The HI Hostel Reykjavík Downtown is one of 37 HI Hostels in Iceland, and one of two in Reykjavík. It has the perfect location in the city centre, with quick access to amazing restaurants and stores, banks and tourist info, as well as the Reykjavík harbour.

The Hostel not only provides some serious comfort and accommodations, but they can even set you up on an awesome tour of the extreme Icelandic countryside. With numerous dorms to choose from, private bathrooms, a guest kitchen, common room and tasty breakfast bar… what’s not to love about HI Hostel Reykjavík Downtown?

Our beloved 10 Bed Road Princess Dorm at the HI Hostel Reykjavík Downtown was perfect, and looked like it came straight out of an IKEA catalogue (a good thing, in my opinion). We arrived late at night, and took the two empty beds closest to the windows. Exhausted from traveling, we immediately crashed into our comfortable beds for a great night’s sleep.

In the morning we could see that the room was large and brightly lit, with five sets of bunk beds lining the walls. Each bed was numbered and had matching wooden lockers on the far wall, which were all covered in extra blankets, pillows and comforters.

Next to our beds, and the windows, was a cute little seating area. There were a couple of chairs around a table, lit under a large antique lamp. The frames around the room seemed to match this theme, and really tied the décor together. Best of all? We could peek through the neighbouring buildings for an awesome view of the harbour, ocean and mountains in the background!

The dorm had it’s own private bathroom which was located at the back end of the room, away from the windows. Just like the rest of the hostel, the lights were automated and environmentally friendly. I love a hostel that conserves electricity!

The bathroom was large, well lit and equally as attractive as the rest of the dorm. It was always clean, and the bathroom schedule always worked out surprisingly well for ten females living in one space. I especially loved the huge shower space :]

The appearance easily met top hotel standards with tiled floors and walls, deep basins, and an overall luxurious setting.

I’ve made use of a large number of hostel kitchens in my days of traveling, and I’ve never been so impressed as I was at the kitchen of HI Hostel Reykjavík Downtown. Cleanliness is usually one of my biggest concerns, but this kitchen was always spotless.

There’s always one person who refuses to do their own dishes, and ruins it for the rest of us.. but something about the environment at the HI Hostel had everyone working together. We cooked dinner at the same time as about four other people, and we all managed to function smoothly around the space, and clean up our messes as we went. After the cooking process, we were all able to sit down at the tables together and enjoy our meals.

The Common Area was probably my favourite thing about the entire hostel. I always love a good common area, and this one looked almost like a fancy restaurant and a cozy café mixed into one. The huge front window was lined with four-seater tables, with a great view of the street.

The back wall featured a cushioned wrap-around bench that corned around a few more tables. Something about the colours and the fabric gave it that fancy-restaurant vibe, and to top it off there were some seriously breath-taking photos on the walls above the whole thing.

We spent every morning in the common room, which at the time was transferred into “the breakfast bar”. With a daily selection from breads, bagels, vegetables, fruits, sliced meats, jams and more; we always started our long days on a full stomach.

We had time to relax, enjoy our coffee or tea, and plan out our busy schedules. It was also a great place to set up my laptop and do a little work, or relax.

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We spent seven nights at the HI Hostel Reykjavík Downtown, and I really enjoyed it. I hope to head back to Reykjavík in the next couple of years (if not sooner!), and I will definitely be going back to the HI Hostel.

It has the perfect location, a friendly atmosphere, and comfortable accommodations. It can easily be compared to a top hotel, I can honestly say that it is one of the best hostels that I have ever visited!

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And a special shout-out to Iceland Unlimited
for helping us arrange our stay at the HI Hostel :]