Evaluation: The Reykjavik EDITION | Prince of Journey

I stayed at The Reykjavik EDITION in moderately uncommon circumstances on my summer time 2022 journey to Iceland. This brand-new EDITION property opened in Reykjavik on the finish of 2021 and rapidly claimed the title of Reykjavik’s greatest resort.

I had a really constructive general expertise at this resort, which spanned throughout two separate stays in three completely different room varieties firstly and finish of my week-long go to to Iceland.

The Reykjavik EDITION – Reserving

The journey started lengthy earlier than I arrived in Iceland – reserving this resort was fairly the method.

In abstract, I had initially scored a $3 (CAD) per evening deal on Expedia on the Hótel Berg close to Iceland’s Keflavík Worldwide Airport.

As anticipated, Hótel Berg didn’t wish to honour the reservation. I due to this fact endeavoured to persuade Expedia to maneuver the reservation over to The Reykjavik EDITION as an alternative, finally succeeding with ample persuasion.

I initially booked a four-night keep that was solely $3 per evening, for a complete of $12. Nevertheless, Jessy and I ended up utilizing solely a kind of 4 nights, since we determined to go off on our street journey all through the remainder of Iceland, the place a lot of the nation’s attention-grabbing sights and sounds are to be discovered.

I gave the remaining three nights of my reserving to a fellow Prince of Journey crew member, Rachel, who occurred to be in Iceland on the identical time.

In the meantime, one other Prince of Journey crew member, Ben, had additionally made a sequence of bookings, initially on the Hótel Berg, that finally led him to The Reykjavik EDITION too.

Ben occurred to have a handful of bookings happening on the weekend after our street journey. Upon returning to Reykjavik, Jessy and I crashed in Ben’s Ocean View Nook Suite for 2 nights, earlier than taking up one other one in every of Ben’s bookings that he generously provided to us and shifting over to the Harbour View Suite.

Outdoors of mistake price shenanigans like these, The Reykjavik EDITION is at the moment charging round 110,000 Icelandic króna ($950 CAD) per evening through the peak summer time season. Throughout the decrease season, charges are considerably decrease, however nonetheless within the vary of 50,000 Icelandic króna ($469 CAD).

It’s additionally fairly costly to redeem Marriott Bonvoy factors right here, with a free evening redemption going for wherever between 80,000–100,000 factors.

The Reykjavik EDITION is definitely an costly vacation spot, which is probably to be anticipated for one of the best luxurious resort in a rustic that was already notoriously costly for vacationers to start with.

The Reykjavik EDITION – Location

Located on a north-facing harbour, The Reykjavik EDITION is a bit of bit away from the town centre. Nevertheless, regardless of not being totally central, it’s nonetheless a terrific location because it’s only a brief stroll to get to most main factors of curiosity.

The town centre is definitely accessible by foot. Something value seeing in Reykjavik, such because the Hallgrímskirkja church, the Laugavegur purchasing avenue, or the Icelandic Phallological Museum, is inside a 15–20 minute stroll from the resort.

For these utilizing this resort as a base to discover the remainder of Iceland, it’s straightforward to get to the freeway and head out of the town to discover Iceland’s stunning countryside.

The resort has valet parking, which prices a staggering 6,500 Icelandic króna ($65 CAD) per evening. Alternatively, there’s a car parking zone the place you possibly can park without cost a few five-minute stroll away by the conference centre.

The Reykjavik EDITION – Test-in

Our flight landed at 7am, and we arrived on the resort at 9:30am. As we made our method to check-in, we had been instantly welcomed by the trendy and smooth design that the EDITION model is understood for.

The well-lit black-and-white décor and minimalistic artwork fixtures within the foyer supplied us with a style of what we might anticipate all through our keep.

Since this was an Expedia reserving, there weren’t many improve choices out there, as our Titanium Elite standing wasn’t imagined to be acknowledged on a third-party reservation.

Nevertheless, upon seeing my membership quantity and Titanium Elite standing, the resort tried to improve us to a greater room, since we had really been pre-assigned one of many “worst” rooms within the resort.

They had been capable of finding a Superior King Room, however indicated that it wouldn’t be out there till 3pm. Since we needed to relaxation after our red-eye flight in economic system class, we determined to only take the room we had been assigned.

This turned out to be the base-level King Accessible Visitor Room, which meant it lacked fairly a number of options that almost all normal rooms have – as we’d finally uncover upon taking our keys and heading as much as the third flooring.

Right here’s a tip for those who’re checking in on the Reykjavik EDITION: ask them about their welcome beverage.

Apparently, it’s not at all times proactively provided, however for those who ask, you’ll usually have the ability to rating a drink on the home – whether or not it’s an alcoholic beverage on the bar or a espresso within the morning.

I loved a really sturdy cappuccino as my welcome drink whereas we briefly waited for our room to be ready, and it was a terrific notice on which to start our keep.

The Reykjavik EDITION – King Accessible Visitor Room

As we entered our room, my first thought was that I couldn’t actually see how the resort might probably cost $1,000+ per evening for this room, which was the present marketed price.

The room was trendy and welcoming, although it was a really cozy house with out a number of sq. footage. If I had paid the total worth for this room, I’d most likely be a bit of upset.

The room’s Nordic design was highlighted by the colorful wool mattress scarf, and the uniquely formed and really comfy chair within the nook of the room.

The chair was additionally draped with fur, which was a typical theme all through the resort.

I believed the fur rug beneath the chair and desk was a pleasant contact, and a well-placed reminder of our northerly environment.

On the aspect tables that flanked the mattress, we discovered a Bluetooth speaker, energy retailers, USB ports, mild controls, and a phone. 

Contained in the wood dresser beneath the tv was a drawer with a smooth Nespresso espresso machine. 

The room regarded out into the resort’s courtyard, which was a reasonably uninspiring view. Suffice to say that we’d come to understand the views from our different rooms in a while throughout our keep much more than this.

The lavatory was the place the accessible options of the room had been most noticeable. The ground and partitions had been utterly decked out in mosaic tile on this open-concept rest room.

I appreciated the clear white floor of the vainness subsequent to the black faucet fixtures. These traditional renditions of the EDITION model present a really clear and smooth look, much like what we had skilled within the foyer when checking-in.

Nevertheless, the truth that this was an accessible room meant that there was no enclosed bathe, which was a little bit of an odd expertise. In fact, it’s necessary for resorts to have accessible rooms, however it may well typically be a little bit of a bummer while you’re involuntarily assigned to at least one.

Total, the mattress was very comfy and gave us some good relaxation after an in a single day red-eye flight in economic system class, however I actually wasn’t too impressed from the outset with this preliminary room firstly of our Iceland journey.

It was a sufficiently humble abode for our first evening, however we quickly came upon that different suites within the resort are far more fascinating.

The Reykjavik EDITION – Ocean View Nook Suite

The Ocean View Nook Suite is the second-highest suite sort right here at The Reykjavik EDITION, the place we had been generously hosted by Ben as his roommates for 2 nights.

Upon getting into the suite, you first encounter a hallway that includes a half-bathroom. The hallway then results in an enormous eating room and dwelling space.

The smooth marble desk can seat as much as 10 individuals, and is located subsequent to a flatscreen tv. These are surrounded by superb views of the harbour out of the massive floor-to-ceiling home windows.

On the opposite finish of the assembly desk, reverse the tv, is the lounge. This was a moderately good space to take a seat in and chat, because it was adorned with luxurious couches and fur rugs.

With loads of seating choices, this is able to be a terrific place to sip on some sizzling chocolate and watch a film, or just to stare out throughout the ocean.

The 2 bedrooms are pretty much like the opposite rooms and suites within the resort, providing the identical trendy Nordic design and the identical very comfy king mattress.

In every room, you’ll additionally discover the identical uniquely-shaped chair, extra-plush bathrobes within the closet, and Nespresso espresso machine.

The loos look very related, too, as they’re additionally completed with the identical mosaic tile design.

The principle distinction is the addition of a tub and the twin sink vainness. I additionally appreciated having a extra enclosed bathe house in comparison with our unique room, which additionally encompassed the bath in a single “moist room”.

The Ocean View Nook Suite handled us to sweeping views throughout each the harbour and the ocean dealing with north. Because it was July, there was nonetheless fairly a little bit of midnight solar, so it by no means actually fairly acquired darkish.

We loved holding the home windows open through the day, waving at passersby downstairs and observing the attractive surroundings exterior. 

Total, this suite was extraordinarily spectacular and was positively the spotlight of our keep. Because the second-highest suite sort slightly below the Penthouse, it’s positively worthwhile to attempt your luck at “suite-talking” your manner into this improve. 

The Reykjavik EDITION – Harbour View Suite

After our stick with Ben, Jessy and I moved to a Harbour View Suite for our final evening, which is a extra modest model of the Nook Suite.

As an alternative of the views throughout each the harbour and the ocean, you’re handled to a sweeping view of the harbour, because the room identify would recommend. The resort additionally has Ocean View Suites that face north, which has a really related structure to this one.

As you enter the Harbour View Suite, you’ll first encounter a half-bathroom. 

Additional within the suite is the lounge, with two smooth white couches and loads of wood furnishings.

A door leads into the bed room, which is organized in a really related structure to our earlier rooms. 

The grasp rest room is sort of equivalent to the lavatory in our earlier suite. It’s geared up with an enclosed bathe and a bath.

The Harbour View and Ocean View Suites are maybe extra inside attain as an improve possibility for the typical visitor with Marriott Bonvoy elite standing, and it definitely makes for a really comfy residence.

The Reykjavik EDITION – Breakfast

Breakfast at The Reykjavik EDITION isn’t included for Marriott Bonvoy elite members, because the EDITION model is usually excluded from breakfast advantages. Plus, since we didn’t e-book immediately by means of Marriott, it wouldn’t have been included for us in any case.

Nonetheless, we determined to take a seat down and partake within the buffet breakfast for one in every of our mornings. Breakfast is served every day from 7–11am within the Tides restaurant.

For a luxurious resort, the breakfast pricing wasn’t totally unreasonable at 4,800 Icelandic króna ($48 CAD) per individual.

It was a reasonably scrumptious breakfast, however didn’t have the widest choice of objects out there. There was a small counter prime of sizzling breakfast objects, together with eggs, bacon, and pancakes.

There was additionally a variety of pastries out there from the resort’s Tides Café. The native function was Icelandic yogurt known as skyr. Together with the skyr had been components and toppings that could possibly be blended in to create a breakfast parfait.

Along with the meals, there was additionally a variety of juices and low on provide. Whereas this wasn’t essentially the most spectacular buffet choice, the standard was definitely excellent.

On condition that the breakfast wasn’t included, I don’t assume it could’ve been definitely worth the worth for each morning of my keep, however I’m completely satisfied that I gave it a attempt as soon as.

The Reykjavik EDITION – Eating

Tides is the resort’s signature restaurant, boasting trendy Icelandic delicacies for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. You may also discover extra luxurious menu objects, akin to caviar.

The doorway comes as two white partitions converge to a peak, opening as much as black curtains, wooden, and amber lighting, which I discovered to be a really visually interesting design.

The timber-framed inside of the restaurant has accents of blue on benches. You’ll additionally discover fur draped over the backs of the wood seats.

Tides Café is open from 6am–5pm. If sitting right down to dine isn’t your factor, grab-and-go choices, together with freshly baked pastries and recent sandwiches made with sourdough or rye bread, can be found.

The Reykjavik EDITION – Bar

EDITION as a model is understood for its stunning resort bar and lounge areas. On this regard, The Reykjavik EDITION didn’t disappoint, with no fewer than 5 bars unfold all through the resort.

Foyer Bar is open from 11am–11pm. This bar options an open-flame fire, and serves Icelandic craft beers, specialty cocktails, and a few snack objects.

The second bar is located in Tides and is open till 10pm. The bartender stands contained in the pentagonal bar to shake and stir whichever elixir you need.

The third bar is situated on the seventh flooring, aptly named The Roof. This was my favorite bar, because the bartender right here whipped up some imply Outdated Fashioneds for us after we spent a night up right here.

The Roof has out of doors seating with superb panoramic mountain and ocean views.

It’s fairly a sight to behold, significantly when the midnight solar is poking out, when the solar performs its signature bounce off the skyline by descending after which instantly ascending as soon as once more.

A fourth bar, Tölt, is a secret speakeasy venue that has but to open. Marketed as a comfortable hidden sanctuary, I’m certain it’s going to be a good time when it opens.

Lastly, the fifth bar and lounge is situated within the spa. This bar serves up wholesome smoothies by day, and transforms right into a spa bar by evening.

The Reykjavik EDITION – Different Amenities

Situated on the basement degree are the resort’s health centre and spa.

The health centre may be very dim and small, however has sufficient gear to get an excellent exercise in. There are free weights, treadmills, train machines, and cable machines to be used.

I got here down right here on our first morning to sneak in a exercise earlier than we headed out on our street journey.

The spa is open from 12–9pm on Mondays and Tuesdays, and from 11am–9pm on Wednesdays and Sundays.

This was really one of many highlights of the resort for me. I’m not sometimes one to take part within the spa, however Ben was a giant fan and he persuaded me to hitch on one of many evenings.

The spa featured a lounge space, the place we had been provided tea and water, in addition to spa snacks, as we ready to enter.

I used to be fairly impressed by the facilities supplied on the spa, together with scrumptious wasabi peas and heat tea earlier than you go in to calm down.

Contained in the spa, you’ll discover a sizzling tub, a steam room, and a sauna, in addition to an exhilarating chilly bathe that you need to use to shock your system in-between warmth periods.

All of those spa options are complimentary for resort friends, and additional spa remedies may also be booked for those who’d like.

Conclusion

The Reykjavik EDITION has redefined Iceland’s resort scene, providing a way more compelling luxurious possibility for guests to the nation, that are swelling in numbers yr after yr.

I used to be fairly glad with my a number of stays at The Reykjavik EDITION, particularly given the value I had paid. I don’t assume I’d be eager to pay the marketed charges in money or factors for it, however I’m actually completely satisfied I acquired the prospect to expertise this resort on such a candy deal.

Though I feel this summer time’s costs are a bit of excessive, I do hope to be able to return at extra affordable charges sooner or later to expertise much more of the resort’s amenities as soon as they’ve totally opened.

This was one other beneficial installment in my experiences with the EDITION model up to now, and I sit up for testing much more areas sooner or later.