We stayed at Hotel Kvika in early October 2025 as part of our first night in Iceland. We picked the area largely because it’s in a fairly isolated spot. For northern lights chasing, that trade-off usually makes sense, it’s better to be away from city lights than right in the middle of everything.

Location

Hotel Kvika sits along Road 38, with Hveragerdi as the closest town. It felt properly dark out here, the kind of darkness you actually want if you’re hoping to chase for the northern lights without light pollution.

We drove in from the Bridge Between Continents, and by the time we arrived it was already night. We saw a few people outside and assumed they were just hanging around the property. Only after we stepped out did it click that they were actually taking photos of the northern lights! Not a bad welcome at all.

Here’s how the hotel looked during the day. Took this the following morning, notice how the skies are so cloudy!

Check-in

We checked in the usual way at the front desk. Nothing particularly memorable, which is sometimes exactly what you want after a long day of driving.

The room

We had a double room. It was spacious enough, and practical for a short stay, but it did feel a bit on the older side. This isn’t the sort of place you book for design details or a “wow” room reveal.

What mattered more for us was comfort and the setting. The room had a heater as expected given the cold weather, and being on the ground floor meant we could look out into the dark when the sky was clear. Frankly, we chose this spot because it’s quite a distance away from the nearest city, so you’ll have fewer city lights in your shots of the northern lights.

The facilities

There are tons of common spaces around the hotel, looks pretty much like a living room of an apartment. We didn’t really use these though, but it looked nice to play some board games while waiting for the northern lights to appear.

There is also a glasshouse near the hotel lobby, where you can look out and get panoramic views of the area. I recall the roof were a bit tinted, and we didn’t really use the glasshouse much when the aurora was active.

But it looked really very nice to sit around at night and chill though!

There is also an outdoor barbeque pit if you wanted to grill some meat.

There are hot tubs on site, which is a very Iceland thing to have. We didn’t end up using them because we were preoccupied with the northern lights, and because once you’ve got a good aurora show, priorities shift pretty quickly!

Breakfast

Breakfast was included in our rate (about 140 SGD after the OTA discount). The spread was very good, and it made you feel quietly smug about not paying Iceland prices out of pocket. Food in Iceland is expensive across the board, so having breakfast sorted as part of an already affordable stay felt like a real win.

You could even make your own waffles yourself here!

Concluding thoughts

Given the rate we got, Hotel Kvika felt very worth it. The rooms are a little dated, but the location is the real selling point. It’s far enough from major light pollution to make aurora chasing feel realistic, even if you’ll still notice a bit of the distant street lights.

If you’re looking for a polished, resort-style stay, this probably isn’t it. If you want a comfortable base outside the city lights, and you like the idea of being greeted by the northern lights when you arrive (or to chase one here), it’s an easy one to recommend.