Accommodation when traveling with kids: Hotel Frón, Iceland

Group of statues in Reykjavik.

A couple of years ago, my family spent a few days in Iceland on our way back to Canada with Iceland Air. The airline offers free layovers if you fly through Iceland, which is a really nice perk, and a great way to see this little country that you might not otherwise visit.

We stayed in Hotel Frón, a hotel located in the centre of Reykjavik on the main street Laugarvegur. I didn't know anything about this hotel before we made our reservation. I'd found it online, and thought it looked like a nice hotel in a good spot. Turns out I was right!

Hotel Frón fulfilled all my expectations:

• The room was clean, and the furniture was not fancy, but nice and new-ish. I loved the hardwood floors since I'm always a bit suspicious about how clean carpets really are.
• The room we were in had two separate, small bedrooms with a double bed in one, and two twin beds in the other. Perfect when you're staying with kids.
• The beds (and pillows!) were really comfortable.
• The bathroom was small but clean, and there was a nice shower but no bathtub. Be advised that the tap water in Iceland does smell suplhur-ish. It's just the way things are, unless you're in a place that filters its own water. It did take a little bit getting used to a shower that smelled like that, but the water was warm and plentiful so I had no great complaints.
• The kitchen area had a small range, a sink, and a fridge.
• The staff was friendly and helpful and helped us organize some excursions.
• A buffet breakfast was served in the downstairs restaurant each morning. It was a basic breakfast without any hot dishes, and not the kind of insanely big spread you might see in some hotels. But there was various kinds of bread, cheese, cold cuts, yogurt, fruit, milk, cereal, juice, coffee and tea: not fancy, but definitely good enough for the kids and us adults.
• The location was unbeatable: right outside  the hotel is the centre of Reykjavik with little shops, restaurants, cafes and sights to see.

So, all in all, it was clean, comfy and convenient. I'd definitely recommend it to anyone traveling with kids to Iceland.

If you go, I'd also recommend a visit to the Tivoli restaurant, just a short distance away from the hotel. Service there was friendly, they had a good kids' menu and the food was really good: lots of Icelandic specialties as well as more "international" fare.

For more on Iceland, check out my other blog posts:

• 10 fun things to do in and around Reykjavik, Iceland
• An Iceland layover