101 Hotel

Hip design hotel with minimalist style in the heart of Reykjavik

Reykjavik’s only boutique hotel, named after the city’s 101 nightlife district, will provide you with a slick infusion of style of the minimalist variety. Cut throughout in volcanic black, white and ash grey, with American oak floors, there's little fussy about this five storey 38 room hotel. Instead its creator, Ingibjorg Palmadottir, one of Iceland's movers and shakers, has achieved more an exercise in design rather than regular city chain.

Don’t be fooled by its austere eastern-block style exterior. Inside, expect an art gallery with every design and detail carefully worked to relax you: corridors are lit especially dimly to create a sense of calm and deter noisy guests; by contrast all the bedrooms are light, airy and open plan, flowing straight through to bathrooms. Just beyond the ground floor reading lounge, the restaurant-bar with its vast length of polished granite and white leather stools looks up through a glass ceiling to an extraordinary white baubled wall. The place to be seen in, as favoured by the local glamour.

Highs

• Central location, close to Reykjavik's best restaurants, bars and shops, a couple of blocks from the harbour
• Stylish minimalist décor with intriguing art works
• Large guestrooms with luxurious beds and great bathrooms
• Buzzing cocktail bar
• Down to earth helpful staff
• Basement Jacuzzi and steam room fuelled by geothermic heat

Lows

• Its grim exterior doesn’t do credit to what lies within
• At weekends, you might find yourself vying for space in the restaurant-bar - it's a hot favourite with the locals
• Watch out for the extras - breakfast, DVDs and room accessories at silly prices
• No twin bedded rooms.
• Open plan bathrooms are good for lovers, but not always for friends sharing.