In 15 vacation days in Iceland, I slept in 12 different places!!! From guesthouses, to fancy hotels, to cabin rooms, studio apartments, 3-star hotels, shared-bathroom inns, 4-star hotels, and even a hostel with capsule accommodation!
I got dizzy looking at the prices for accommodation online, so I decided to… alternate: today a shared-bathroom inn, tomorrow a hotel with a private bathroom, the day after tomorrow a capsule sleep, followed by a fancy hotel…
Don’t think I don’t like comfort. I looove it! But I was really curious about this invention – the capsule – ever since I discovered it in Tokyo in 2018, where I didn’t have the courage to actually try it. But I still did some on-site research 🙂
Two capsule hostels are in Iceland – one in the south, on Vestmannaeyjar island, and one in the north, in the town of Akureyri. I visited both places during this vacation, but I chose the hostel in the north, as it had better reviews.
I was a bit anxious. What if it’s noisy? What if it smells bad? Where would I put my big suitcase? What if I don’t fit in the capsule?… What if I suffocate??
One of these questions was answered over the phone, back when I was still at home, by the owner herself: “We have some lockers for luggage, but large suitcases won’t fit. You can leave it next to your capsule, that’s fine”.
Other than that, I imagined I wouldn’t really fit the vibe. I was convinced this kind of accommodation was mostly for young backpackers. Me? A lady with a big suitcase, a small suitcase, and a backpack on top.
CAPSULE HOTEL
I found the building easily, but the entrance, hard. I couldn’t figure out where the heck the entrance was, because what I saw looked like the entrance to a store. It looked like it, but it wasn’t. It’s actually an entryway into a hallway with several doors, one of which leads to the hostel.
On the morning of check-in, I received an access code by email. That’s how you open the door, with that code. And the second you step in, bam! You’re hit by a smell…
Right past the door, there’s a rack overflowing with shoes. Strangely enough, it doesn’t smell like dirty feet, it smells like worn shoes…
Here, you are required to take off your shoes. If you forget, there’s a sign that reminds you a few steps in.
So there I was, barefoot, dragging two suitcases up the stairs, heading into the capsule hostel.
Also following the instructions I got earlier via email, once I got to the reception desk – which is unstaffed in the evenings and at night – I found some lockboxes that hold access cards for the unoccupied capsules. I used a code, one of the boxes opened, I grabbed my card, then followed the instructions on the screen for how to use the capsule.
It shows you, step by step, how to open it, what each button inside does, how to unlock it, and other useful things. I watched the video twice, just to be sure I wouldn’t get stuck. Then I dragged my luggage and went to look for my “summer home”.
I got capsule number 55. There are 62 in total, for 88 people – since some are doubles. The “single” ones are 1 meter wide, but all are the same length – 2 meters.
They’re mixed. (In Japan, you rarely find mixed ones; most capsule hostels are either for men only or for women only.)
Wow! It looks more sci-fi than what I saw a few years ago in Tokyo. I have to say, I’m thrilled! Actually, I’m super curious to try something new.
The fear that I’d be the only weirdo with a huge suitcase vanishes instantly when I see almost every capsule has big suitcases like mine parked in front of them, large backpacks, and more.
Girls dressed in loungewear, sitting directly on the carpet, unpack and pack bags, which they then neatly place next to their capsules. I do the same.
There’s a nice vibe here, kind of like summer camp. Many cheerful, relaxed people walk around the hallways barefoot. Some use the spacious kitchen tables not just for snacking, but also to play board games. There’s even a terrace where you can eat outdoors, but with how freezing it is, not a soul is out there.
You have free coffee and tea, all you want. And don’t even get me started on the tap water – it’s excellent and served for free even in restaurants.
You can also cook, the kitchen is fully equipped. But that’s only allowed until 10 PM. As with any other “noise-producing” activity.
There’s even a sign about that. I didn’t see a piano, but there was a pool table, yes!
In the living area, you can comfortably sit and chat, play a game of pool, or dry your laundry.
You’ll also find a shelf where you can grab extra blankets or pillows, and a place to hang your wrinkled clothes on their hangers.
The place is still quite lively, even though it’s getting close to the time when we’re supposed to switch to “silent mode”.
I do a quick headcount and yes, most people are young. I spot an older lady and feel glad that she and I help balance out the average age a bit.
Some girls and guys pass by, lightly dressed with towels over their shoulders, clearly heading to the showers.
My turn comes too. I grab my towel, my flip-flops, and can’t help but smile at the situation: there are three people in line ahead of me for the showers. I picked rush hour…
There are 9 individual bathrooms, each equipped with a shower, a toilet, a sink, and a little stool where you can place your things. Everything is very clean and, out of common decency, you can’t leave behind any mess or water on the floor.
I knew in advance that I had to bring my own towel, something I haven’t done in years when traveling. Here, you need one. But if you don’t have one or forgot, you can rent one from them. It costs 1,000 Icelandic króna (about 7 euros).
But now, let’s get to my cell for the night. Uhm, I mean, my capsule 🙂 The capsule I paid 87 euros for (one of the cheapest accommodations in Iceland!).
Following the instructions on the reception monitor, I open the capsule with the key card, inspect it carefully, then step inside to learn how the buttons work.
I accidentally turn on the disco light, haha. Well, they’d call it the rest light. Then I find the white one, adjustable. And I start exploring every corner.
There’s a TV, a space where you can hang and store a few things, a small table, headphones, a fire extinguisher, an outlet, USB port, even a safe! All that in two meters by one meter.
I also discover an emergency button! I hope I don’t accidentally bump it during the night, who knows, maybe I’d wake up to the army bursting in.
The capsule display tells you not to bother looking – it’s outdated, from the days when capsules were still a novelty back in Asia…
The air system works and seems like they’ve set the temperature perfectly. I’m not touching it.
I test the “bed”. It feels very comfy! I understand the mattress is a fancy one.
While I’m at it, I notice above me the reading light and the “wake-up light”.
I get down using the little steps attached to the capsule and rummage through my suitcases. I only take with me a small bag with documents, my pajamas, some water, and my laptop. The rest I leave outside.
I close the capsule door. I realize I don’t have a problem, the space is actually bigger than I imagined, at least in terms of height. I figure this kind of accommodation could be terrifying for someone who’s claustrophobic, but you can sleep with the door open, just in case.
I try out the TV. I find out I have to download an app and enter my capsule number to access some programs, but I give up, I’m too tired. I let the soothing background animations play on the screen for a bit. They have a hypnotic effect, like I’m a little kid watching Bebe TV 🙂
And just like that, I pass out…
The next day, I pour all my curiosity into a chat with the owner, whom I find at the reception. She’s waiting for a group of 80 people!
And yes, she tells me that only they and the ones on the southern island have this kind of capsule accommodation. (The southern one only has singles.) There used to be another capsule hotel in Iceland, in Reykjavik, but they lost their building and shut down the business.
I praise the Japanese for this invention, when – surprise – the lady tells me these capsules are actually Chinese! What?!? That they invented them and later sold them to the Japanese, who made them famous. And that she and her husband got theirs from China. They started the business 6 years ago. (Which explains why I didn’t know about them 9 years ago when I first came to Iceland.)
Hmm, it makes me think, because I’d read that these capsules were a Japanese quirk that started in 1979, in Osaka. So… Japan. I’ll have to look into that…
Either way, it’s interesting now to compare it with the capsule hotel I entered out of curiosity in Tokyo, back in spring 2018 – and ended up… in the men’s section 🙂
CAPSULE HOTEL IN TOKYO
Since I had already read about these unique hotels, I went looking for one near the hotel I was staying at, just to see what it looked like, how people stayed there, because I didn’t quite have the courage to actually book a night…
I walked in politely and told the staff I wanted to learn more about their capsule hotel. The people were friendly and agreed, but there was one issue: it was a men-only hotel!
Still, they gave me a tour of all the areas where a crazy woman like me could enter without stumbling upon naked men… Dream on, girl, dream on 🙂
In a small town in Iceland, this type of accommodation is probably the best option for hikers. In gigantic Tokyo, it seems more like a pre-business-meeting sleep solution.
They show me the “pods”, which look different from the capsules in Iceland. But hey, this was back in 2018, maybe by now they’ve upgraded to ones that can land on the Moon.
Many are empty and I can peek at the conditions inside. Some have just been vacated, judging by the messy bed linens, while in others people are sleeping. Shhhh, let’s not wake those who have pulled down their “blinds” that act as doors.
Comparing the two types of capsules five years apart, I notice some similarities: the “room” is 2 meters long, 1 meter wide, and 1 meter high. There’s air conditioning, a TV, and Wi-Fi. But the Japanese ones stand out in a few ways:
It’s soooo quiet here. Not a sound! Every question I ask is whispered.
Luggage has its own designated area, nothing is left in the hallways, absolutely nothing.
Shoes are left at the entrance, but not all together — each pair goes in a locked compartment, like a mini safe!
Then you grab a pair of slippers. And that’s what you wear everywhere. You switch to a new/disinfected pair when you change zones.
The bathroom is shared, but it has absolutely everything you need.
You have free towels, which you take before entering the shower area – which I didn’t get access to, so I can’t tell you any thrilling stories from behind the curtain…
And you get free pajamas!
The conditions at the capsule hotel are surprisingly good, especially for the low price you pay per night (around €15 per night in spring 2018. I checked again in 2023, and it went up to 30-something euros per night, or over 50 euros on weekends).
There’s a sauna, massage services, and a spa.
There are vending machines with juices, alcoholic drinks, cigarettes, milk, and ice cream.
There’s also a café. But also a tea corner with free refills.
There’s also a laundry room on-site. And computers with free internet access, plus a printer you can use for free.
If you’ve brought valuables, you can store them in the safes provided by the hotel.
If you arrived empty-handed and have an important meeting the next day, the little shop downstairs has you covered. You can buy pretty much everything you need to look sharp when you leave this hotel. (Not sure what they sell in capsule hotels for women, here it’s all products for men.)
But let’s come back to the present…
“Hope to see you again!” I tell the Icelandic hostel owner sincerely, as I drag my suitcases toward the exit. I really would return, honestly. It was an unexpectedly comfortable experience.
Tonight, I’m staying at a fancier hotel, considered one of the most beautiful in Iceland. With a private bathroom, of course. Just perfect, because with the rainy and muddy day ahead, the last thing I want is to wait in line for the shower…
