Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Reflects recent average nightly prices reported by our partners, and may not include estimated taxes or fees. Price at checkout may differ.
Cheaper
Average
Higher
About
4.5
#1 of 3 hotels in Grindavik
Location
Rooms
Value
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Northern Light Inn & Max’s Restaurant – just before the Blue Lagoon – offers family hospitality, local foods, relaxation and Icelandic adventures! The hotel is 20 min. from Keflavik International Airport-KEF, 45 from Reykjavik, 3 hours from London, and about 6 from New York. We offer exclusive Airport Taxis @ Lowest Prices, when booked directly with us. The Wellness Center has a Spa with 3 saunas, Aurora Floating, Compression Therapy - great for jet lagged limbs, and a free Fitness Room. 24/7 complimentary coffee, teas and hot chocolate in the Honesty Bar. Max's Restaurant serves local Nordic foods with an international twist: ocean fresh fish, free range lamb, geo-thermal vegetables, home baked breads and cakes. Vegetarian options are always available. 42 geo-thermally heated rooms, free wifi, a grand fireplace and family hospitality await you.
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Giata.
HOTEL STYLE
Quiet
Family
Languages Spoken
English, Icelandic, Polish
Location
1 Northern Lights Road,, Grindavik 241 Iceland
Northern Light Inn
1,597 reviews
Getting there
Car recommended
Places to stay are graded on a 0-100 scale. The higher the grade, the easier it is for travellers to find restaurants and things to do within walking distance.
This summary was created by AI, based on recent reviews.
Powered by AI
Nestled close to natural wonders like the Blue Lagoon, the Northern Light Inn charms guests with its cozy atmosphere and family feel. The cleanliness of its modern rooms and common areas consistently impresses visitors, who also enjoy the relaxing amenities, including a spa and shuttle service.
The inviting ambiance extends to Max's Restaurant, where the food adds to the hotel's value. With its strategic location near the airport and attentive staff, many travelers express a desire to extend their stay at this welcoming retreat.
Location
Convenient
Atmosphere
Inviting
Rooms
Comfortable
Value
Affordable
Cleanliness
Spotless
Service
Attentive
Amenities
Relaxing
Was this helpful?
Tripadvisor is not responsible for this summary or the opinions in it. For more information, please read the traveller reviews and learn more about how the site works.
I went to Iceland for work but coming from the UK had to quarantine for 5 days. The Northern Lights Inn offered a 5 day full board package which was outstanding. I looked forward to every meal and each one was superbly prepared, it was like taking a personal cook on holiday!. The owners (its a family run business) were simply amazing, they couldn't do enough and even helped plan a whirlwind tour around some of the must see sights. The hotel itself is well located and ideal for walks and cycle rides (during quarantine) but is just 1/2 a mile from the famous Blue Lagoon when quarantine ends!. The room was tastefully appointed and in fact you can tell that the hotel has opted for high quality fittings throughout. Given the 2 hour 20 minute flight from the UK and the lost cost of air travel there at present I would urge anyone to visit.....but stay here!
Read more
Date of stay: September 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Northern Inn, Owner at Northern Light Inn
Responded 14 Sept 2020
Hi Freedom25349592477, many thanks for your kind words and rating. It was a pleasure having you stay with us during your 5 days quarantine. We are so happy to hear that you did enjoy your stay with us and thankful that you are recommending us. We do hope to see you again, one day, when this 5 days quarantine will be abandoned and that all guest can travel freely in Iceland from day one. Take care, The NLI Team
Read more
Report response as inappropriate
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
We stayed for three nights from 28th February-2nd March. We were collected by the pre-arranged taxi through the hotel (discounted cost) and taken straight to the Northern Light Inn, arriving at around 22:00hrs. Staff were welcoming and informative and remained so throughout our stay. Our room was very comfortable and exceptionally clean as were all the communal areas of the hotel. We enjoyed playing chess next to the fire in one of the lounge areas. The hotel offers free tea/coffee/hot chocolate and also has an honesty bar for other drinks and snacks 24hrs. Between 2-4pm make your own waffles (also free) are on offer which we enjoyed very much! The food in Max’s restaurant was exceptional and staff even helped with a surprise birthday cake for my partner. Breakfast was a good selection of continental (strange for those used to a cooked breakfast but when in Rome) scrambled/boiled eggs are available too as well as toast/croissants etc. Also I noticed a good variety of gluten free and vegan options. The hotel has a viewing tower so if you have your name down for a wake up call if you’re lucky enough to see the Aurora you don’t have to go outside. We would have also been able to see them quite comfortably from our room window had we have been so lucky but unfortunately for us we had arrived not long after a snow storm and the skies were not clear. A glimpse was caught on the Saturday night but it was literally a small shimmer of green haze disappearing behind a cloud :( a trip to the blue lagoon made up for that and the hotel provides a complementary shuttle bus service to and from. Drinking Prosecco in a lagoon whilst it snowed was definitely an experience not to be missed! The hotel is located a stones throw away from the lagoon so you could walk it weather permitting and is also positioned next to the plant but don’t let this put you off. The Northern Light Inn is a fantastic little gem situated in the perfect spot for viewing the Aurora when she shows and the all the staff at the hotel from the front of house to the housekeepers were very friendly and helpful. A special thanks to Hildur who clearly works very hard to ensure guests have a great stay and her little dog was really cute too :) We would love to come back!
Read more
Date of stay: March 2020Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Northern I, Manager at Northern Light Inn
Responded 3 Mar 2020
Hi jodiecuoco, many thanks for your kind words and rating. We are happy to hear that you did enjoy your stay with us and that you would love to come back. Next time we will ask the weather god to have nicer weather and hopefully you will be able to enjoy the northern lights with us. We do hope to see you again, some day.
Read more
Report response as inappropriate
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
A lot to digest? Read an AI-generated summary of recent traveller reviews.
We stayed for 3 nights, my views on the hotel changed a bit after 3 nights due to the very friendly staff who took the time to explain the history of the Blue Lagoon to us.
Pros
Bed was comfortable we slept well
Good location 20 minutes from the airport for our last few nights
restaurant staff also helpful and accommodating
Fitness area looked nice I would have liked to take a float in the float tank but ran out of time
near the blue lagoon which we did not use as it seemed too expensive and touristy. We had been traveling in Iceland for a month and mostly been to hot pots and local swimming pools.
Cons
I was pretty shocked upon our night arrival to see how close we were to the power plant. I just had no idea and in hindsight I may have stayed elsewhere as we didn't even intend on going to the Blue Lagoon. We did enjoy seeing Grindivik especially the harbor area.
The hallways are in need of paint and an update to give them a more upscale feel as the price is very high. It was the most we paid for a room in our entire 30 days and i definitely did not have any kind of "luxury feel" to it.
The rooms were ok the view was partly of the building and some volcanic rocks. The furniture and feel of the room just did not match the price we paid. I feel the value for what you pay is not there.
It is more of a mid range hotel feel more of a Quinta, Holiday inn, or Best Western than a Marriott, Hilton or Hyatt.
Recommended with reservations.....Just be aware you are a stones throw from the power plant and it has an older hotel feel...... With that being said if you are going to the Blue Lagoon it may work well for you, we weren't.
Read more
Date of stay: October 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Northern Inn, Owner at Northern Light Inn
Responded 8 Nov 2021
Dear sswm, Many thanks for your review and rating. We are happy that you did enjoy your 3 nights stay and we value the comments you have made. We take our pride to keep our hotel as fresh as possible (built in 1983) and once we bounce back from COVID-19 we will continue to keep the building and facilities in good shape. We to hope to see you again with us, some day.
Read more
Report response as inappropriate
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
We booked this hotel in hopes to avoid having to do a northern lights tour. By the time we arrived we knew we wouldn't see the lights (not the hotels fault it was cloudy all weekend). That being said there is nothing to do in the area of the hotel except the blue lagoon. I had been in contact with the hotel regarding things to do and was given a list but of course there was no way to get to anywhere. We were told by the front desk staff we should have googled the area better before booking. They suggested we use their spa which was 3 showers and a float tank which didn't seem worth the extra $. We were told there was a path around the lava field which ended up being the blue lagoon path. We ate at Max's for lunch and the pizza was great. Because we had no alternative we are there for dinner and there were very limited options I think we had cheese fries for dinner. We did find a couple of board games to play but we were extremely bored. Our room has a view of the power plant and after watching the amount of steam emitted I am curious if it was clear out if you could see the lights through the air pollution. It was noisy and was lit up at night so we joked that was our light show. The shuttle to the airport is a discounted rate taxi but you have to make arrangements early. You could take the bus from blue lagoon also. Honestly for the price stay in Reykjavik and take a northern lights tour. We could not figure out where they got their pricing. As stated in the title it you have a car this may be a good stopping point if you don't want to drive another 40 mins to Reykjavik but unless you just plan on hanging out in your room look elsewhere....oh and if you need toliet paper it's in the drawer under the sink. Took us a bit to find it!
Read more
Review collected in partnership with this hotel
Date of stay: November 2022
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Northern Inn, Owner at Northern Light Inn
Responded 20 Nov 2022
Dear sarahl1330SX, many thanks for your review. We are sorry to hear that the weather was not good while staying with us. We try our best to inform our guests of our location by having special window on our front page so people can easily have a bird view of our location and we added more and more pictures from the outside. We also send emails to all our guests with a link so our guest can make the most of their stay with us. We have a special page called "Explore Iceland" where people can see all the tours/activities that do a pick-up/drop-off to our hotel and also all other tours/activities available all over Iceland as in many cases people start their journey with us and can with one click book for tours/activities all over Iceland for the latter part of their vacation. We have our lunch and dinner menu available on our website as well and we have various options of food for all kind, we also do vegetarian and vegan so for a small hotel we believe we have quite a good selection for dinner. The reason we need our guests to inform us in timely matter about taxi transfer is the fact that the taxi station is 20 km away from us and most of the time it will take the taxi about 20 min to arrive and sometimes they are just busy driving other people so we ask our guests to book in a timely way so we can make sure that the taxi is on time at the request of the guest. We are sorry that we did not meet your expectation but we do hope that you have enjoyed our country and that you are bringing many good memories from Iceland back home.
Read more
Report response as inappropriate
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Helpful staff, onsite restaurant, comfortable room. This small hotel is located 20 minutes from the airport and will arrange for you to be picked up at the airport and brought to the hotel, if you choose not to rent a car. The hotel is located in the middle of an ancient lava field covered in moss. You will definitely say, " Toto, we're not in Kansas anymore." They provide a breakfast buffet each morning with delicious croissants, pastries, scrambled eggs and good (but uncrispy) bacon , among other things. I do recommend you avoid the "orange juice" in the dispenser which is more like watery "tang" than oj. The restaurant overlooks the lava field and the geothermal power plant behind the hotel. We ate there both nights and found the food adequate. We were not able to see the northern nights on either night of our stay, but the hotel has an elevated glass tower with 360 glass for viewing and they will call to wake you if you wish to see the lights ( and get some sleep too). The hotel provided a helpful link to a tour company where I was able to arrange an ATV tour through the area. We drove through the lava fields to a black sand beach. That was a blast. The next day I had arranged a private tour of the "golden loop" sights. Well worth the cost. John, our guide was knowledgeable and accommodating. We were able to see the national park , geysir, kerio crater and lunch at the tomato greenhouse before seeing beautiful water falls and the most recent lava flows (transported in a comfortable SUV instead of a bus filled with scores of strangers). One caveat: we arrived on a Sunday and the power plant was not off-gassing; but on Monday, the stench of sulfur was heavy in the air outside the hotel. So much so we could not tolerate opening the window in our room to cool it. Yes America, the hotel has no AC but the temp in the room on a September night was pleasant with the window open and tolerable with it closed. They do however have a spa and you can arrange a massage or a float to soothe your tired body after a long day of sightseeing. I also recommend Iceland air to get you to Iceland. Splurge for saga class if you can. Service like the US airlines provided years ago. Excellent food and interesting beverage choices (they have a gin menu). My only complaint is they offer Pepsi instead of Coke products.
Read more
Date of stay: September 2022Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Northern Inn, Owner at Northern Light Inn
Responded 21 Sept 2022
Dear Angela R, many thanks for your kind words and suggestions. We are in the process of changing the orange juice for a new one, as we are just waiting for the new products to be available in Iceland. Hopefully soon. We are happy to hear that you did enjoy your stay with us and do hope you will return to us, some day.
Read more
Report response as inappropriate
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
This hotel was great for being a few minutes away from the Blue lagoon. The room was very large, but the space could have been utilized better, the TV was too far away. It was not boutique as advertised but comfortable. White plastic swing bins aren't usually found in a boutique hotel. The only thing boutique was the spa which is extra and l'occitane toiletries.
Breakfast was OK but we've had better in Iceland. It was a bit basic and the waitress was a bit rude gruffing what room are you from. Towels were a bit on the small side, no robe or slippers so struggling here why it is boutique.
The view is odd of the pipes and energy plant nearby. We did not use the other areas such as the lounge or bar, but they looked pleasent. I would recommend fitted curtains with black out since the light woke us up at 3am.
Strange there are a lot of questions about covid since there were a number of people coughing at breakfast and check out, despite there being very few guests, about 5 parties when we were at breakfast.
Read more
Date of stay: April 2022
Location
Service
Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Northern Inn, Owner at Northern Light Inn
Responded 5 May 2022
Dear SDReviewed, many thanks for your review and rating. We are happy to hear that you had a comfortable stay with us. We do actually have window blinds in all our rooms as this is necessary when we have 24 hours daylight during the summer. In Iceland we don't have any restrictions anymore because of COVID. We do however continue to have hand sanitizers all over the hotel and we encourage our guests to respect social space. We try our best to clean the hotel as well as we can and as we did before, during and now after COVID. Again, we thank you for your review and rating and hope to see you again, some day.
Read more
Report response as inappropriate
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Northern Light Inn was a leisurely drive from the airport. We arrived at the Inn at about 2 pm (check-in with hotels in Iceland is usually 3 pm). We had a lovely room (Deluxe Double) that included entry to the Sauna area and breakfast with our window overlooking a snow/ice lava field. We took advantage of the sauna and spa area on our first day for a nice relax. I also went outside and checked out the landscape and looked at the geothermal power station which is nearby. The hotel's restaurant is called Max's, and we had breakfasts & dinners (separate review). They had a good menu with a good choice of foods, including vegan & vegetarian, and they were able to modify offerings taking into account food allergies. Our room was very comfortable and the staff were great. The Inn is only about a kilometre away from Blue Lagoon Resort, however the advantage is that it is no where near as expensive as staying at the Resort. The Inn also has a shuttle service to take you to and from the Resort although we decided to drive. Also because of the remote location seeing the Northern Lights is a possibility (during winter) and we were lucky enough to see them. Highly recommended.
Read more
Date of stay: December 2022
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Northern Inn, Owner at Northern Light Inn
Responded 2 Jul 2023
Dear Homby, we are very happy to hear that you had a night to remember and that you did enjoy your stay with us as well as our facilities and restaurant. We are thankful that you are recommending us and we do hope to see you again, one day.
Read more
Report response as inappropriate
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
booked this hotel from the top reviews I had read - from the moment of booking the communication via the hotel was excellent. They arranged a private taxi transfer for us from the airport, which was added to our bill.
The main downside is of course the price, for the amount you pay we expected our ‘deluxe room’ to be a lot more ‘deluxe’ but it was pretty standard apart from the complimentary mini fridge but the bed was MASSIVE and we slept very well, apart from the strong smell in the mornings from the power plant located behind the hotel.
The hotel in general is very overpriced, however there are nice touches such as the Honesty Bar, and afternoon waffle station but the restaurant is extremely overpriced with a pizza setting you back the equivalent of £15.00.
Great location for the Blue Lagoon - we were supplied with a free transfer there which was literally a 2 minute drive and we walked back via a clear and designated pathway which took around 20 minutes.
Overall, I think the hotel is very overpriced, but I suppose this is like everything in Iceland, but the staff were all very friendly and hospitable, you can tell it’s a family run business.
Read more
Date of stay: October 2022Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:This hotel is VERY remote, we wish we hired a car so we could explore the surrounding areas more...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Northern Inn, Owner at Northern Light Inn
Responded 11 Oct 2022
Dear Romy M, many thanks for your review. We are happy that you did enjoy your stay with us, our waffles, honesty bar, the room and the location. We are also happy to hear that our staff was friendly and hospitable. We do hope to see you again, one day.
Read more
Report response as inappropriate
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Hey!! Well as soon as I saw this hotel online I instantly warned to it. Infact I didn’t even look anywhere else. As soon as I saw it I wanted to stay here! On arrival the staff are extremely kind and friendly and instantly we felt part of there very close family. The rooms are very comfortable the food in Max’s restaurant was delicious so much so for our entire stay we ate here at the restaurant, although the northern lights have not been behaving them selves this year across the globe not just Iceland. We where extremely lucky on our first night we had the most amazing light show. It’s a wonderful system at the main desk you mark your room number and they call you if the northern lights show up. :) we where here 5 nights and so glad we stayed longer than the normal person with a car we hired from the airport the things you can see within a day of this hotel is amazing you won’t get board! The living room here at the hotel is so homely and every evening sit there and play card games “with the staff” ha we will certainly be back. Hopefully in 13 months time :) you won’t be disappointed staying here don’t expect to see the northern lights but you can’t guarantee the lights anywhere in the world. but if you do you won’t be disappointed and if you don’t you really will enjoy the hotel!!
Read more
Date of stay: November 2021Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Northern Inn, Owner at Northern Light Inn
Responded 22 Nov 2021
Dear Ben C, many thanks for your kind words and rating. We are happy that you did enjoy your 5 nights stay with us and you were able to see lot of Iceland's most popular sites by having a car and as you mention only a day tour from us. We thank you for recommending us and we do hope to see you again, some day.
Read more
Report response as inappropriate
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Large, pleasant rooms, nice bathrooms with drying racks, and comfortable and inviting public areas all make this a good place to stay near the Blue Lagoon. The meals were very tasty, especially breakfast. Wifi worked very well.
Read more
Date of stay: August 2022
Rooms
Location
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Northern Inn, Owner at Northern Light Inn
Responded 7 Sept 2022
Dear iris423, many thanks for your review. We are happy to hear that you did enjoy your stay with us as well as our restaurant. We do hope to see you again, one day.
Read more
Report response as inappropriate
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Hi 26lovetotravel26,
Sorry for our late reply. Yes we have a bar at our restaurant as well as honesty bar for our hotel guests open 24/7 where hotel guests serve themselves.
As of April 6, all those who have had the vaccine or can show a proof that they are immune to the virus as of result of having had covid before, can enter Iceland.
In these cases you have a PCR test upon arrival in KEF airport and once you get the good result (midday) you are able to travel freely in Iceland. All necessary information are to be found on covid.is site
I hope this helps
again sorry for our late reply
Regards,
The NLI Team
Hi, so sorry for our late reply.
Until February 1, 2021 everyone visiting Iceland has to take a covid test at the KEF international airport then have 5 days of quarantine + 2nd covid test before able to travel freely in Iceland.
New rules will be announced on January 15, 2021, i.e. what will apply as of February 1st
Quarantine = that you will have to stay in your room and not be able to visit places that other people are at, nor use the common area of the hotel.
Quarantine at Northern Light Inn is possible but only by booking directly with the hotel. We have a 5 days full board quarantine offer in January.
While staying with us, you can go for hiking as we are in a middle of a lava field and no people around. If we are blessed with the northern lights you can enjoy them from our parking lot but only have to respect the 2 meters distance if other people are out, most likely in quarantine as well.
I do hope this will help to you to take a decision and again, so sorry for our late reply
The NLI Team
There are more places to choose from in the Grindavik area.
PRICE RANGE
HK$2,257 - HK$2,592 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
ALSO KNOWN AS
northern light hotel grindavik, northern light grindavik
LOCATION
IcelandReykjanes PeninsulaGrindavik
NUMBER OF ROOMS
42
Prices are the average nightly price provided by our partners and may not include all taxes and fees. Taxes and fees that are shown are estimates only. Please see our partners for more details.
Is This Your Tripadvisor Listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
