ION Adventure Hotel (Design) Iceland

We stayed in Iceland two nights at Ranga Hotel (Small Luxury Hotels / Hyatt) followed by two nights at ION Adventure Hotel (Design Hotel / Marriott) which allows for an easy comparison.  My overall takeaway of ION Adventure is that it’s a unique and interesting property and I can recommend it for guests who are not particularly price sensitive if going to Iceland for a once in a lifetime trip.  However be aware that you are not as likely to get good value for your money as some other hotels in Iceland, location might not be an ideal base to see as many sites as possible, and don’t expect much for Marriott elite benefits.

ION Adventure is located about 45 minutes from Reykjavik and 75 minutes from KEF airport.  There is nothing in the immediate area of the hotel other than a geothermal plant, not even a small village with a grocery store or a gas station. The most direct road to access the hotel from the airport or from Reykjavik is road #435 which is closed during the winter so you need to make a detour and it would make me a bit nervous reaching the hotel if there was a snow storm.  The access in August was fine either from #435 or from route #360 if coming from the north as both are paved roads.  However road #360 if coming to the hotel from the east is a gravel road for some stretch and it was very bumpy; it can be done but you cannot drive quickly and it was not a nice ride.  I guess the hotel’s location is good for a peaceful environment and it’s away from Reykjavik, however I would guess most travelers to Iceland are there for sightseeing and this is where location becomes somewhat of an issue for this hotel. I think being in Reykjavik is more convenient if you book day tours because a bus will pick you up from your hotel.  Hotel Ranga was better located than ION relative to many sites by being much farther south east and right off route 1, so I felt it was easier to see many sites within 2 days than it was from ION.  

Because of the location of ION next to the geothermal plant and the natural hot springs, there was a smell of sulphur in the air. It did not bother us, but one could easily make the argument that you can enjoy fresh Icelandic air in a lot of other places than at ION.

The major two positives of ION’s location are for people who want to visit Thingvellir National Park including snorkeling or diving in the Silfra fissure, and also for the numerous fantastic hiking trails in the mountains around the hotel.  

Upon arriving at the hotel you see right away that the hardware is excellent as the reception area is well designed and has seating areas for guests arriving or departing.

Because I booked somewhat last minute, for our two nights there was very limited availability.  For one night only the standard room was available and for the other night only the deluxe room was available.  By the time of check-in the hotel was fully booked both nights so I was prepared that we would have to change room during our stay.  I was positively surprised to find out that they upgraded us to the deluxe room for the night we were supposed to have the standard room and therefore we did not have to move during our stay.

The deluxe room is as big (or as small) as the standard room which is 20 square meters.  This is perhaps smaller than I would like to have in a hotel in this price range, but I found the space to be utilized far better than in Hotel Ranga. The bathroom at ION is smaller than at Ranga yet it feels larger because there is no oversized bathtub.  In the bedroom there also seemed to be more space to move around because the working desk was more compact.  In terms of hardware the room at ION is worlds apart from Ranga which is somewhat aging.  Everything at ION is in top notch condition – nice hardwood floors, floor to ceiling windows, and the bathroom is tastefully designed with a local touch thanks to the floor and the stand in the shower made of small black stones that you can find on the Black Sand Beach on the south shore of Iceland.  There is a frosted glass window in the shower which allows some natural light in the bathroom which is also good design.  Not that we needed heating in our room in August, but I would note that the room has a floor heating system which is a great feature for Iceland.  The walls are made of very thick concrete and combined with the remote location, we found the room very quiet, and we were able to have good sleep without disturbances. If I could mention one minor negative about the room besides being a bit small, it would be that the bathroom could use more counter space.  Also the view would have been better if we had a room on the other side of the hotel rather than have a view of the geothermal plant.

The main difference between deluxe rooms and standard rooms is where they are located in the building (they are the same size). The standard rooms are closer to reception in the part of the building which is on the ground so when we stepped out of the hotel from a side door and walked to the parking lot, we were right besides the window of bedrooms and we could see guests very well if they had not pulled their curtains; they had limited privacy.  Our room being above ground level in the part of the hotel standing on pillars, privacy was better because not many guests walked there plus the fact that we were higher than guests on the ground so not as clearly in sight.  If we had been on the upper floor our privacy would have been a notch better because even from our floor we could still be seen from the footpath besides the hotel.  In addition there was most likely more foot traffic on our side of the hotel (the geothermal side including the parking lot) than if we had been on the other side.

Bathroom amenities at ION are Soley Organics which is a local brand made from Icelandic herbs which I found to be appropriate for this hotel – this brand is used in a few upscale hotels in Iceland.  Products were in very large one liter bottles so unfortunately not suitable to bring samples back home.  We found it odd that the room did not have tissues – in Iceland of all places.  You would think runny noses could be an issue there more than elsewhere.  

Regarding dining I am fully aware that Design Hotels are not required to provide free breakfast to Marriott elites.  That said, in our 4 other stays in Design Hotels in the last few months we had free breakfast either because it was included in all cash rates or because the property decided to go above Marriott rules for elites; whatever reason it was, we had free breakfast in other Design Hotels. ION stands out by not providing free breakfast, although it’s within the rules.  In addition the breakfast buffet was nothing to write home about: limited fruits, scrambled eggs and bacon, cold cuts, cereals, etc.; at least they had smoked salmon.  This is a far cry from Hotel Ranga which gives free breakfast as an elite benefit of the SLH loyalty program plus the fact that all rate types seemed to include breakfast for all guests anyway.  Similar to ION, Ranga might not have the best breakfast based on international standards, but it’s free flow champagne at Ranga so ION not giving anything at all does not make Marriott Ambassador Elites feel all that great about benefits at this hotel.  In both Canopy hotel in Reykjavik (Hilton) and in Ranga, they charged extra for cappuccino, and ION was no different so it seems to be the standard in Iceland.  That said, given that the breakfast was free to begin with at Ranga and Canopy, the practice felt less nickel & diming than it did at ION where guests have already had to pay for the breakfast and need to pay a second time for cappuccino.  

The bar at ION looks fantastic and is the crown jewel of this property.  It covers two floors of the hotel with huge windows, in fact you can access the bar via a door at the end of the corridor on both the first and second floors of the hotel.  We received a couple of welcome drinks which was nice but you get them at reception not at the bar.  The welcome drinks are offered to all guests therefore not an elite perk; Ranga and Canopy also offered welcome drinks so it was not a differentiating factor.

The heated pool at ION is a nice place to hang out and I think most guests would prefer this pool than the small outdoor Jacuzzis at Ranga, however I would note that if you can secure a Jacuzzi at Ranga, as a couple you have a bit more privacy because nobody else will be around you, unlike at ION where except in the morning, there were usually a decent number of guests in the pool at the same time and it’s not that big so you share the space.

The fitness gym is very small in a cramped window-less room with only two ellipticals and some free weights; there was not even a bench to use the weights.  That said, I would not complain because it’s better than Ranga which does not even have gym.

Service was not particularly impressive at ION.  First off we received no information at all upon check-in regarding activities nearby.  When asking for information about hiking trails in the National Park, they just said they don’t have a map and we should just go to the information office in the park.  In late August it’s a bit too early for northern lights, but in Ranga you could sign up for a wake-up call in the odd chance that you could view Northern Lights which had been the case one week before we checked in.  When I asked the same at ION they said it’s too early in the season so they don’t do wake up calls and that I have to look outside myself regularly during the night (!).  At the bar when I asked if room service is possible (there was no menu in the room), the server said he had no idea and that I should ask at the restaurant myself.  Iceland does not have the best reputation for service, but even for local standards of the four hotels we have visited in Iceland, ION ranks last unfortunately in terms of service.  

Wifi was ok with speeds of 10-20 Mbps.

Overall I have mixed views about ION Adventure. The hardware is fantastic and I was thankful for the upgrade when the hotel was full, but the location was not optimal for us, and this hotel generally has a higher price tag than others, which is further exacerbated by having to pay for a mediocre breakfast despite Marriott Ambassador Elite status.