Hostel Review: Galaxy Pod Hostel, Reykjavik
Galaxy Pod Hostel Review
The future of hostels can officially be found in Iceland’s thriving capital city, Reykjavik. Imagine being rewarded with a comfortable stay in a next generation space pod after a long day exploring the land of ice and fire. We’ve never seen anything quite like the Galaxy Pod Hostel.
Similar to the ‘capsule hotel’ concept that can be found in Tokyo, the Galaxy Pods are a cross between a space ship and a submarine!
As well as next level sleeping arrangements, the Galaxy Pod Hostel offers guests free wifi, convenient lounging and cooking facilities and ice cold Icelandic water (which is officially the best in the world) by the bar all day and night.
Check in/Check out
Check-in after 14:00
Check-out before 11:00
The super friendly staff are available at the reception desk from 7am to 11pm.
Location
Galaxy Pod Hostel address: Laugavegur 172, 105, Reykjavik
The hostel shares a building with other offices. The facility is lovely and peaceful. Access the hostel through the revolving doors or the door beside it on the street and take the elevator (or stairs) to the 3rd floor.
Having the hostel high up allows guests to enjoy impeccable views of the backdrop of beautiful mountains.
Approximate distances:
10 minute walk to downtown Reykjavik.
17 minute walk to the famous Hallgrímskirkja church.
5 minute walk to the main city-bus station.
5 minute walk to the nearest ATM.
5 minute walk to the nearest bakery.
5 minute walk to Krónan Supermarket
7 minute walk to nearby Bonus supermarket (for budget shoppers).
15 minute walk to Laugardalur, sports center and family park.
40 minute drive to Keflavik International Airport.
7 minute drive to Reykjavik Domestic Airport.
The location of the Galaxy Pod Hostel is perfect, it’s quiet and Reykjavik is a small enough city to be explored in a couple of days.
The Galaxy Pod Hostel is conveniently located across the road from a Krónan supermarket, open 9am until 9pm. They have lots of cheap food and drinks, which is perfect to stock up and use the hostel’s extensive kitchen facilities.
The Pods
There are 54 pods within the hostel across 6 rooms. There are 46 single pods and 8 with queen sized beds for two people. The single pods are located in rooms 1, 2, 5 and 6 and the queens are exclusively located in rooms 3 and 4.
The rooms are clearly labelled so they’re very easy to find!
The Galaxy Pod Hostel has two 8 person dorms that have 8 pods inside each one and most of them offer a mountain view out of the back window.
The hostel also has a female dormitory with a special vanity area.
Each pod has it’s own unique number, we enjoyed the luxury of pod 25, room 3.
Some pods are on the top, some are on the bottom, just like bunk beds.
Each pod has next generation lighting control. Guests can light the ceiling, the mirror frame and there is a reading light on the ceiling.
The lights are controlled by a touch mechanism where guests can glide a finger over a dimmer scale allowing lighting customization. The ceiling light is a futuristic neon purple, giving the pods a real floating in space feel.
There are two USB chargers in each pod and two hangers for clothing and accessories. There are also two small shelves to utilize. All of the pods have a curtain or a gliding door for privacy.
Every pod has a super comfortable spring mattress with a memory-foam mattress topper so guests can rest in pure luxury.
The pods also have air circulation control, with a dial allowing guests to be as warm or as cool as they like with three different settings.
There are electrical plugs in the room but not in the pods.
Each pod has a huge mirror, a smoke detector and fire extinguisher for peace of mind.
Every pod comes with its own numbered secure locker inside the room for valuables and larger luggage can be stored in the luggage room.
The rooms and pods all operate on electronic card keys, one for the pod/room and a separate one for the locker.
Be sure to take note of instructions on how to use the pod’s facilities from the member of staff at check in, we suggested the hostel provide small guidebooks inside the pods so guests have a comfortable stay.
Dining
As well as a fully equipped self-service kitchen, the hostel also offers cold and hot food during reception hours from 7am to 11pm.
The help yourself breakfast includes most staple continental items such as toast, peanut butter, waffles, maple syrup, jams, cereals, orange juice, coffee, tea, hot chocolate. There is no vegan breakfast on offer but this is something the hostel with consider in future.
Price is 1200 ISK (approx £8.40/ $10 USD) per breakfast.
The Galaxy Pod Hostel also offer 3 types of hot pizza all day, none are vegan and the hostel are considering offering a vegan pizza in the future. The price is 800ISK for one (approx. £5/$7 USD) or they have a special deal, a pizza and a small draft beer for 1300 ISK (approx. £10/$14 USD)
Don’t forget to check the free food cupboards in the kitchen as well as the free food shelves inside the refrigerator.
Linen and Towels
All linen is provided by the Galaxy Pod Hostel free of charge which includes a duvet and a pillow and your bed will be made upon arrival.
Towels are provided at a fee of 500ISK (approx. £3.50/$5USD) per towel per stay.
Wheelchair accessibility
The Galaxy Pod Hostel has two rooms that are accessible for wheelchairs and the hostel can host up to 7 persons in a wheelchair at a time. The property has a convenient elevator and a wheelchair accessible WC.
The Kitchen
The kitchen at Galaxy Pod Hostel has everything you need for a comfortable and cheap stay in Reykjavik.
Iceland is notoriously expensive for food and drinks, for example, some restaurants offer small pizzas for £21/$30 USD and pints of beer for around £8/$10 USD. It’s a great idea to spend a couple of nights cooking food to save money and the Galaxy Pod Hostel has everything you could possibly need.
The hostel has a dining table, a full oven, hobs, a microwave, enormous refrigerators with ample space, cupboards, utensils, crockery, cutlery and a free food cupboard.
Make the most of the free food left behind from other travelers to save even more money while staying in Reykjavik.
There’s also a shelf in the refrigerator for free food left over by previous guests.
Cook just about anything with the extensive facilities provided by staff at the Galaxy Pod Hostel. Speak to staff about local take away delivery services.
Social areas
The lounging areas of the Galaxy Pod hostel are what impressed us the most.
The elegant and relaxed ambiance of the reception area was perfect to defrost and chill out with the great selection of comfortable sofas and lounge beds.
The large HDTV has Netflix and Plex and guests are able to use the remote control to change channels at their free will.
The reception area also has a fully stocked bar complete with a Gull beer tap.
The beer is relatively cheap for Icelandic standards, a regular price beer is around 1000ISK (approx. £7/$10USD) and around 700ISK (£5/$7USD) during happy hour.
Remember, the government of Iceland control the sale of alcohol across the country. Weak beer cans and bottles can be found in supermarkets such as Krónan and Bonus (around 2.5% ABV) and anything stronger must be bought in the Vínbúðin store. You will need identification to purchase if you look underage and alcohol isn’t necessarily cheap, we were quoted £50/$70USD for a bottle of vodka.
The hostel has a super cool movie room , separate from the lounge area, with an enormous projector allowing you to kick back and relax on the comfortable sofa and maybe even strum the guitar if you’re feeling creative. The room also has a PS4 complete with popular video games.
Galaxy Pod Hostel has a movie night every night at 7pm with free popcorn in the lounge area. The popcorn is not vegan.
Bathrooms
The Galaxy Pod Hostel has two bathrooms, one for women, one for men.
Each bathroom has many toilets and private shower cubicles with free body/hair wash provided.
The bathrooms were immaculately cleaned every day and fully stocked with toilet paper, hand wash and paper towels.
Luggage Storage
All pods are assigned secure card-controlled lockers that easily fit a small backpack or a handbag along with extra space for laptops, clothes, etc.
The hostel also a luggage room separate from the bedrooms for larger suitcases or backpacks available at a cost of 1500 ISK overnight fee (approximately £10.50/$14 USD).
Galaxy Pod Hostel advise us that many guests take part in 2 or 3 day (trekking) tours and they can leave belongings in the luggage room if they wish to.
Use of luggage storage is free of charge on check out day (until 23:00 when reception closes).
We managed to leave our 40 liter backpacks inside the actual bedroom but there may be a space issue if the dorm is full.
Laundry
Laundry is available for 1000 ISK per load (approx. £7/$10 USD), be sure to ask the reception staff for details.
Extra features
It’s not only the pods that give Galaxy Pod Hostel it’s unique twist, the walls of the hostel are covered in messages from guests all over the world. There’s a convenient mini bar and a wall of informative leaflets on the best things to do in Iceland.
There’s also a really nice map of Iceland in the kitchen with recommendations from other guests on where they have been, where they have eaten, and the best things to do in the city.
There’s a convenient cooler in the reception area where guests are able to purchase comfort items such as bottles of water, soda, juice and snacks.
Check out the YouTube video we made for the Galaxy Pod Hostel, there really is nowhere better to stay in Reykjavik!
Round The World Magazine Rating
The Galaxy Pod Hostel is the best hostel in Iceland, in fact, it’s the only place to stay in Iceland. It’s cheap, it’s fun, it’s futuristic and it has everything you need for a comfortable and memorable stay.
Tell your friends you stayed in a space pod in one of the most rugged and isolated countries of the world! The Galaxy Pods are a rare occurrence in European countries, why not treat yourself!
Check online at booking.com here for the best rates:
We give the Galaxy Pod Hostel our highest Round The World Magazine 6 star rating!
For more information and for direct bookings, visit the Galaxy Pod website.
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Did you stay at the Galaxy Pod Hostel in Reykjavik? Did we miss something? Did you love it as much as we did? Let us know in the comments below.
