The setting, the outdoor hot tub fed by hot spring water, and the food were the standouts. Located a few minutes outside of town, Hotel Katla is off in its own little world. You have to do some outdoor walking to get from most rooms to other facilities — which can be daunting during Icelandic winters. But everything was marvelous. The rooms themselves were good, with comfortable beds, good wifi, hot hot water like you want after trekking through the snow, and with radiant floor heat. But the outdoor hot tub - with a sauna and gym as well - is the real highlight of the hotel. The hot spring water is on the cooler side for hot springs — but warm enough I sat in it comfortably for over an hour in the middle of a blizzard. The bar and restaurant were above expectations, with a few dishes that were real standouts. There's almost always a dinner buffet, with rotating main dishes accompanied by a dizzying array of appetizers, soup, salad, side dishes, and desserts. The emphasis was on Icelandic cuisine, but you'd find your French chocolate cakes and pavlova as well. Outside of the buffet, the menu was rather small — they definitely steer you in that direction. It's not a cheap buffet, but from what we saw of Iceland, it isn't outrageous either. The free breakfast buffet was excellent as well. Over the course of several days, I had skyr, fresh fruits, fresh breads with cheeses meats vegetables or jams, and really good herring, smoked salmon, and gravlax. But the waffle bar was quite popular with guests, as were the juices and smoothie.

Having to walk outside to get to the bar, the restaurant, or the hot tub wasn't awesome during the blizzard that visited during our stay. I usually like outdoor set ups, but be aware it can get cold, and icy, and require suiting yourself up if you're visiting in winter and experience inclement weather.

Spa Was great to chill in the hot water Spacious rooms and very clean

From changing rooms to spa is about 5 meters where you have to walk in your shorts and slippers if you have any. I did not had any with me so I had to walk barefoot. Not a problem except the dirt from the ash/gravel they use on ice to avoid slipping got on my feet and took it into the hot tub. Also there was still ice around the hot tub. I guess they could have used something like a mat to make sure you don’t slip and keep your feet clean. Or supply slippers for people like me who don’t pack their own. Breakfast was good but personally I would have preferred a variety of eggs, like fried or omelette other than only hard boiled.

We received a surprise in that we were upgraded to a suite overlooking the bay at Vik. The room was simply wonderful. The view was spectacular! There was a large tub for soaking. There were large, comfy chairs, a couch, & a coffee table to sit and enjoy the view with a cocktail or snacks. There was plenty of room to do yoga, The room & the hotel was very clean, & comfortable. The hotel is conveniently located near so many activities & sights in & around Vik. The rooms are quiet & have black out drapes. Our suite overlooked a large pond where swans & other waterfowl were swimming every day. Breakfast was a somewhat large buffet with options for vegetarians, offering cereals, yogurts, cheeses, croissants, breads, boiled eggs, pickled herring & (my new favorite) curried herring. There was plenty of food on the buffet to satisfy most appetites. Our disappointment was no scrambled eggs. But the teas & coffees offered were excellent! Would have liked some scrambled eggs for breakfast. Otherwise, total wonderful experience.

Would have liked some scrambled eggs for breakfast. Otherwise, total wonderful experience.

Arrived using a hire car after a long day's drive. Before checking in to the Katla hotel spent a three hours in the pretty vilage of Vik, 5km from the hotel. Vik has shops, resturants, some interesting archtitecture and (a highlight) the excellently conceptualized and presented "Lava Centre". This one in Vik is the orginal; there is another newer in Reykjavik. Read the background story to this event (mutliple showings daily), and you too might be motivated to see the live "lava" show. Back in the Katla Hotel, the welcome at reception was warm and informative - and especially welcome after aforesaid long day's drive. In addition to generously sized rooms, there is an outdoor spa tub and sauna. On the small side, but a great opportunity to chat with other guests - and this despite very rainy and windy weather! The breakfast was fine: varied, healthy, relaxed. (Try the "Lysi" - a cod liver oil that is orginally Icelandic ). Overall, there was a sense of open physical space and an atmosphere of calm and relaxation at Katla Hotel.

The pictures of this hotel in the ads made me little worried to be honest - but it is much better than the pictures suggest. We loved it at this hotel. It is just out of Vik, close enough for great food options but a little secluded. The rooms were large and comfortable and clean. We ran out of time to test the hot tub unfortunatley. Great beds. Breakfast was just lovely and fresh with plenty of options. could have sat there for half a day. We loved it here

If they offered northern lights calls during the night...

Great breakfast included with everything I like, Skyr, fresh bread with cheese and ham, eggs and herring. The waffles were especially good. You could see a lot of birds resting on a cliff at the back of the hotel.

Small bathroom. It didn't have a decent shelf for your belongings. It was a pity that they would charge 3500 ISK per breakfast bag in case you needed to get off earlier than when the breakfast opened at 7 AM. This option was advertised on every table with no info of the extra cost. To have the option at all is of course a good thing.

We loved the hotel. From the outside it doesn't look like much but that would be a huge underestimation. The rooms are very modern, clean and spacious with a nice bathroom. We went there in early April and the room was heated perfectly. The breakfast buffet was amazing. The hotel is located outside of Vík but very close. Just a heads up, the rooms are placed in different little buildings from the main building with reception, lobby and the restaurant. So you would have to fully dress up when you go to breakfast considering there might well be a snow storm outside. But if you are going to Iceland you have to accept to face any and every weather condition there is. Also parking was very easy, it's right in front of the rooms. We only stayed 1 night but could stayed longer.

Nothing-

The room was very comfortable as well as having a spacious bathroom. The beds were very comfortable and they had a great breakfast buffet with fruits, baked goods, and traditional Icelandic foods. Staff was very friendly and I really enjoyed the installations at the site.

Hotel Katla is outside of Vik, about five minutes away. We have previously traveled to Iceland before and have always stayed in Vik so we were a little surprised it was outside of the town when we were heading to the hotel but it was not a longs way and you could quickly drive up and down the main road to Vik. The Hotel feels more private and helps getting a good night's rest.

Breakfast was outstanding.

The room was cold. Our feet were freezing. It was 18 degrees inside the room (-3 outside) with no way to adjust the temperature (the console display worked but I don’t think it was attached to anything. Staff brought over a plug in radiator which helped. Overnight however the bathroom sink blocked up the minute we used it. Badly. I did some remedial plumbing and removed a plug of hair and who knows whatever that was blocking the s-bend and on through to the downpipe. It clearly had been blocked for some time and hadn’t been looked at for ages. General maintenance calls for a periodic inspection.

Very nice property -- just on outskirts of Vik with a beautiful backdrop. Rooms are modern, clean and spacious even if a group of 3. Large windows that look out toward the ocean -- too dark for us to see too far on this trip with daylight hours very limited, but we had an incredible view out our window of the snowy/icy property! Restaurant was great at dinner, good pre-dinner drinks at the bar, amazing breakfast with a huge European style spread. Buffet was fresh and well stocked from cold cuts and traditional Icelandic dishes to hot American style breakfast -- nice to fill up on that before we ventured out for a full day with ice cave and glacier hike! Restaurant/breakfast area was very large and comfortable, sparsely populated in December but I expect busy/hopping place in the summertime. Highly recommend!