On the night of February 24, 2025, I checked into Hótel Geysir, my first hotel in Iceland.

The room was cleaner and calmer than I had expected after a long first day. Dark concrete walls, warm lighting and a neatly made bed gave it a simple, modern feel, and it was exactly the kind of room I wanted to come back to and rest.

A clean and neatly prepared room at Hótel Geysir

A spotless room that immediately felt easy to settle into on the first night. Personal photo · 2025-02-24

Geothermal steam beyond the balcony

My room had a balcony.

Stepping outside, I could see the mountains in the distance and white steam rising from the geothermal area below. I could see it from inside the room too, but standing outside made the setting feel much more immediate.

Because it was my first night in Iceland, I kept wondering whether the Northern Lights might appear. I checked the sky more than once, but there was no aurora that night.

The view became much clearer the next morning.

The Geysir geothermal area and mountains seen from Hótel Geysir

Geothermal steam becoming much easier to see once morning arrived. Personal photo · 2025-02-25

The Geysir geothermal area was close enough to reach on foot. Once I left the hotel parking area, the steam quickly felt closer, and the landscape across the road already looked like the next stop on the trip.

Related Moment Geysir Geothermal Area: A Morning Walk to Strokkur's Eruption Geothermal steam rising across the road near Hótel Geysir
Only a short walk from the parking area, the geothermal landscape was already right there. Personal photo · 2025-02-25

A breakfast that mattered on the road

Breakfast ended up being one of the parts of the stay I appreciated most.

There was enough variety to eat properly before leaving: fruit, bread, yogurt and cereals, along with hot food such as eggs and bacon.

Fruit, yogurt, milk and bread at the Hótel Geysir breakfast buffet

A breakfast buffet with enough choice to start the day properly. Personal photo · 2025-02-25

Later on our loop around Iceland, there were stretches where finding a restaurant was inconvenient, and eating out was expensive enough that we sometimes kept a meal simple with food from a shop.

That made a substantial hotel breakfast much more useful than I had expected. On mornings when I ate well before leaving, I did not need to think nearly as much about the next meal.

A substantial breakfast plate with eggs, bacon, ham, bread and drinks

I ate more than usual knowing there was a long day of driving ahead. Personal photo · 2025-02-25

Why it worked so well for the first night

The room was clean, the geothermal area was right nearby, and breakfast was genuinely satisfying.

No single feature had to carry the stay. Everything I wanted from the first hotel of the trip simply lined up.

At night I kept stepping onto the balcony to check for the aurora. In the morning I watched geothermal steam rise outside, ate a proper breakfast, and could walk straight toward Geysir after leaving the hotel.

For the first night in Iceland, the room, location and breakfast all worked exceptionally well together.

PRACTICAL INFO

  • Stayed: Feb 24–25, 2025 / 1 night
  • Hotel: Hótel Geysir
  • Address: Geysir, Haukadalur 806, Iceland
  • Check-in: 15:00 according to current official information
  • Check-out: 11:00 according to current official information
  • Breakfast: Currently listed as 07:30–10:00 daily on the official restaurant page
  • Parking: Free parking is listed for hotel guests in the official guest information
  • Location: The hotel is directly beside the Geysir and Strokkur geothermal area.
  • Rooms: Some room types include a balcony or French balcony.
  • Northern Lights: Official room information lists a Northern Lights wake-up service.
  • My room: It had a balcony with visible geothermal steam from the Geysir area.
  • Info checked: 2026-10-03