Iceland - Hotel Leifur Eiriksson

Even if I'm visiting a city I've been to before, I'd usually aim for a new hotel at least - but this is my second time staying at the Hotel Leifur Eiriksson in Reykjavik - and I wouldn't look too hard for somewhere new on any future visits either!

I'll admit - a lot of this decision is based on cost. When I've booked packages through Icelandair, this hotel is offered up as one of, if not the, cheapest. In an already expensive city I was looking to keep costs as low as possible - and especially in a place like Iceland, where room-time is generally kept to a minimum, it didn't make sense to spend any more than necessary on a hotel.

That's not to imply this is a 'it's cheap so it'll do I suppose' sort of place, there's a lot I really like about this hotel too - the main thing for me is it's fantastic location.

The Leifur Eieirksson hotel is directly opposite the iconic Hallgrimskirkja church (and of course the statue of the Icelandic explorer from whom the hotel took their name!) This meant not only do you get great views if you are lucky enough to get a room at the front of the building, but it's also really easy to find from pretty much anywhere in the city! Just head in the direction of the church and you cant get lost!

The hotel pops up on a lot of people's holiday pictures too, as I've seen many a shot from the top of the church tower featuring the hotel - it even cropped up in an episode of The Simpsons!

The staff were great too - not just friendly and welcoming but really went above and beyond in helping us re-book trips after one of ours was cancelled. The reception staff are more than happy to offer suggestions for restaurants and attractions, as well as directions and even advice on the weather and the likelihood of seeing the Northern Lights (sadly not good news for us on this occasion but you can't win them all!)

Another good thing about the hotel is that guests could help themselves to hot drinks throughout the day. Obviously it was nice to try a few of the Reykjavik's cool cafes, but it was handy to just be able to grab yourself a nice warming hot chocolate while you waited for a bus to pick you up, or relax with a nice cup of tea when you get in for the night.

Breakfast was provided in the hotel too, a decent but fairly basic spread of breads, jams, meats and cheeses, cereals and yoghurts - but with one real star - a waffle maker!

It took a little while and sometimes there was a bit of a queue but it was totally worth it for fresh hot waffley goodness, mmmm!

I won't lie, the room was small. The bathroom was smaller. There's no lift. It's not luxurious. I don't mean to sell this place like its a palace so if your expectations are high you might be disappointed. But if you want a friendly, clean and cosy place to stay, where you can walk to anywhere in the city and eat waffles for breakfast - this is the one!