37 Reviews of Property 443052 in Northwest Iceland, Iceland

There is nothing that could have made our week's stay any better, it was everything we wanted and more.
We regarded Gestur as a friend as he was so helpful and kind.
The cottage has 360' of magnificent views of the sea and snowy mountains. The coast is absolutely stunning and a photographer's dream, no matter what the weather.
The cottage is beautifully designed and furnished with little luxuries. It was warm, very comfortable and better than the listing. Gestur recommended we stopped to shop at Borganes on the way to the cottage as the area is remote. We were there in February, so there were no organised activities open - but who needs them with the wonderful coastline to explore. We were also treated to 2 nights of the Aurora, seen from the window of the cottage and the back lawn!
A car is an absolute necessity, the roads were good, even in February.
The cottage is very well laid out, the staircase is very steep but there is a stair gate fitted at the top along with a huge television, up to date DVDs, playstation,games, ipad, great selection of toys and mobile phones work too.
They say that the volcano energizes you, well it may be the air quality or the ozone, all we know is we had a relaxing stay which exceeded all our expectations
We would most definitely recommend Iceland, Hellar, Gestur and this cottage

My partner and I booked a stay in the Jules Verne Cottage with the intention of a pre-Christmas wind-down and chill-out in a remote secluded setting. We certainly found and enjoyed this at the Jules Verne cottage. The cottage is incredibly well presented and very welcoming on arrival. (As others say, its a really good idea to do grocery shopping at Borgarnes on the way from Reykjavik). Cosy, but light open and spacious. We happily spent a few days lounging in the cottage without getting under each others feet. Gestur's service and care for both the cottage and our stay was very evident and kind without being overbearing - you feel that help is just a phone call or email away if needed.
We took Gestur's offer of a Car Hire package with the cottage which worked very well. The car was at the airport on our arrival (saving the Taxi fee to Reykjavik) and gave us perfect flexibility. You will need a car because the cottage and West Iceland is fairly remote, and it meant we could also explore a few nearby attractions. The Water Column Art installation at Stykkisholmur is definitely worth seeing. Ask at the Library - they were kind enough to open it just for us! Also the Hraunfosser+Barafoss waterfalls are within a day-trip, as is the Eldborg Crater (between the cottage and Borgarnes). With a 3km walk across the lavafield you can actually climb right up the crater and look down in. Of course there is also the Snaefellsjokull glacier right out the back door.
Definitely a 5-star holiday for us, and we will definitely recommend to friends.
Thanks Gestur, a pleasure to meet you and stay at the cottage.

The Jules Verne Cottage is truly one of those places that make you feel like you never want to leave! The views from the cottage are breathtaking and the cottage itself is tastefully decorated. It has all the comforts of home. You get the feeling when you are there that the owners have thought of everything you might need during your stay. The cottage is located in a great area for exploring the Snaefellsnes Peninsula.

It was a pleasure working with Gestur. He promplty answered any questions that I had via email. I have so many great memories of Iceland and the Jules Verne cottage will be one of those great Icelandic memories. Thank you Gestur for sharing your cottage with us!

We stayed at Gesturs cottage with our family of 3 small children. It was an easy picturesque drive from Reykjavik; I would advise getting your supplies at Reykjavik as you will not want to wander far once you see the cottage and location. It is breathtaking! The cottage itself is cosy, well maintained and very comfortable. It is light, warm and stylish; the child gate at the top of the stairs was much appreciated. The cottage provides amusement for both adults and children, making for a very pleasant stay for us all. There is plenty of safe green space for children to run free, while the adults sit back with a glass of wine and enjoy the amazing views of the water or the glacier. It is close to lots of amazing sights, Snæfellsnel, the singing caves, Arnarstapi bird cliffs, yet take a day to just hang around Hellnar. The café does a great fish chowder and hot chocolate, and it’s a leisurely walk through abundant wildflowers and bird life to a rocky beach. Gestur was very accommodating, answering countless e-mails from Australia during the planning stage, helping us with where to go and what to do. While we were there he was only ever a phone call away. Also if you are looking for car rental Gestur’s rates are the most competitive in Iceland. We hired a 4WD for 3 weeks and were very happy. We had a wonderful time, and can’t wait to return to the cottage, perhaps in winter next time. Thank you Gestur and Berglind.

We spent a wonderful 5 days at the Jules Verne cottage. We loved the decor. It was bright and clean. We had everything we needed and felt at home. We enjoyed the espresso machine each morning and the movie selection each evening. We hiked a number of trails in the national park. The views from Hellnar to Arnarstapi were beautiful. We saw orca whales swimming as we hiked along the cliffs near Dritvik. We hiked to waterfalls, up volcanic craters and into a water cave.

We loved the Fjoruhusid for a coffee, cake or fish soup. We also had a great boat trip from Stykkisholmur, from which we saw lots of puffins and many other types of birds including a golden eagle. They dredged the floor of the bay. We watched crabs, starfish and clams and then ate raw scallops with white wine. (Seatours.is)

Gestur was extremely helpful when we were planning our two weeks in Iceland. He suggested places to visit after we left the Jules Verne cottage.

Our stay at the cottage was the beginning of two fabulous weeks in Iceland. We hope to visit again.

One tip: If you use the downstairs couch as a bed, be sure to use the futon cushions (navy blue) from upstairs to make the couch more comfortable as a bed.

We stayed at Gestur & Berglind's cottage for four days in April after four days in Reykjavik. The drive to the cottage was breathtaking.(Take route 47 around Hvalfjordur if you are coming from Reykjavik and take the tunnel back.)The cottage was just as it was described online. The bedroom is spacious! The TV area with the PS3 kept our 9 yr old entertained during our stay (he looked forward to it after a long day of sightseeing). The kitchen, the dining area and the living room area came in handy during our second day when there was an unexpected snow storm.

A few tips:

- You will pay by bank transfer for the cottage and if you are from the US, your bank will usually charge you a fee for doing this.

- Start doing your laundry early on the day of checkout. The wash cycle takes about 1.5 hrs and drying takes about as long. I texted Gestur to see if it was OK to leave before the clothes in the dryer were done as we were running late to get to Keflavik for our flight home. (he said it was fine, but by the time I got his return text the clothes were dry).

- The ipad/ipod and books are great . Be forewarned the red sound system comes on by itself if you plug it in and set the time on the unit. Around midnight I was awakened when the radio came on at midnight.

- If you need anything essential for the fridge that you forgot to pick up, the town of Hellissandur and Rif is only 30 minutes away.

- As our stay was in the off season, the cafe by the national park info center and Fjöruhusid Café were closed.

- If you are using GPS to reach the cottage, type in "Hotel Hellnar" as the destination.

- We attempted to drive to Látrabjarg one day and it was a longer than expected and we gave up by the time we reached Gufudalur. Take the ferry to shorten your drive!

- The highlight of our stay (besides the perfect cottage and excellent customer service from Gestur) were the two Icelandic horses that came to visit us at the cottage every day during our stay. They will come up to you and follow you around! My only regret was that our stay was during the off season and there was not another soul in sight for miles!

We hope to return one day!

We have just returned to the UK after a wonderful week at the Jules Verne cottage. The cottage was even more beautiful and stylish than the photos suggest. It was very clean and well-maintained. Recently the upstairs master bedroom has been properly enclosed with a wall and a door, and the downstairs sofa area where our 8 and 10-year old boys slept very well on a very comfy sofa bed has had a sliding door added, so this can also be closed off and made dark and cosy.
The heating (underfloor and radiators) is excellent and keeps the whole place warm even at the extremes of temperature and weather we experienced during our stay!
The steep stairs take a little getting used to but were not a problem. There is a baby safety gate at the top.
The shower room is also well heated and contains a large washing machine and tumble drier.
We were over the moon to see the Northern Lights, a lifetime ambition for my husband and I. They really are breathtaking. Other highlights were the amazing road over the mountain to Olafsvik and the road from Olafsvik to Stykkisholmur (where there is an excellent hot dog stand selling the best hot dogs we have ever tasted!) Also we loved the hot chocolate and cake at the lovely Hellnar beach cafe.
We recommend you stock up on groceries and petrol in Reykjavik or Borganes on your way to the cottage because after that shopping and refuelling opportunities are limited. There are small supermarkets in Rif, Olafsvik and Stykkisholmur which are fine for the basics but there is not a lot of choice. The bakery in Olafsvik is excellent. There is also a bank and petrol station.
The weather prevented us from doing as much walking as we would have liked but it encouraged us to relax at the cottage and enjoy the PS3 and snuggle up and watch movies, of which there is a wide selection. And the weather changes so quickly in Iceland we never had to stay inside for long.
Gestur and Berglind were very helpful and gave excellent customer service. No query was too much trouble. We were lucky enough to meet the lovely Gestur twice during our stay!
We wholeheartedly recommend this cottage for couples or families of any age. We already miss the stunning sea and mountain views and wonderful clean fresh air! We took hundreds of photos and will get much pleasure from reliving our Iceland adventure!
We can also recommend the Blue Lagoon which we visited on our way back to the airport, and Reyjavik itself for shopping, eating and more excellent hot dogs!

This is one of the coolest places I have ever stayed. The Jules Verne cottage is beautiful, the interioris is fantastic. What else needs to be said? I highly recommend this adventure location. Spectacular views and on top of all of this it's an excellent value for your money.