Start Hostel

Iceland , Reykjavik
REYKJANESBÃ¦R, Lindarbraut Southern Peninsula
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100 reviews shown

10/10

Exceptional

01 Apr 2026

Anna

Great stay! They have all you need to cook.

Friends_and_family Family

10/10

Exceptional

03 Nov 2025

Carmen

Clean very Good

10/10

Exceptional

14 Oct 2025

Adam

All we needed for the last night of our trip. The room was much nicer than I expected. Good value here and right near the airport.

10/10

Exceptional

09 Oct 2025

Kashish

I have stayed for the first time in a shares dorm. It was worth the experience ✨ staff was too Helpful 🙌

Leisure Self

10/10

Exceptional

19 Sep 2025

Mark

Close to airport, clean and comfortable room, easy to check in, and excellent morning breakfast option
Highly revommend

10/10

Exceptional

14 Sep 2025

Julianna

Very simple accommodations but perfect if you want to nap during a long layover or before/after a long flight before exploring the rest of the Iceland

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

13 Sep 2025

Denise

Was just an overnight stop on the way to the airport. Although there's no airport shuttle they were happy to arrange a taxi and even arranged for us to share with another guest who was going to the airport at the same time

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

13 Sep 2025

Babette

Clean

10/10

Exceptional

11 Sep 2025

James

We stayed in a private room with bathroom. Cooking area available, clean room, close to airport.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

09 Sep 2025

Leslie

Perfect for early deparure

Great breakfast with many choices and delicious coffee. Super clean, comfy beds and spacious room. 10 minutes from airport.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

24 Aug 2025

Lori Paige

I was expecting this to be a regular hostel with shared dorms and things like that but we got our own room which was really great. Checkout was super easy too. I appreciated that the staff doesn’t throw out food and things that people leave in the hostel and it becomes communal property. I wished that breakfast had been complimentary, but I appreciated the free tea and coffee provided. Staff was friendly and patient as well.

Leisure

6/10

Pleasant

15 Aug 2025

teresa

Very good inconvenient to the airport. Taxi to & from the airport cost as much as the room. It really is not feasible to take public transportation with luggage.
Otherwise the place is a fine budget hotel.

Leisure Self

8/10

Excellent

12 Aug 2025

Carolina

Room was clean. Staff helpful.

Leisure Family

8/10

Excellent

08 Jul 2025

Janice

I did not know we would have a shared bathroom.

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

07 Jul 2025

Janet

Immaculately clean!

The entire facility including the kitchen, room and bathroom, were immaculately spotless! Very happy with the facility. They even coordinated a taxi for me to share on the way to the airport the next morning.

Self

10/10

Exceptional

22 Jun 2025

Kelly

Clean and quiet room. Helpful staff. Good breakfast that is available starting a 4:00am. Perfect for the night before a morning flight from KEF.

10/10

Exceptional

21 Jun 2025

Tyann

Perfect spot by the airport. Super clean room, well run, great breakfast and shuttle to airport. Exceeded our expectations

Friends_and_family Friends

10/10

Exceptional

16 Jun 2025

Lyudmil

Clean and comfortable spacious rooms, very friendly staff. Close to airport, perfect for short stay between connection flihts

Leisure Family

8/10

Excellent

12 Jun 2025

Glenn

The rooms were big and warm. Free tea and coffee available. Free parking onsite. What I didn't like - you had to pay extra for breakfast

Leisure Family

8/10

Excellent

07 Jun 2025

Kamil

24 hour check in. Great staff. The breakfast was not that great.

10/10

Exceptional

06 Jun 2025

Philipp

Great stop after a late flight into Keflavik. Taxi journey was only 10 min, and buses to Reykjavik easy next day. Super friendly staff, thank you for the breakfast :)

Leisure Self

10/10

Exceptional

02 Jun 2025

Gelita

Much better than I expected (maybe my vision of what a hostel was may have been off). I did not realize it is on the old military base (we drove through the old gate). Yes, it's an older building, but it's very well kept up. It was clean and quiet. Parking was convenient. Staff were friendly and helpful. Room had lots of space (we had a room with a private bathroom). Great location for getting to the airport at 6am next morning.

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

26 May 2025

Edward

Excellent service when I arrived late. Comfortable convenient for the airport.

Leisure Self

10/10

Exceptional

21 Apr 2025

Alona

Good option if you drive

Leisure Self

10/10

Exceptional

07 Apr 2025

Andrew

Clean and pleasant!

Leisure Self

10/10

Exceptional

22 Mar 2025

Mark

The staff were incredible and friendly. Didn’t mind me asking a lot of questions and providing some helpful tips for my trip.

Leisure Self

10/10

Exceptional

20 Mar 2025

Claire

Good

10/10

Exceptional

14 Mar 2025

Diem

Very convenient location and helpful staff. Clean beds

Leisure Self

10/10

Exceptional

16 Jan 2025

Eric

Exceptionally helpful pleasant staff and a very neat and tidy place. Wonderful!

Leisure Self

10/10

Exceptional

30 Dec 2024

KARIMA

Very convenient, easy to get to, great quality price

Business_and_leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

28 Oct 2024

xinran

A nice stay

10/10

Exceptional

20 Oct 2024

Scott

Great location for super early flights out of KEF

Easy to check in, the place was very well kept & the staff was very friendly. They had a small continental breakfast available by 4am for those of us leaving on the super early flights out of KEF which was appreciated.

Self

10/10

Exceptional

06 Oct 2024

Jordan

Great stay!

10/10

Exceptional

28 Sep 2024

Pavithra

Easy access from airport

10/10

Exceptional

25 Sep 2024

Debra

Wonderful stay near the airport. Nice breakfast in the morning.

6/10

Pleasant

23 Sep 2024

Kendra

The staff was extremely helpful all around. I had an overnight layover with no service and they ordered my cab to the airport for me. As a heads up, a cab ride to this hostel is rightly $30-40 usd and it is extremely cold both outside and inside the hostel. I’m glad I brought an extra blanket because frankly it felt almost as cold as outside and the blanket provided slides off of your body at night. The rooms are small and there isn’t much room for you to actually place your bag down and gather your things, if you are staying in a 4 bed room like I did, without being in the walkway. They had a pleasant array of breakfast items in the morning. Unfortunately I was allergic to a great bit of what was offered so I couldn’t enjoy it as much as I would’ve hoped.

Self

8/10

Excellent

23 Sep 2024

tandy

We were a little cold

Business_and_leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

20 Sep 2024

Asbel

Excellent hostel … possibly one of the very best I’ve ever been in. Incredibly clean and says was extremely kind, helpful and sweet.

Leisure Self

10/10

Exceptional

17 Sep 2024

Jason

Great place, the bed look small but after you get in was so comfortable, I had a really nice sleep , I would definitely recommend this place, also the lady and gentleman at the reception were very friendly and nice

6/10

Pleasant

04 Sep 2024

Charles E. Sullivan

Too small for two people.

8/10

Excellent

03 Sep 2024

Shengbiao

Washroom is shared, my problem, I did not check carefully, they said that. Breakfast is not too much, but for the price I paid, it’s normal, I believe.

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

02 Sep 2024

Tim

On our trip the was my biggest concern, staying in a hostel with an 84 year old women. Boy was I wrong this place was excellent, clean, awesome breakfast and close to airport. We stayed in a five single bed room with private bathroom. Shower is a little high step to get into but other than that the people were great and helpful and delicious breakfast starting at 4am for our early flight. Situated on an old US Air Force station I questioned it when driving in but will not make that mistake again

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

26 Aug 2024

Stacy

honestly, this was my first time staying in a hostel, so I don't have the proper context to compare hostel to hostel, but comparing to a hotel, Start hostel was clean, quiet, I felt safe, the staff was friendly, the rooms were clean, simply decorated with just what you need. Beds were comfy. Though the bathroom maybe seemed a little dated, everything was clean and in working order. The room had plenty of outlets/ plugs and even had USB ports, so we could easily plug in our cell phones for charging without a converter. The breakfasts was an elevated continental offering with hot and cold cereals, a variety of baked goods, a large assortment of fresh fruit, breakfast meat (cold not hot, so no bacon or sausage) and hard boiled eggs, plus Coffee, tea, etc. We stayed one night, so that we were close to the airport for our flight the next morning. It was perfect because we also had a reservation for the Blue Lagoon the night before, and Start hostel was a quick drive over and back. WE had a family suite which had lots of space including 2 bedrooms. I would definitely stay here again for convenience to the airport!

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

14 Aug 2024

adam

Great overall stay

It was a great stay overall, Syzmon at the front desk was very informative and helpful with everything upon Check in and check out, even had some great advice about the blue lagoon and transportation. Would Stay again.

Self

10/10

Exceptional

13 Aug 2024

Most friendly and helpful staff.

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

12 Aug 2024

Verified traveler

The room very clean.

Friends_and_family Family

10/10

Exceptional

10 Aug 2024

Christian

nice suprise

we booked this hotel as it was close to airport and we arrived during the night. the receptionist was very friendly. having stayed in 4 location whilst visiting Iceland, always booking rooms with two single beds and separate bedrooms, typically in 3-4 star accommodations. I could say this was really a good hotel. the room was spacious and clean (no tv but didn't needed one). bathroom had a bathtub. also the room had a fridge which was useful as we had some leftover food. The nice surprise was that in the morning we had breakfast which was the most varied whilst we were in Iceland. cherry tomatoes, several types of cheese and eggs, and also several types pastries.

Friends_and_family Family

10/10

Exceptional

06 Aug 2024

Frederico

Great hostel near airport

Great place to stay near the airport, specially For early flights

Self

10/10

Exceptional

06 Aug 2024

Brenda

The breakfast was wonderful and the staff friendly and helpful.

10/10

Exceptional

27 Jul 2024

LeAnn

Excellent! They also did our laundry!!

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

25 Jul 2024

Tiffany

awesome stay, very close to the airport and they staff was very friendly

Leisure Self

10/10

Exceptional

11 Jul 2024

helena

Friendly and helpful staff

Wonderful place to stay on my last night before going back home. They let me check in early - which I really appreciate, I was so tired… very friendly and helpful staff, called taxi for me…

Self

10/10

Exceptional

02 Jul 2024

Nancy

Neat the airport. A bit noisy. Breakfast was yummy.

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

28 Jun 2024

Gisselle

Only here overnight for a flight connection. Super nice and helpful staff. Location to airport was unbeatable.

Self

10/10

Exceptional

28 Jun 2024

Catherine Blair

All

10/10

Exceptional

24 Jun 2024

aida

Super nice people at Front desk. Breakfast full of great choices

Leisure Self

10/10

Exceptional

21 Jun 2024

Lindi

Nice breakfast before an early flight!

Leisure Family

6/10

Pleasant

16 Jun 2024

Michaeline

Alright hostel for a single overnight

I stayed here during a 24 hour layover. I took the 55 bus to the nearest stop (cost about $4) followed by a 10-15min walk. Depending on the weather and how heavy your bags are it's a LONG walk. The rooms were clean but need more outlets. There were only two toilets and two showers for a whole floor to share. The breakfast in the morning is nice (just cold items) and coffee and tea are available all day.

Location-wise there is almost nothing to do in the area. There are two restaurants about 20 minutes away by foot. I consider this alright for a layover but I would not stay here longer than that

Friends_and_family Friends

10/10

Exceptional

14 Jun 2024

Zachary

Great staff very helpful. Would definitely stay for an extended period when exploring Iceland.

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

12 Jun 2024

Karen

The staff were excellent and I was pleasantly surprised with the breakfast selection available at 4:30 a.m.

Leisure Self

10/10

Exceptional

07 Jun 2024

Tanzania

This is the perfect place to stay at for a layover. I stayed for one night here in a womens dorm. The dorm was as described (a shared room with four beds.) it was a well spent cheap option. I don’t drive so I can say the walkability (if that’s a word) to the grocery store was real nice; though far it was do able. The staff was nice and welcoming. Very helpful when my key wasn’t working as well. I gave area around property a 4/5 cause there wasn’t really much but the scenery was to die for. If I could give someone a rec on where to stay for a layover in Iceland I’d choose this SERIOUS‼️‼️‼️

Leisure Self

10/10

Exceptional

05 Jun 2024

Fritz

Clean rooms. Free breakfast starting at 4AM. Friendly staff. Close to airport.

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

01 Jun 2024

Venkata Amruth

Great location for commuting to airport

10/10

Exceptional

31 May 2024

Kathryn

Excellent spot if you need to be near the airport, although harder to get to if you haven’t rented a car. Lots of room and the breakfast is available from 4am which is perfect for early morning flights.

Friends_and_family Family

10/10

Exceptional

28 May 2024

Arun

This is not a comment about the Start Hostel but about Expedia which seems to have deteriorated dramatically as a service provider in recent month. I went to check in for my stay starting May 28th - 29th and the system booked a room for me for May 27th - 28th. When I attempted to contact Expedia on their Virtual Chat or to Cancel the reservation, the system gave an error and would not let me do the same. Start Hostel was EXCEPTIONAL in trying to help in every way possible.
Get it together Expedia as there are so many competitors - there is little interest in poor systems and customer service in this day and age.

Leisure Self

10/10

Exceptional

20 Apr 2024

Olga

Great breakfast! Very friendly and helpful staff.

10/10

Exceptional

20 Apr 2024

Vlad

Start

Near the airport. Clean, spacious and freindly

Friends_and_family Family

10/10

Exceptional

01 Apr 2024

Kate

We stayed here after an early flight arrival. It is close to the airport and staff was super friendly. They directed us to breakfast so we could eat before we rested. We stayed in a family room so it had two sleeping areas, a bathroom, a table, and a small fridge and sink. The beds were comfortable and it was a great place to nap for the few hours before we went out. We planned to go to the Blue Lagoon but it was closed bc of the volcano so we went into the city I stead and it was an easy drive. We stayed another night and took off for the few minute drive to see the Bridge Between Continents. The furnishings are basic but clean and comfortable. Highly recommend

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

01 Apr 2024

Mayra

Staying at Start Hostel was a great experience. The room was spacious, clean and comfortable.

Self

10/10

Exceptional

29 Feb 2024

Rosie

The owners and staff went above and beyond to make sure our stay was comfortable. They gave us information about the city/ country. They helped me getting in and out of our rental van, provided a step stool as well. I could not thank them enough for their hospitality.

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

26 Feb 2024

Vanessa

Buena relación precio calidad 👌

Leisure Partner

8/10

Excellent

30 Dec 2023

Judson

Very near the airport with 24 hour check-in, which was great because we had a late flight and taxis are so expensive in Iceland. Breakfast was also good. Price/checkout was confusing because it is difficult to track price on hotels.com, account for currency in ISK, which fluctuates substantially daily, convert to Euros, then to USD.

Friends_and_family Family

10/10

Exceptional

26 Nov 2023

Alvaro

Next to the airport,

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

06 Nov 2023

Justin

Perfect

Leisure Self

10/10

Exceptional

06 Nov 2023

Jeffry James

Clean room, fresh sheets , good breakfast

Close to airport....

Quick check in

Comfy beds........

Business_and_leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

04 Nov 2023

changchao dennis

Very Good proximity to the airport for people who need to catch early flight. Good breakfast.

Leisure Family_with_children

10/10

Exceptional

23 Oct 2023

Deborah

We stayed here 1 night on an 18 hour layover. It is close to the airport and was easy to get to late at night after our flight got in. The guy at the front desk was friendly and quick checking us in. The breakfast was adequate and about what we expected. My husband thought the price was a little high, but then we read that Iceland is expensive. So for Iceland it’s probably priced normally. We stayed in a family room that would have slept 5, but our party only had 4. Overall I would stay here again. The beds and pillows were comfortable and we all slept well.

Leisure Family

8/10

Excellent

07 Oct 2023

John

It was ok

10/10

Exceptional

27 Sep 2023

Patricia

Great location for the airport although you should have a car because taxi transfer is around $25-30 each way. There is a bus stop about 2 blocks away that is cheaper.
Fantastic breakfast which started at 4 AM. Coffee, tea available throughout the day. Also a fridge and kitchen is available in a common area. Shower was nice. This hostel was one of several properties converted from a former NATO base. Start did a nice job making it comfy for all.

Leisure Family

8/10

Excellent

27 Sep 2023

CECILIA

Start Hostel is perfectly situated for an overnight stay prior to an early flight at the end of your stay in Iceland.

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

21 Sep 2023

John

Wonderful location (close to the airport) but a little tricky finding it as the GPS was unable to identify its location. Had to use Google Maps. Staff were all very pleasant and accommodating. Room was large, clean and the bed was comfortable.

Leisure Partner

8/10

Excellent

18 Sep 2023

Jessica

Brilliant buffet breakfast that started early enough for us the eat before going the airport. Room was clean and comfortable, if a little sparse and dated. Location is very quiet - not much around. Staff at check-in was friendly and helpful. Overall a useful place to stay if you need to near the airport.

Leisure

8/10

Excellent

18 Sep 2023

Benjamin

Iceland, first impression

The room was very clean and exceptionally large. There was no TV, but that was ok as we were all zonked from jet lag and being up for 30 hours! The room met all of our needs. The hotel itself was quiet and the staff were very friendly.

Friends_and_family Friends

8/10

Excellent

28 Aug 2023

Mark

Friendly staff and easy parking. Coffee and tea available at all times of the day and night so late night arrivals are accommodated. Good spread for breakfast available from 4am. Would happily stay again.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

12 Aug 2023

Hormoz

Love it except the google map took us wrong place.
Was hard to find the Hotel.
Service was okay.only one person taking care of everything.Breakfast room service laundry .
And He was very helpful.not too far from the Airport.
Has no shuttles..
Over all one night not too bad to stay here.

Leisure Family

8/10

Excellent

08 Aug 2023

Verified traveler

Le hostel est au milieu de nul part et le quartier est étrange, mais très pratique pour une première ou dernière nuit proche de l'aéroport. On a trouvé cute le détail de la tête de lit avec les lumières DEL.

Partner

8/10

Excellent

07 Aug 2023

sophie

Hygiene. Staff did no wash cups in dishwasher, just let tap water flow lever it

10/10

Exceptional

31 Jul 2023

Kathy

Our flight was delayed and we arrived at the property well after midnight but were greeted pleasantly and promptly. Breakfast the next morning was a welcome addition - plenty of choices to get our day started well.

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

30 Jul 2023

Sophie

Very nice place to stay! Close to the airport, accommodating staff, and yummy free breakfast. Would definitely recommend staying here.

Leisure Partner

8/10

Excellent

22 Jul 2023

Nicholas

Staff was great Gentlemen at front desk was very helpful! I thought when i booked there would be transportation to and from airport which isnt the case. Its 40 dollars to get back and forth from airport.

10/10

Exceptional

15 Jul 2023

Natali

It is a wonderful and friendly place to stay. We like it and its hospitality.
The only problem is a lack of transportation between the hostel and airport. A taxi is expensive.
It worked to us because we had a car rental.

Business_and_leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

05 Jul 2023

Yuliya

Wonderful and affordable

The hotel was amazing. The staff were one of the nicest people we have ever met. The room was so clean , neat and had everything we needed. The breakfast was delicious. And to top it off the price was very affordable.
When coming back, this is the only place we will stay at.

Friends_and_family Family

10/10

Exceptional

01 Jul 2023

Jeff

Clean. Staff was very helpful and the breakfast was good.

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

29 Jun 2023

Cavett

The room was the largest we stayed in during or 7 day vacation trip. The staff was very friendly and helpful, the room was very nice and quiet compared to others, and the buffet breakfast was outstanding. The only thing missing was croissants.

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

29 Jun 2023

AIMEE

Fantastic breakfast! Stayed here with our school age children. Quiet, clean and convenient to airport. Breakfast was much better than expected in terms of quality and variety. Would highly recommend!!

10/10

Exceptional

28 Jun 2023

Ruth

- conveniently close to the airport with 24 hour reception. Excellent breakfast. They provide advice re car rental so that you can walk to pick up your rental car in the morning. Exceptionally friendly helpful staff. Very large clean room and bathroom.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

28 Jun 2023

Benjamin

Excellent for early flight

Perfect place for the end of our trip with an early morning flight. Convenient, kind staff, and everything we needed was there. Breakfast was good too.

Friends_and_family Family

10/10

Exceptional

10 Jun 2023

Wilfredo

Staff at front desk is OUTSTANDING!

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

29 May 2023

Gabrielle Susanne

Everyone was friendly and welcoming