ttp:Another Icelandair moneyspinner and the largest hotel in Iceland, with around 300 rooms. Although this place, formerly the Esja, has had a serious Nordic makeover--glass, chrome and natural wood everywhere you look, it still conspires to be overly big, impersonal and unjustifiably expensive. Make sure to at least get a room at the front, with views over the sea to Mount Esja. The walk into town from here is a good 25 min.
Jaunted says:
As local paper Reykjavik Mag, (the print organ of Reykjavik.com) explains, the Nordica is the "quintessential business hotel" though you "may luck out and get a room here as a part of a package holiday" which was our case. Coming to Iceland from New York City, possibly the capital of massive, sterile, pretentious, overpriced business hotels, Nordica was not a jarring transition. In fact it was exactly like one of the midtown glass tower or boutique hotels where we might attend a work party, visit friends in for a convention or hit the bar for celebrity spotting. Other similarities were that space in the "double" was tight, the gym costs extra (luckily the walk into town doubled as a workout) and that we had a fairly uninspiring rear view of a parking lot and strip mall (well, in New York that'd probably be another building's AC vent). On the positive side: outstanding buffet-style breakfast (totally worth it if included, not bad as an additional charge), uber-comfortable beds, thick walls and a helpful staff. All in all it's not a bad place, but if you're sinking a minimum of ISK 20,000 a night you'd be justified in hoping for more. Investigate other options unless you've either scored a great deal or have money (or a corporate expense account) to burn.
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