Hotel Katla by Keahotels

The setting, the outdoor hot tub fed by hot spring water, and the food were the standouts. Located a few minutes outside of town, Hotel Katla is off in its own little world. You have to do some outdoor walking to get from most rooms to other facilities — which can be daunting during Icelandic winters. But everything was marvelous. The rooms themselves were good, with comfortable beds, good wifi, hot hot water like you want after trekking through the snow, and with radiant floor heat. But the outdoor hot tub - with a sauna and gym as well - is the real highlight of the hotel. The hot spring water is on the cooler side for hot springs — but warm enough I sat in it comfortably for over an hour in the middle of a blizzard. The bar and restaurant were above expectations, with a few dishes that were real standouts. There's almost always a dinner buffet, with rotating main dishes accompanied by a dizzying array of appetizers, soup, salad, side dishes, and desserts. The emphasis was on Icelandic cuisine, but you'd find your French chocolate cakes and pavlova as well. Outside of the buffet, the menu was rather small — they definitely steer you in that direction. It's not a cheap buffet, but from what we saw of Iceland, it isn't outrageous either. The free breakfast buffet was excellent as well. Over the course of several days, I had skyr, fresh fruits, fresh breads with cheeses meats vegetables or jams, and really good herring, smoked salmon, and gravlax. But the waffle bar was quite popular with guests, as were the juices and smoothie.

We received a surprise in that we were upgraded to a suite overlooking the bay at Vik. The room was simply wonderful. The view was spectacular! There was a large tub for soaking. There were large, comfy chairs, a couch, & a coffee table to sit and enjoy the view with a cocktail or snacks. There was plenty of room to do yoga, The room & the hotel was very clean, & comfortable. The hotel is conveniently located near so many activities & sights in & around Vik. The rooms are quiet & have black out drapes. Our suite overlooked a large pond where swans & other waterfowl were swimming every day. Breakfast was a somewhat large buffet with options for vegetarians, offering cereals, yogurts, cheeses, croissants, breads, boiled eggs, pickled herring & (my new favorite) curried herring. There was plenty of food on the buffet to satisfy most appetites. Our disappointment was no scrambled eggs. But the teas & coffees offered were excellent! Would have liked some scrambled eggs for breakfast. Otherwise, total wonderful experience.

Arrived using a hire car after a long day's drive. Before checking in to the Katla hotel spent a three hours in the pretty vilage of Vik, 5km from the hotel. Vik has shops, resturants, some interesting archtitecture and (a highlight) the excellently conceptualized and presented "Lava Centre". This one in Vik is the orginal; there is another newer in Reykjavik. Read the background story to this event (mutliple showings daily), and you too might be motivated to see the live "lava" show. Back in the Katla Hotel, the welcome at reception was warm and informative - and especially welcome after aforesaid long day's drive. In addition to generously sized rooms, there is an outdoor spa tub and sauna. On the small side, but a great opportunity to chat with other guests - and this despite very rainy and windy weather! The breakfast was fine: varied, healthy, relaxed. (Try the "Lysi" - a cod liver oil that is orginally Icelandic ). Overall, there was a sense of open physical space and an atmosphere of calm and relaxation at Katla Hotel.

The pictures of this hotel in the ads made me little worried to be honest - but it is much better than the pictures suggest. We loved it at this hotel. It is just out of Vik, close enough for great food options but a little secluded. The rooms were large and comfortable and clean. We ran out of time to test the hot tub unfortunatley. Great beds. Breakfast was just lovely and fresh with plenty of options. could have sat there for half a day. We loved it here

We loved the hotel. From the outside it doesn't look like much but that would be a huge underestimation. The rooms are very modern, clean and spacious with a nice bathroom. We went there in early April and the room was heated perfectly. The breakfast buffet was amazing. The hotel is located outside of Vík but very close. Just a heads up, the rooms are placed in different little buildings from the main building with reception, lobby and the restaurant. So you would have to fully dress up when you go to breakfast considering there might well be a snow storm outside. But if you are going to Iceland you have to accept to face any and every weather condition there is. Also parking was very easy, it's right in front of the rooms. We only stayed 1 night but could stayed longer.