Hotel Ranga

Hotel Ranga is a simple log cabin style motel. Although it's consistently ranked one of the best hotels in Iceland, it's not what you'd expect for the price tag or a SLH property. Perhaps it was one of the first of its kind and the price and reputation reflect that history (and some early celebrity guests); however, it's not luxurious (or even rustic in a chic way). Other hotels have caught up to it and now offer more for the same price or less. (If the hotel reduced its rates by a third it would probably be fine.) Unfortunately, you otherwise go into it with such high expectations that it's easy to come away feeling a bit surprised and disappointed. Nevertheless, it is well located for touring the south of Iceland and likely a pretty amazing place to see the Northern Lights in the winter. (If you've never seen the Northern Lights and you get a dazzling show of them here, you will have a memorable time.) As a result, Hotel Ranga potentially has more cozy appeal in the dark, with a group, when it's snowing or you're actually able to see the Northern Lights during your stay (they have an observatory and Northern Lights wake up call). There isn't much to see or do at the hotel otherwise. Familiarize yourself with the pictures and room descriptions online. The guest rooms and bathrooms could use a refresh. The beds were soft and comfortable. Spring for at least a deluxe superior room facing the river otherwise you'll be looking at the parking lot. Dinner at the restaurant was good with large portions and nice people working there. The hotel also has 10 free electric car chargers, which is a nice touch. Next time we'll come for a meal and a charge but skip the overnight.

A friend recommended this property, and it ended up being the perfect base for us to explore and adventure in the region. We had a fabulous time and would return in a heartbeat.

Our second stay at this wonderful hotel. If you want to see the Northern Lights this is the place to stay. Wake up call can be arranged for when the lights appear. Breakfast and food is simply excellent! The staff are very friendly, and we saw the Northern Lights every evening during our stay.

We had high hopes for Hotel Ranga and were sorely disappointed. We stay in many SLH properties in various counties and have always had excellent stays. From the initial check in, we were met with a very meh welcome. The "deluxe" room was very outdated with the bedding and furnishings. We had a king bed but a twin down comforter under the black/brown 70's style bedspread. I requested another down comforter be delivered at the front desk as my husband and I couldn't both get under the covers - he sucked it up and wrapped in the 70's bedspread. They never delivered the extra down comforter. The 3 hot tubs are worn and old with no working jets. Robert at the bar was by far the nicest most engaging employee. We had clouds both nights so no northern lights either. The food was above average for dinners but ambiance was missing. We spent next few nights at The Edition in Reykjavik, which was night and day to the Hotel Ranga - excellent welcoming, staff, provisions and rooms.

Excellent stay! The food on offer here is exceptional and offers some local produce - breakfast excellent. We saw the northern lights evening and morning!