Hotel Vos

Loved hotel Vos! A hotel where each room feels like your own little haven. They have a hot tub and an amazing buffet in the morning. Staff are also really nice! Also an amazing place to see the northern lights as it’s so dark!

We originally booked a stay through Airbnb at “Hotel Vos” but soon received an email stating that the business had been sold and we were offered to be rebooked at “Homestay Vos.” After looking it up, we agreed to the rebooking, as the hotel seemed nice. Upon arrival at “Hotel Vos,” however, there was no one present. Despite trying to contact them the day before to ask about kitchen facilities at the Homestay, we received no response. It turned out that “Homestay Vos” is actually a staff accommodation for the hotel, with empty rooms being rented out via Airbnb. While the room itself was fine, the kitchen, bathroom, and common areas were not clean and didn’t meet the standards one would expect from a guesthouse. It was clear that hotel staff lived there, and there was no interaction or welcome from anyone. We decided to cancel our stay and contacted Airbnb for a refund, which we received. The host even offered a cancellation right away. Strangely enough, employees confirmed that this happens regularly, with the host claiming the business is sold and offering rebookings to this “Homestay,” which is simply a staff house. While renting out empty rooms isn’t inherently wrong, the host should be transparent. The whole setup seems like a scam, and I hope Airbnb takes action to prevent others from going through the same experience. Attached are some pictures showing the actual state of the “Homestay.”

We chose Vos based on the high reviews here and also proximity to everything we wanted to do on the way to Vik (about an hour drive and a half from the hotel) and yet have a shorter drive heading back north on the final day of our stay as opposed to be driving back from Vik - and from that perspective it couldn't work out any better, given I was surprised how far from the main road the hotel itself is - not that it's a problem but just quite a drive to make it back and forth if you stay for longer than 1 night, like we did. The hotel is cozy, clean, on a smaller end - for some reason I expected a much bigger property - the rooms therefore were on a smaller end, probably the smallest rooms we had during our 10 days - it wasn't an issue of course as there was still plenty room for 2 big bags to open up. Breakfast was tasty, fresh and complimentary hot tea/chocolate/coffee 24/7 was also a very welcome thing - especially at night when we stayed outside longer in the cold waiting for the northern lights :) honor bar was also a nice touch if beer (prices very comparable to everywhere else) or wine or soda/pop was something you wanted to grab (no walking distance store, nor one for quite a long drive either so pick up things before you settle in or use the honor bar) We were excited for the dinner but ultimately skipped as it's a very limited menu (understandably) - in a retrospective that wasn't the best idea as there are no really great dinner spots in this area of Iceland until you really get closer to Vik - and that is way too long of a drive just for a meal