Review of my stay at the Kex Hostel in Reykjavik, Iceland.
In my 33 years as a traveller, I have stayed in a lot of hostels. Imagine: I have visited 130+ countries and territories, with hundreds, close to a thousand, different towns, cities and villages all backpacked, and the Kex Hostel in Reykjavik is definitely up there in my top 10 of budget traveller hostels in recent years.
The criteria when choosing a place to stay are based on a combination of price, facilities and location:
- Cheap doesn’t mean the best. Most things, though not all, are cheap for a reason
- No good having a hostel miles from anywhere just to save a buck
- Pointless having a hostel above a bar where no one gets any sleep (London, take note)
- I’m a traveller. I need things. I need facilities.
Feeling nervous about staying in a hostel? You might want to check out my rewritten Backpacker Hostel Hacks blog post.
Free Wi-Fi is a given these days in most places, and these days, as a budding travel blogger, I need to get online. I travelled for years before the internet was invented. Somehow, I can’t even remember how we used to do it. Now it’s not something you have to think about.
But I need a place to do laundry, I prefer to do my own, but having a place to hang your stuff ain’t always gonna happen, so you need access to a washing machine.
I like a place with a kitchen.
The Kex Hostel in Reykjavik is one of my happy places
And for me, if I am afforded a good night’s sleep, then I am happy.
The Andaina Hostel in Oaxaca had ticked all boxes.
The Boho Hostel in St. Julian’s in Malta was a very special place for me
As I said, Kex Hostel in Reykjavik, Iceland, would have made the top 10, or even the top five, if such a list existed. Maybe I should do a post, “My Top 10 Best Hostels”. Stay tuned.
Fresh off the flight from Glasgow, I took the Bus 55 from Keflavik Airport to the BSI Bus Terminal in the centre of Reykjavik, from where a brisk 15-minute walk in frigid temperatures brought me to the Kex Hostel, which is on Skúlagata:
38-Bed Dorm Room:
The idea of a 38-bed dorm is scary, right?
But I’ll tell you 2 things:
- I slept in a 72-bed dorm in Bergen, Norway, back in 1999. It was the old seaman’s mission.
- The 38-bed dorm at the Kex Hostel, Reykjavik, is not as bad as it seems.
I had bed number 33:
The dorm room had dividing walls. So for me, there were eight beds. Three bunks and two single beds:
Then there were two sections with 12 beds, three bunks on either side and one section with 6 beds, 3 bunks on one side.
We had a radiator, great for drying damp clothing, and a window for ventilation. The beds and pillows were firm, and the sheets were 100% cotton.
The other guests were considerate. And with earplugs, I slept well.
Facilities at the Kex Hostel
Kex Hostel is a big place. But they didn’t forget to put in enough toilets and bathrooms, and they employed an army of cleaners to keep them spotlessly clean. The hostels in London could learn a lot from coming here and seeing how a hostel should be.
There are two kitchens equipped with everything you need. Electric stove, microwave and kettle with enough pots and pans and plates, cups, glasses and cutlery.
There’s also a self-service laundry:
There is a big bar/restaurant/common area.
It’s where I drank my morning coffee, took my breakfasts and in the evening, typed out my stories, whilst drinking my evening beer.
Blogging takes time. So, taking every opportunity to keep it going:
Or doing some research on things to see in the city:
Blogging with a beer at the Kex Hostel in Reykjavik:
Chilling out: This is where I drink my morning coffee:
The Kex Hostel makes a great place to recover after backpacking the world’s most northerly capital – Reykjavik lies at 64 degrees north.
The Arctic Circle is at 66 degrees north. The most northerly point I have stayed at was at the YHA in Stamsund, Lofoten, way up at 68 degrees north.
There are many museums in Reykjavik, including the Reykjavik Art Museum, Maritime Museum, Saga Museum and The Settlement Exhibition. There is even an Icelandic Punk Museum and a Penis Museum.
I was happy to visit the Perlan Natural History Museum:
Of course, I saw lots of other stuff too, but the thing that I really wanted to do was to do the Reykjavik Golden Circle Tour run by Reykjavik Excursions:
And go to the Sky Lagoon Geothermal Spa for some relaxation before a very early flight out.
The only thing that the Kex Hostel lacked was enough lockers for everyone. Everything else was just perfect. Thanks Kex Hostel!
