--- title: "Review: Hotel Kvika" site: "The Quiet Vacationer" site_url: https://quietvacationer.com/ url: https://quietvacationer.com/2025/12/26/review-hotel-kvika/ date_published: 2025-12-26 date_modified: 2026-03-01 author: "The Quiet Vacationer" categories: - "Hotel Reviews" - "Reviews" tags: - "Iceland" --- # Review: Hotel Kvika We stayed at [Hotel Kvika](https://www.trip.com/hotels/detail/?cityEnName=Olfus&cityId=711341&hotelId=117766960&Allianceid=7809152&SID=294280666&trip_sub1=&trip_sub3=D12343207) in early October 2025 on 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. ![The Northern Lights from Hotel Kvika](https://cdn.quietvacationer.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/hotel-kvika-24.jpg) *The Northern Lights from Hotel Kvika* ![The Northern Lights from Hotel Kvika](https://cdn.quietvacationer.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/hotel-kvika-21.jpg) *The Northern Lights from Hotel Kvika* ![The Northern Lights from Hotel Kvika](https://cdn.quietvacationer.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/hotel-kvika-20.jpg) *The Northern Lights from Hotel Kvika* ![The Northern Lights from Hotel Kvika](https://cdn.quietvacationer.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/hotel-kvika-23.jpg) *The Northern Lights from Hotel Kvika* ![The Northern Lights from Hotel Kvika](https://cdn.quietvacationer.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/hotel-kvika-25.jpg) *The Northern Lights from Hotel Kvika* Here’s how the hotel looked during the day. Took this the following morning, notice how the skies are so cloudy! ![Hotel Kvika](https://cdn.quietvacationer.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/hotel-kvika-19.jpg) *Hotel Kvika* ## 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. ![Hotel Kvika Comfort Double Room](https://cdn.quietvacationer.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/hotel-kvika-2.jpg) *Hotel Kvika Comfort Double Room* ![Hotel Kvika Comfort Double Room](https://cdn.quietvacationer.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/hotel-kvika-1.jpg) *Hotel Kvika Comfort Double Room* ![The views from our room](https://cdn.quietvacationer.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/hotel-kvika-18.jpg) *The views from our room* ## 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. ![Hotel Kvika public areas](https://cdn.quietvacationer.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/hotel-kvika-3.jpg) *Hotel Kvika public areas* ![Hotel Kvika public areas](https://cdn.quietvacationer.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/hotel-kvika-4.jpg) *Hotel Kvika public areas* 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. ![Hotel Kvika’s glasshouse](https://cdn.quietvacationer.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/hotel-kvika-12.jpg) *Hotel Kvika’s glasshouse* ![Hotel Kvika’s glasshouse](https://cdn.quietvacationer.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/hotel-kvika-13.jpg) *Hotel Kvika’s glasshouse* But it looked really very nice to sit around at night and chill though! ![Hotel Kvika’s glasshouse](https://cdn.quietvacationer.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/hotel-kvika-14.jpg) *Hotel Kvika’s glasshouse* There is also an outdoor barbeque pit if you wanted to grill some meat. ![Barbeque pits were also available](https://cdn.quietvacationer.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/hotel-kvika-15.jpg) *Barbeque pits were also available* 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! ![Entrance leading to the hot tub](https://cdn.quietvacationer.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/hotel-kvika-16.jpg) *Entrance leading to the hot tub* ![Hot tub at the back of Hotel Kvika](https://cdn.quietvacationer.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/hotel-kvika-17.jpg) *Hot tub at the back of Hotel Kvika* ## Breakfast Breakfast was included in our rate (about S$140 after we snagged the Agoda x DBS Sunday S$100 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. ![Hotel Kvika’s dining area](https://cdn.quietvacationer.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/hotel-kvika-7.jpg) *Hotel Kvika’s dining area* ![Hotel Kvika’s dining area](https://cdn.quietvacationer.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/hotel-kvika-6.jpg) *Hotel Kvika’s dining area* You could even make your own waffles yourself here! ![Hotel Kvika’s breakfast](https://cdn.quietvacationer.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/hotel-kvika-5.jpg) *Hotel Kvika’s breakfast* ![Hotel Kvika’s breakfast](https://cdn.quietvacationer.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/hotel-kvika-9.jpg) *Hotel Kvika’s breakfast* ![Hotel Kvika’s breakfast](https://cdn.quietvacationer.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/hotel-kvika-8.jpg) *Hotel Kvika’s breakfast* ![Hotel Kvika’s breakfast](https://cdn.quietvacationer.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/hotel-kvika-10.jpg) *Hotel Kvika’s breakfast* ![Hotel Kvika’s breakfast](https://cdn.quietvacationer.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/hotel-kvika-11.jpg) *Hotel Kvika’s breakfast* ## 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. --- *Originally published on [The Quiet Vacationer](https://quietvacationer.com/2025/12/26/review-hotel-kvika/)*