My day started off by checking out of Hotel Isafjordur and the expectation that Hotel West would offer something better. I drove to the hotel and arrived around 11AM. I wandered in to see if it was possible to check in. No-one was at reception. I wandered downstairs to the bathroom – again, no-one in sight. Eventually I left the hotel and continued on my journey and returned later in the day.
I first visited Hrafnseyri followed by Göngumannafoss, a stunning waterfall down-stream to Dyjjandi waterfall. Having then visited the rusting, beached ship, Garðar BA 64, and argued with another traveler who thought I was taking too long to take my photo’s, I made my way to the western most part of Iceland, the stunning sheer cliffs of Latrabjarg.
After surviving the chilly weather, so unlike the United Arab Emirates where I live, and having seen my first ever puffin, I took a slight detour to hide one of the time capsules that I like to leave around the world when I am traveling. More details in an upcoming post, in which case I will update this post with a link. While looking for a place for my time capsule, I placed the saucer that I accidently stole from Fosshotel Husavik – details here – into one of the cairns that are so common around Iceland. I them made my way back to Hotel West.
I stayed at Hotel West for the night of 30 June 2017. Located in the centre of Patreksfjörður, Europe’s most westerly town, this hotel is not exceptional. But it is OK for a few nights when in this part of Iceland. Find the hotel on Google Maps here.
Immediately after checking into the hotel I went to collect my bags from the car. Off came the handle of the front door of the hotel.
The rooms are cozy and comfortable, if somewhat on the small side. They are clean and warm. But the shower, like all the showers I experienced in Iceland, was rather small. The view from the room is wonderful – watch out for mother duck and her children as they swim peacefully on the water.
When you arrive at the hotel, remember to park on the street above the hotel. Otherwise, if you park alongside the downstairs restaurant, you will need to carry your bags up the stairs into the hotel. One thing that surprised me at EVERY hotel at which I stayed in Iceland, unlike any other hotel at which I have stayed around the world, is the lack of a porter service to take your bags to the room. Fortunately this wasn’t a problem for me but may be an issue for other guests.
I didn’t have dinner at the hotel – I don’t think they serve dinner if I remember correctly. Instead I relied on my snacks from earlier in the day. Breakfast was fine to get you going for the day though the selection was rather limited. But then again the hotel is reasonably small so there is little point in having too wide of a selection.
Would I recommend this hotel? Honestly, no. You can probably do better at the Foss Hotel down the road (just a guess and based on my experience at the Foss Hotel in Husavik, read about my experience here). But for a few nights’ stay if there are no other options this is an acceptable choice. While in the area, consider visiting the small cemetery just up the road from the hotel. If you have any questions about our quick visit to Hotel West you are welcome to contact us by clicking here. Our video review of Hotel West may be found on our YouTube channel here.
I arranged my vacation to Iceland with Nordic Visitor, linked here. This is not an affiliate link and I will not receive a commission if you arrange your own tour through them. This link is provided for your reference and also as a gesture of goodwill following the excellent work that Nordic Visitor did in arranging my fantastic vacation to Iceland.
Book your accommodation at Hotel West by clicking here. Otherwise start your accommodation planning in Reykjavik by clicking here with booking.com or here with Agoda.
Booking.comOur other posts on Iceland may be found here.
(Visited in June 2017)