On my recent trip to Iceland I was able to experience both Radisson properties. I booked the hotels prior to the devaluation in June so was able to use the buy one get one option on points since I am a Club Carlson credit card holder (note: that option is no longer available for new bookings). As of right now these are the only two Club Carlson options in Iceland, although I do see they are opening a property closer to the airport. Using points in Iceland is actually quite challenging as the only other chain hotel is the Hilton (and the location is not ideal). Hotels in Iceland are quite expensive so using points was great. Here are my thoughts on the two properties:
Radisson Blu 1919
Our first two nights we decided to check out the Radisson Blu 1919. Since our flight arrived at 4am, I booked the hotel for the night prior to ensure we would have a bed to lie down on immediately upon check in. I hate “wasting” points this way, but knew that those few hours of extra sleep would make all the difference for exploring Reykjavik that day.
This hotel is right in the center of town. The best aspect of the hotel is also the biggest flaw – location. Depending on the person, you may or may not love this. You honestly cannot get a better location. It is walking distance to everything. All the tourist attractions, the shopping streets, etc. It is also right next to some great bars and club. That can be great if you are looking for a fun night out! Icelanders LOVE to party and so do many tourists. Although, sine the hotel is right in the middle of the action, it can be quite loud inside the hotel during all hours of the night. For us, we heard the noise until about 3am. Our main point of the trip was to get up early and site see, not to be out all night at the bars and clubs.
Apparently there is a louder and quieter wing of the hotel. While we were put in the “quieter” side, we were on the 2nd floor and the famous hot dog truck that Bill Clinton ate at is right outside. While the hot dog truck usually only stays open until 1am, the night we were there Iceland beat Holland in soccer and apparently there were many more people partying. It looks like the hot dog truck stayed open later for that! I emailed with the manager about these noise issues and he was extremely apologetic. He said that they are looking into reducing the noise inside the guest rooms as they unfortunately cannot control what happens outside of the hotel. My understanding after speaking to the manager and the front desk associate is that the noise level was not the norm for a Thursday night, although it might be for a Friday and Saturday night. If you happen to be staying at the hotel, make sure to request a room on the quieter side of the hotel and on a top floor. And bring ear plugs!
Aside from the noise level, the hotel was perfect. We had three people in the room so I made sure to arrange a rollaway bed in advance. All rooms have either 1 king bed or two twin beds. If you are with 2 or more people, you’ll need a rollaway. My correspondence with the hotel prior to my arrival was great. While they said the cost of a rollaway was 36 euro I was never charged. I am not sure if that was because of my noise complaint or an oversight, but I was happy to not have to pay the extra $90 for those two nights. For a European hotel, the room was on the larger side. While it was not glamorous, it was clean and perfect for our needs.
Radisson Blu Saga
We stayed at this hotel the last two nights of our stay in Iceland. It is more of a conference hotel and not right in the center of the city. This hotel is a 15 minute walk at most from the Radisson Blu 1919 and more on the outskirts of the city. The location, however, did not bother me one bit. While you cannot walk outside and be at a restaurant in 30 seconds, it is still extremely close. One night we took a $10 cab into downtown (there are many cabs outside the hotel and in downtown Reykjavik) and the other night we drove. We didn’t find parking to be too challenging, especially since you can stop feeding the meters after 6pm and all day on Sundays. Although it does seem like finding parking after 9pm can be a little more difficult, although not impossible).
When I booked my two nights back in May, there was only an upgraded business room available. This meant I had to use more points, but it did give me a much bigger room (although not necessary) and free breakfast. You could tell the room was old, but we found it quite comfortable and still very clean. The buffet breakfast in the morning was also quite generous and allowed us to get our day started on a full stomach. I probably would not have paid for the breakfast if it wasn’t included and just picked up something small on my way out, but paying the extra points for three people to eat over the course of two days wasn’t so bad. This hotel also said they charge for a rollaway bed, but I was never charged!
This hotel also offers free parking, which was nice since we had a car during our time staying at this hotel and not while at the Radisson Blu 1919.
Overall…
Overall, I really really really want to like the Radisson Blu 1919. It was a boutique size hotel, which I like, but the noise was a deal breaker for me. If I were to do it again and use my Club Carlson points I’d probably opt for the Radisson Blu Saga. I did not find the location to be annoying at all, but it all depends on your travel style. If you like a hotel to be easily accessible when exploring a city, then the Radisson Blu Saga could be a pain. But, if you are using it as a home base and exploring outside the city then it is perfect. Now, if you are planning on partying with the best of them, then the Radisson Blu 1919 is perfect since the noise won’t affect you. The Radisson Blu Saga is also cheaper for a paid stay and only requires 44,000 points while the Radisson Blu 1919 is 70,000 points! If you aren’t super points rich, I actually think an Airbnb is the way to go while in Reykjavik.
Feel free to comment below with your experiences at the two hotels. And let me know if you have any questions!
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We’re going to be staying 4 nights with our 2 year old at Saga at the end of this month.
I think I have the reservations people willing to upgrade us to a Jr. Suite because of being CC Gold. We’ll see. Hoping the Presidential Suite isn’t taken as it was shown as an eStandby Upgrade for about $100 per night. That would help our son sleep better I’m sure.
Thanks for this review. A lot of the Trip Advisor reviews are pretty critical of this property.
@Lanny – No problem at all. I also saw the negative reviews, but really thought the hotel was perfectly fine. It is not the Ritz, but I didn’t go in expecting it, so was very content.