Zurich

And this on-arrival-duty free has been there already 35 years ago. Since prices for alcohol were very high those days (and I think they still are), this was a mere blessing.
I am overdue to visit Reykjavik after so many years again and would definitely stay at the Hilton just for Diamond benefits.

pauleeepaul

And this was evident in my experience clearing customs on arrival. I had a 15 GBP bottle of wine and a half full bottle of Baileys in my checked luggage and was detained for 30 minutes pending a duty assessment .

channonc

Thanks all for the tips. We may just take the bus and then cab from there.

passy777

The City Bus is fine - I used it both ways with a brief stop at the Blue lagoon on the return.

To get to the Hilton, the bus did drop off other passengers at their city hub for transfers to other hotels and then I just remained on the bus for the short transfer to the Hilton.

I don't understand why you think that the bust drops off passengers away from the hotel.

As for the hotel itself, it was fine, but no recognition of status so obviously no upgrade of additional benefits which was a little disappointing.

Walking into the city from the hotel isn't a problem and I never used the bus passes.

Like most things in Iceland, I found the hotel rates pricey, but there were some reasonable offers in the Hilton sales that I unfortunately missed.

If the price was right, I would likely stay there again.

Firewind

So, does the Hilton provide bus passes to all guests all the time, or only under limited circumstances? Thank you.

ExpatSomchai

All Guests if available, all the time. It's advertised in the lifts. One pass caters for 4 people. This is for around town.

I just returned after a fantastic stay. Must say I do love the lounge there. Nice spread of food and drinks with good Red, White and Prosseco.

ExpatSomchai

Take the FlyBus. If flying Iceland Air you can buy your ticket onboard. From Airport it will take you to the terminal and then onward connection, usually on the same bus, to the Hilton. For your return just advise reception and they will make the booking for you.

Firewind

[Nevvver mind ... answer subsumed in ExpatSomchai's post directly above.]

MissJ

So if we have a rental car while visiting and will be there in winter, would there be any advantage to staying at the new Canopy property over this one? It sounds like it's pretty close to the city center and we can just drive in if it's really cold. The Canopy looks beautiful, but is there a huge benefit other than that to justify the cost difference?

channonc

Thanks Passy and Expat. Sounds like I just need to stay on the bus. So we will plan on that. As for our stay, husband is Diamond and we are staying on points. We wanted to burn some, and since the Canopy hotel isn't open yet this was our only Hilton option.

mzredhead

What is the cost of a taxi from the airport to the Hilton and are there any companies that you can recommend? I am not interested in taking the bus.

Do they honor diamond benefits and upgrades ?

BostonFlyer1624

Take the bus. It is a nice coach bus. Taxi will cost $125-150. Bus will be around $20 per person.

channonc

One last question, I noticed when I did a websearch that it looked like there are two bus companies that run this route. It appears that the Flybus + is the the one that drops at the hotel, is that correct?

ExpatSomchai

Yes correct

channonc

Thanks!