city centre, two steps from the Rainbow street and all the shops and bars, and two steps to a bunch of artist studios and restaurants near the port. Perfect!
Special thanks and our love to the receptionist, Van Hai, who managed to get us in since I messed up our booking dates (we flew on the 6th, but got there the 7th, so I got confused, don't @ me). She did not flinch, took it all in stride and even made us laugh instead of panic upon realizing we had no reservation, and where tired as hell. She even threw in a complimentary breakfast. We must have been a pitiful site :)
God bless you Van Hai. You saved my scatterbrain ass. And thank you again for making me laugh every time I came to the reception with a new request. You took good care of us. We are definitely coming back.
The rooms are superbly clean, the beds are crisp and sweet smelling, and there is a coffee machine in the room, so if you get blasted by the time difference, you can grab a pick me up. Our room even had a little garden, so you can walk out barefoot onto the grass and breathe that chill Reykyavik air.
Bathroom is minimalist, but fully functional, and I loved icleandic birch toiletries and body wash. Different, herbal, woody scent. Nice. All natural.
The breakfast was amazing, with all of the staples, but what I loved most were roast potatoes for breakfast, with my eggs and bacon. Yum! Next, all varieties of skyr (icelandic creamy fresh cheese which is eaten sweet or savoury). Vanilla skyr with apple crumble was my favourite.
If you opt out of breakfast (which you should not as it is amahzin) artisan bakery Dieg at the ground floor, serves great bagels and donuts, which can fill you up for the day. I can vouch for The Churchill bagel, veggie bagel and I had to have their signature creme brulee donut. Well worth it.
Unfortunately, we did not get to sample food from Le Kock, but the sign above the bar saying "Got to taste Kock" made us choke with laugther.
We did however sample the craft NE IPA on tap the first evening and got drunk of the two glasses. Be careful!
TLDR
Perfect location, comfortable, clean and with the greatest staff on all of Iceland. You cannot go wrong, just double check your booking dates, since you might not be so lucky :)
(Also, book directly through the hotel website, booking is ripping you and them off)
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Date of stay: August 2024
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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The reception staff is extremely helpful! The rooms are very clean and nicely decorated. The beds are wonderfully comfortable. Although located in the middle of the city, near the harbor, no noise penetrates into the rooms at all. The sights in the city center are just a few minutes' walk away. A free public car park can also be easily reached in a few minutes on foot. We can warmly recommend this hotel!
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Date of stay: July 2023
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Spent six nights in a junior suite, a good sized room with fabulous views of the harbour and mountains, Tomas on reception was super helpful with booking excursions and advice on what to do / see when. Great breakfast - and having Le Kock restaurant, Tail bar and Deig bakery on site was a total gift. We ate there several times and took filled bagels out for lunch on day trips. Sauna is worth a visit, very modern and spacious area to chill. Location is perfect - near to lots of eateries and short walk to centre of everything! Suite included free underground parking which was really handy when it was raining / sleeting outside - however, it’s a tight slope down / up! Room was hot but easy to open the doors to cool it down over night. If you leave them open overnight we would advise earplugs (also provided in the room) to dampen the outside noise. You need to ask reception if you want the room serviced / cleaned - but more than happy to do it when asked. We would defo recommend this hotel, and will come again if in Iceland!
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Date of stay: March 2025Trip type: Traveled as a couple
Room Tip:Ask if you want the room serviced. Suites include free underground parking which is a total...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Yes. We stayed close to the old harbor and didn't need a hire car. The excursions to the Blue Lagoon and Golden Circle included pick-up across the road from our hotel.
We stayed for 4 nights and we would use them again, the food in restaurants is very expensive even in non tourist areas, the restaurant in the hotel is nice but nothing fancy and we had two grilled cheese sandwiches and some garlic roasted potatoes and two soft drinks $75 us
There are more places to choose from in the Reykjavik area.
PRICE RANGE
$181 - $307 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
FORMERLY KNOWN AS
Exeter Hotel by Keahotels
LOCATION
IcelandCapital RegionReykjavikMiðborg
NUMBER OF ROOMS
106
Prices are the average nightly price provided by our partners and may not include all taxes and fees. Taxes and fees that are shown are estimates only. Please see our partners for more details.
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Are there any historical sites close to Exeter Hotel?
Many travelers enjoy visiting The Einar Jonsson Sculpture Museum (Listasafn Einars Jonssonar) (0.7 miles), Videy Island (2.9 miles), and Cemetery Holavallagardur (0.9 miles).
