Exeter Hotel by Keahotels

Rooms and decor

Picture a quiet brick building on Reykjavik's Old Harbour that once stored salt for the late-19th-century fishing trade — today it's Exeter Hotel by Keahotels, a 4-star boutique with 88 rooms that makes passers-by look twice. What the architects pulled off is keeping the original brick shell, the tall arched windows and the old timber beams, then layering in Nordic minimalist design with a light hand. Step into the lobby and you catch warm wood mixed with northern light spilling through the big windows onto pale floors, with Scandi-design chairs scattered at an easy rhythm, a corner of greenery and hot coffee on hand all day. Rooms lean toward a homely warmth rather than hotel polish — grey, white and pale-oak tones, soft bedding, and wool blankets that feel like sleeping in a cabin out on the Icelandic grass. Bathrooms use dark tile and brass fixtures for a contemporary boutique touch. Many rooms open onto views of brightly painted fishing boats moored at the Old Harbour, and the higher ones look across the bay to the blue-white bulk of Mount Esja — on clear, open nights, plenty of reviews describe the Northern Lights starting to dance over the ridge while they're still in bed.

Food and amenities

The highlight every review agrees on is the rooftop bar Petersen Svitan on the top floor. A glass ceiling and open balcony have turned it into a genuine Reykjavik hangout — locals come up for a homegrown Einstok beer or a cocktail built around Brennivin, the Icelandic caraway spirit, infused with herbs. In summer you sip under the midnight sun; in winter you wrap up in a wool blanket against the cold and watch boats slide in and out of the harbour. Breakfast is served downstairs as a mid-sized continental spread: fresh bread, Icelandic cheese, eggs, dense skyr yoghurt and fruit — enough to set you up but not lavish, and a few guests find it plain next to comparable 4-star hotels in mainland Europe. The easy workaround is to walk a few minutes to a bakery like Braud & Co or Sandholt for something better and more local. Beyond the bar and breakfast, the hotel keeps things lean and boutique — free Wi-Fi throughout, luggage storage, an airport transfer service, and Northern Lights tour packages you can book at the lobby. There's no pool or spa, which is standard for a property this size; for soaking, drive out to Blue Lagoon or one of the city's thermal pools.

Location and getting there

Exeter sits on Tryggvagata, right where Reykjavik shifts from the Old Harbour into downtown — a sweet spot you don't find often. Walk a few minutes and you're at Harpa Concert Hall, the multicoloured glass landmark everyone photographs; a little further brings you to the Laugavegur shopping street and Hallgrimskirkja church. The other direction opens into Grandi, the old warehouse quarter that's become the city's hottest food-and-art zone, with chef-driven restaurants like Sumac and Matur og Drykkur about 10 minutes on foot, plus the Marshall House art museum and the Omnom chocolate factory within easy reach. Getting around is as smooth as Reykjavik should be: the domestic Reykjavik Airport is a 15-minute drive, and Keflavik International Airport (KEF) — where every direct flight from Europe and North America lands — is about 45 minutes by road, with the Flybus stopping at Harpa nearby. If you want to rent a car for the Golden Circle, the hotel has a small car park and public street parking is available too.

Things to know before booking

Straight talk to help you decide. Exeter is a boutique in a historic building, so some room types are fairly compact, shaped by the original walls. If you're traveling with large suitcases or want space to lay out your clothes, request a larger category or a Junior Suite up front. The next recurring note is breakfast — that mid-sized continental spread of fresh bread, Icelandic cheese, eggs, skyr and fruit is fine but not flashy, and some guests feel it's plain against a mainland-European 4-star; walking to Braud & Co or Sandholt is the tastier, more local fix. Last is the night-time mood: when evening falls, the Old Harbour and Grandi go clearly quieter and darker than downtown. If you love walking home past lively streets and late-opening bars, this corner can feel sleepy — but if you want to sleep to the sound of wind and gentle waves off the harbour, it's a small piece of heaven.

Our take

After reading several hundred real reviews and checking the location, Exeter Hotel by Keahotels reads as a boutique that does its job with real balance and charm — a contemporary stay in a historic building that hands you genuine Iceland atmosphere, with design that's easy to love. The rooftop bar is the bonus that turns the evening into something memorable, and the middle-ground address between buzzy Grandi and downtown puts everything within a short walk. Rates from roughly $205/night are accessible for famously expensive Reykjavik. Overall we'd give it 8.9/10 — best suited to couples and solo travelers who want a contemporary boutique with a story. Anyone chasing suite-level luxury or a big resort with large rooms might want to look elsewhere, but if the trip in your head is a morning walk along the Old Harbour, coffee at a local cafe, and a cold-air drink up on the rooftop at night — this is the most fitting answer.