Is Hotel Varmaland Worth It?
Room Types, Dining, Hot Tubs & West Iceland Routing

Varmaland sits inland in Borgarfjörður, not in the town center of Borgarnes. Coming from Reykjavík, you’ll likely stop in Borgarnes for fuel and groceries before driving to the hotel. The next day, you can head to Hraunfossar, Barnafoss, and Víðgelmir, or turn west toward the Snæfellsnes Peninsula. This sequence splits the western itinerary into two manageable legs, saving you a return trip to the capital.

ICENAVI · VARMALAND MAPCentral West: Toward Waterfalls or the Peninsula

Hotel VarmalandBorgarfjörðurHraunfossarNear BarnafossKrauma Hot SpringsDeildartunguhverSnæfellsnes PeninsulaWestbound next day

StaySightHot Springs

Choose the Room by Group Size, Luggage, and Bathroom Setup

The Standard Double is fine for two on a short stay; the Deluxe View faces Borgarfjörður and sleeps up to three; Standard Plus offers more space for two; and the Suite and Family Suite accommodate up to four. The differences aren’t just about the bed—they’re about where to put winter coats, camera gear, and wet shoes. If you’re only out before sunrise, a standard room does the job. If you plan to wait for the aurora in the room or are traveling with kids, the larger rooms earn their keep.

Official data shows every room has a shower bathroom, but families or groups should still confirm bed configurations and extra bed arrangements. Compare a four-person suite against two double rooms for the same dates: the suite saves on splitting up and moving luggage, while two rooms preserve privacy. If your travel companions have different schedules, the price difference for two rooms might be worth more than the extra square footage of a suite.

Dinner Hours Matter When You Arrive Late

Calor is on the fourth floor, with official hours of 18:30–21:00 daily; breakfast is 07:00–10:00. The Þvottahúsið lounge is open 11:00–23:00 for drinks and light bites. If you’re returning from the waterfall area and hit traffic or weather delays, treat 21:00 as the latest dinner window and plan your arrival around it. It’s simpler to notify the hotel of a late arrival and stock up in Borgarnes than to hunt for a restaurant on dark roads after you arrive.

Breakfast timing also matters for the next day’s route. If you need to be at Hraunfossar before opening, you might have to take food to go. If you’re heading to Snæfellsnes, you can take your time with breakfast and sort out gear and charging. These small efficiencies make the stay more useful than just a place to sleep.

Three West Iceland Routes Where Varmaland Can Work

For planning, use a range of roughly HK$900–2,500 per night (approx. NT$3,600–10,000), though room type, season, breakfast, and cancellation terms will change the actual price. This isn’t a fixed quote, just a benchmark for comparing total route costs. The hotel has four EV charging spots, so you can charge during dinner if you’re driving an electric car. If you’re in a fuel car, top up in Borgarnes to avoid detouring to a gas station the next day.

Season and Arrival Time Change the Hotel’s Role

In winter, daylight is short. Put the farthest stop, Hraunfossar, before noon and return to the hotel for the hot tubs in the afternoon. If wind and snow make inland roads unstable, stick to historical sites and restaurants near Reykholt. In summer, the long daylight lets you push the waterfalls later and still make it back to Calor for dinner. The season doesn’t change the hotel’s facilities, but it changes whether you can break the western roads into manageable segments.

Official check-in is 15:00 and check-out is 11:00. Early or late arrivals cost 2,500 ISK per hour per room, and anything over two hours may be charged as a full night. Late-arrival travelers should contact the hotel in advance and keep luggage, breakfast, and restaurant times on the same sheet. These conditions are especially important for red-eye arrivals or early flights, as paying for an extra hour might not be worth it compared to staying closer to the airport.

If you’re starting from Reykjavík, check the West Iceland destination guide first, then compare Hotel Varmaland with Fosshotel Reykholt. The former is better as a mid-point in Borgarfjörður; the latter is closer to Reykholt’s history and spa. If your main focus is the western tip of Snæfellsnes, read about Hotel Búðir, as that choice will directly change your next day’s drive.

Varmaland Makes More Sense When It Splits a Long Driving Day

If you leave Reykjavík in the morning, Borgarnes is the last good place for a full stock-up. From there, head inland to Reykholt and Deildartunguhver, then to Hraunfossar and Barnafoss, returning to the hotel by evening. The benefit is keeping sights in one direction, so you don’t have to backtrack to the capital the next day. The cost is that your dinner time must align with the 18:30–21:00 window.

If you’re heading to Snæfellsnes the next day, leaving right after breakfast is smoother than staying in Borgarnes, but you need to budget for the drive from inland to the western tip. In winter, if you hit wind and snow, I’d split cave activities and long coastal drives, keeping a cancellable afternoon as a buffer. In summer, the longer daylight gives you room to fit Krauma or Húsafell into the return trip. This is a routing trade-off, unrelated to the hotel’s luxury level.

When comparing room rates, factor in parking, breakfast, dinner, charging, and the savings from avoiding a night drive. If a double room is about HK$1,200/night and that saves you a 70–90 minute round trip from Borgarnes to inland, the value is in time, not room decor. For three to four people, compare a Family Suite against two double rooms, checking beds, bathrooms, and luggage space to avoid finding out everyone has to queue for the same bathroom on-site.

Plan Luggage, EV Charging, and Checkout Together

Varmaland’s luggage storage is available from 08:00 on check-in day to 20:00 on check-out day, which is very useful for early arrivals or those who want to hit the waterfalls before checking in. You can leave large luggage at the hotel and travel light to the Víðgelmir area; pick it up on the way back, saving time reorganizing the car in tight parking spots. Confirm tags and storage locations at the front desk, especially when traveling in a group.

The four EV charging spots are limited, and dinner hours might see them all in use. Before arriving, note your remaining charge and next day’s mileage: going to the western tip of Snæfellsnes vs. returning to Reykjavík requires completely different amounts of energy. If the spots are full, Borgarnes is the safer backup; don’t assume “hotel has charging” means you can always plug in immediately.

Check-out is 11:00. If you have an early morning ice cave or waterfall tour, confirm the meeting time first, then decide if you can fit a full breakfast. Early check-out doesn’t shorten the road, but it helps you avoid low temperatures and black ice in the inland mornings. Conversely, in summer, you can stay until near noon, using the long daylight to place your next stop on the southern coast of Snæfellsnes. For self-drive travelers, this time difference is more direct than an extra chair in the room.

Q&A: What to Ask Before Staying at Hotel Varmaland