About Us
CONDITIONS
Our aim is to offer perfect accommodation for as low price as possible. We welcome our guests to studio-apartments where you have your own fully equipped kitchenette and a small private en-suit bathroom – and to bigger apartments.
We put all importance on a perfectly clean and welcoming apartment at your arrival. Our beds are from the most respected hotel-bed-manufacturer in Iceland, selling their beds to the majority of all better hotels in the country. We provide for free the basics for your breakfast: Coffee, tea, milk, muesli, butter and jam, oil, sugar and spices. A grocery store and a good bakery are in two minutes walking distance. If you prefer, you can have full breakfast in your kitchen, for reasonable price. Than you would have furthermore bread, cheese, ham, eggs, tomatoes, yogurt, orange juice and fruits.
By our efforts to offer the lowest price, we skip the headboard to our beds, we buy all furniture, interior and household things at IKEA (except the beds) – and we keep employees as few as possible. That is why we do not make your beds or clean your bathroom every day, nor do we take out your garbage. We leave it up to you to keep your apartment in good shape! For a longer stay, we change bed-linen every seventh night – and our guests can have new towels every day if they like (though we recommend a shift every third day in respect of the environment).
Transport from airport
Keflavik airport is in 50 kilometers distance from Reykjavik. You can count approximately one hour and 45 minutes from landing until you knock on our door.
Our house is around a corner of two different streets. One part of it is yellow with the exact address Garðastræti 8. The other part is blue, with the address Ránargata 1. Here you have photos of the two parts: http://houseofspirits101.com/photos_utan.html
The best way to reach us is to buy at the airport (or on-board the air-plain) the ticket Flybus+ which gives you both the fly-bus to the bus-terminal in Reykjavik and a shuttle from there to the closest bus-stop. See further information here: http://www.re.is/Flybus/When you enter the bus at Keflavik you ask the driver to take you to “House of the Spirits” guesthouse. You will than be dropped off at bus stop 4, in 5 minutes walking distance to our house. Here you have a map that shows the streets: ttps://www.re.is/media/map/BusStop4-House-of-Spirits.jpg
We kindly ask all our guests to keep with them Gunnar’s mobile number, (+354) 698 3526 – just in case of problems.
If you arrive by car, please examine the maps here .
PAYMENT
We prefer payment in cash upon arrival. It can be in whichever currency best for our guests. We of course also accept credit cards (except American Express). Furthermore, our guests have the choice to pay directly with bank transfer, either in euros in to our account in Paris or in to our foreign currency rate account in Iceland.
PARKING
There are public parking places all around our house, free weekdays from 18.00 to 09.00, Saturday from 16.00 and the whole Sunday. In five minutes walking distance you have free parking 24/7.USEFUL WEBSITES
1) The site of the main official Tourist Office, located only few steps away from our house. Here you find all information about museums and other tourist-attractions in Reykjavik, as well as excursions and tours, car rental companies, whale-watching, horse riding and "What’s on": http://www.visitreykjavik.is
A list of all car-rental companies: http://www.visitreykjavik.is/desktopdefault.aspx/tabid-162/
A list of restaurants: http://www.visitreykjavik.is/FoodDrink.aspx
2) The best known tourist-company - the same one that runs the buses from Keflavik airport to Reykjavik. They offer a big choice of day-tours from Reykjavik. The most popular tour is "The Golden Circle", which gives you a look of Iceland's nature as well as history and culture: http://www.re.is/
3) Similar to the other one – day-trips from Reykjavik. But smaller company with maximum 19 passengers in a bus: http://gti.is/
4) An official website giving you all information on traveling in Iceland: http://www.visiticeland.com/
5) The cheapest accommodation out of Reykjavik: http://www.farmholidays.is/
6) The cheapest hotel-chain out of Reykjavik: http://hoteledda.is/en
TAX-FREE AND DUTY-FREE
At Leifsstöð, Keflavik airport, there is a Duty-free shop both for arriving passengers and for departures - where you can make your shopping no matter if you are a member of EU or not. The price there for cosmetics, wine, spirits and tobacco is only 1/3 of what it is inside the country. You have the rules for what you are allowed to bring through customs at this page:http://www.customs.is/displayer.asp?cat_id=301
And here is the link to the Duty-free shop: http://www.dutyfree.is/en Most of shops in Iceland - and all tourist shops - offer tax-free service. The minimum amount of shopping is 4.000 kronas. You find all information here:
SERVICE
In summer time we are three persons working at the house – two efficient assistants and the host Gunnar Halldorsson. We do all our best to give our guests personal service and make them feel like at a friend’s place. Gunnar, as a professional tourist guide, loves to sit down with his guests, giving them advices on what to see and what to do. If you wish, we also take care of bookings of tours and excursions, or of whatever activities and restaurants, without any commission.
In all our studios there is a strong wireless Internet connection, free of charge.
For guests staying at our house at the beginning and at the end of a longer trip in Iceland, we offer a storage room for extra luggage, free of charge.
A private excursion with Gunnar, in a private vehicle, could be practical in price if you are three persons or more. As a tourist guide, speaking English, French and Scandinavian languages, Gunnar is specialized in geology, history and culture. For many years he has also worked as a university professor in Icelandic language and literature.
CHECK-IN AND CHECK-OUT
There is no 24/24 reception at our house. Our guests can still arrive day and night. If you arrive very late, you will find your keys in a special key-box - getting the code to open it by mail shortly before your arrival. In this case you will also get exact instructions on how to find your apartment. There would be a note with your name on both doors and the apartment would be open and lighted.
Check-in is normally at 14.00 and check-out at 11.00. But we always try to have our apartments ready as early as possible. In case arriving guests would have to wait for their apartment, we of course keep the luggage for them and try to find them a place to stay and coffee to drink!
Another solution for early arriving guests is to visit the Blue Lagoon directly after arrival. (It is a perfect place for tired people!!!) You would probably go there anyhow as it is one of the "musts" in Iceland - it is on the way from the airport to Reykjavik - so you would both earn time and safe money by doing it in connection with the arrival, plus you would be sure of getting your apartment immediately after arriving to Reykjavik. (Of course there is also the possibility to take the Lagoon in connection with your departure.) You have the possibilities and prices here: http://www.re.is/BlueLine/
No worries though your departure flight is late afternoon. If a new guest would come in to the apartment that same day, we of course keep the luggage for you.
LOCATION
We are very proud of our location, in the centre of Reykjavik city, in few minutes walking distance to all major tourist attractions, museums and most popular restaurants – but still in a quiet residential area. No bars or discos are in the neighbourhood. (Still, Friday and Saturday nights, you might hear partying people walk by on their way downtown. But wherever in Reykjavik city, you could never avoid that – it is simply a part of the “week-end life” in Reykjavik). The old harbour is in two minutes walking distance, with it’s nice restaurants and café’s - and departure of all boats for whale-watching, bird-watching and fishing tours.
RECOMMENDED RESTAURANTS
We recommend following restaurants for two reasons: Our guests have given them their best reviews - and they are all in short walking distance from our house:
1) Max 3 minutes walking distance – Fish Company: http://www.fiskfelagid.is/
2) Max 4 minutes walking distance – Icelandic Fish and Chips: http://www.fishandchips.is/
3) Max 5 minutes walking distance – Mar:
http://www.marrestaurant.is/
4) Max 6 minutes walking distance - Við Tjörnina:
http://vidtjornina.is/
5) Max 6 minutes walking distance – Grillmarkaðurinn: http://www.grillmarkadurinn.is/
6) Max 7 minutes walking distance – Lækjarbrekka: http://www.laekjarbrekka.is/home
7) Max 15 minutes walking distance – Þrír frakkar:
http://www.3frakkar.com/
CONTACT US
House of the Spirits, guesthouseGarðastræti 8 / Ránargata 1,
IS-101 Reykjavik
ICELAND
Tel: +354 698 3526
Email: houseofspirits101@yahoo.com