Iceland in November and December? Really? I saw an Icelandair promotion on Instagram which I couldn’t resist. The catch? It had to be late November to the start of December 2022. But I could – easily – enthuse Oriol to come along for a road trip in the South and West of Iceland. 

Hotel Katla is named after the Katla volcano. It is just outside Vík and consists of several buildings. Something we would see more often in Iceland. 

Presentation and reception

From afar, Hotel Katla looks like a farm or a resort. There is the main building with reception and restaurant, a lounge and perhaps some rooms. Other buildings contain rooms. One complex houses the gym, two changing rooms, a hot tub and a sauna. 

There is quite some parking space. There is also a charging point for your electric vehicle. 

Reception was friendly. We got a room upgrade.

The room

The room is spacious and featured two separate beds. Features include a desk, two (Ikea?) seats and table. There are enough power outlets and even USB ports, which didn’t work.

It is nice to have a kettle, tea and instant coffee. If you want more, you ca grab tea and coffee at the reception. There is a low table with space for two bags. 

The badroom is cosy and spacious. Soap and toilet paper are in a dispenser. The hand soap was of a generic brand. 

Hotel Katla is part of the KEA Hotels network, yet it has a ‘self-designed’ feel which makes it cosy. 

Noteworthy is the temperature. It was really warm. Apparently there is floor heating and the first night it was too warm. But apart from that it was a very nice room and a welcome change after Cabin Hotel in Reykjavík. 

Facilities

There is a gym, which I didn’t use, a sauna and an outside hot tub. The hot tup is nice and popular. One hopes to see the Northern Lights but there is too much artificial light for a good view. 

There is a restaurant with a à la carte menu. When there are enough guests, the restaurant also provide for a buffet. 

Breakfast

The breakfast offering is diverse with expectable English breakfast items, cold cuts, cheeses, vegetables, fruit, cereals, coffee, tea and hot chocolate, yoghurts, cakes and cookies, pastries. There are also two waffle irons and typical Scandinavian items such as herring, tuna salad and Scandinavian bread types. Of course there was skyr. A nice touch is the chai pudding. 

Anecdote

We stayed two nights. One night at 3AM the smoke and fire alarm went off. Everyone outside. Apparently it was triggered in another building. But no-one came to explain. A note at breakfast would have been a nice touch as well. 

So?

Hotel Katla was a decent four-star affair. I would definitely recommend it. 

Iceland, November & December 2022

1. REVIEW | Icelandair Brussels Airport (Zaventem) to Reykjavík (Keflavík International Airport) on Boeing 737 MAX 8 in Economy.
2. ICELAND | Kevlavík – Bridge Between Continents – Reykjanesviti Lighthouse – Reykjanestá – Gunnuhver Hot Springs – Grindavík – Reykjavík.
3. REVIEW | Hotel Cabin in Reykjavík.
4. ICELAND | Seljalandsfoss Waterfall – Skógafoss – Sólheimajökull – Dyrhólaeyjarviti – Reynisfjara – Vík.