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Relax in a coolly minimalist room at Hlemmur Square.
(Photo: Courtesy of Hlemmur Square) |
Settle into a rocking chair in the reading nook at Hlemmur Square (from $176). The same owner of the now-defunct Cooper Square Hotel has mixed the clean lines and color-blocking of his former spot with minimalist Scandinavian design. Stark white rooms with orange wool throws, exposed ceiling beams, and black-and-white photos of Reykjavík street life are a sharp contrast to the absurdist art in the lobby, like a Babeheart poster that puts Babe’s pig head on Mel Gibson’s body. Head down to the bar and order a glass of Einstök (from $7), an orange- and coriander-inflected witbier and one of several local brews on tap. Return in the morning to the new Hlemmur bistro for a bagel with fresh trout lox (from $6), fished just off the coast of Reykjavík’s Old Harbour.
Step onto the private terrace of your apartment-style quarters at Kvosin Downtown Hotel (from $140), from which you can see across Reykjavík’s rooftops down to the water. There’s Nespresso and Pellegrino on the steel-blue breakfast bar, to be downed at a pinewood table under paper lights, or on the terrace’s white wood folding chairs and café tables. The 1900 brick apartment building was once home to the city’s Public Reading Society, but was restored last year by its owners and designer Einar Geir Ingvarsson, who added Nordic touches like shag fur throws and a mustard-yellow armchair. Grab free breakfast at Bergsson Mathús, a Scandinavian café on the ground floor that’s a favorite among health-conscious Icelanders�think chia porridge, Greek yogurt with homemade muesli, and smoothies, for starters (from $7). At night, relax at Kvosin’s wine bar with a glass of Merlot (from $9) in front of the neighboring duck pond.
Shop your way down Laugavegur�the city’s bar-and-boutique-lined main drag�from your base at Alda Hotel (from $200), a new 65-room gray stone building near the street’s west end. To help in your retail quest, the hotel will lend you a complimentary smartphone for use about town. The smoke-colored rooms are spare, save for soft beds with white duvets, simple wood desks, and red tufted armchairs. Get a few minutes of morning exercise at one of the city’s only hotel fitness centers�there are treadmills and bikes�followed by a long sit in the dry sauna, which uses heated rocks in lieu of water and steam. Book a fourth-floor balcony room for unhindered views of the ocean and nearby mountains, or simply take in the view from a lounge chair on the rooftop terrace.