جيو هوتل جريندافيك

This is a really lovely hotel. We booked the family room for 3 adults which was cosy but well appointed. Tea and coffee making facilities available, clean towels and comfy beds. Absolutely no issues connecting with the WiFi and could make FaceTime calls back home which was good. There’s reception available until 2200 and you can order a limited amount of beer, wine and drinks until then. All reception staff have been very friendly and welcoming. Check in process was a dream, kept very well informed of how to get in due to late arrival into Iceland (30 mins drive from the airport) and had no issues collecting key. Breakfast is standard fare with boiled eggs, cold meats and cheeses, bread, pastries and juice. Lots of fresh Icelandic Skyr with nuts, fruit and bits to have on top which was really good! Good coffee and tea making facilities. The reason it’s not 5 stars is because there is quite a glaring issue. Others will have noted that the town is quiet- some would call it a ghost town and with good reason. Taxi drivers warned us it was a ghost town and only 10 or so families still live here. This town was evacuated in Nov 2023 due to volcanic eruptions and relatively abandoned (don’t believe guidebooks saying there’s things open as there isn’t). Do not expect to have things about especially on a weekend. The supermarket next to the hotel is abandoned and still shows products from Halloween 2023 in the window. A few houses at edge of town were destroyed in 2023. There’s a photo billboard display immediately outside the hotel detailing the recent eruptions and the rescue effort. The town does have a barricade around it but through the town you can see the fissures and where the houses/roads have collapsed. At present there’s a magma chamber close to town rapidly filling up and they are expecting it to blow imminently as there’s more magma in there then previous- they don’t know when it will go. Brilliant location for Blue Lagoon (2 miles) which was evacuated in July this year but do bear the volcano in mind. We had a lovely stay.

I had a wonderful stay at this hotel. From the moment I arrived, the staff was incredibly friendly and helpful, always ready to assist with a smile. The cleanliness of the entire property, including my room, was spotless throughout my stay, which I really appreciated. I felt very comfortable the whole time and would definitely come back. Highly recommended!

Amazing customer service from the lovely Joanna. She was so kind and went the extra mile to help us above and beyond when we had a problem (not with the hotel). This level of service makes you feel at home and very relaxed. Thank you Joanna, and also Biggi 😁 . Hotel was clean with well equipped rooms and a fantastic shower. V comfortable beds too. Bonus that it is opposite the thermal swimming pool. 42 degrees in one hot tub there!