Best Pet-Friendly Stays in Reykjahlid
Travelling the Ring Road with a dog narrows the choice of stays fast, and Reykjahlid on Lake Myvatn's shore has exactly two properties confirmed as genuinely pet-friendly: a lakefront studio and a full-service lakeside hotel. Route 1 runs directly through the village, roughly 95 km from Akureyri, so a pet-friendly base here works well for travellers timing a stop between the geothermal Nature Baths and the wider northeast waterfall country. This guide compares the two honestly on space, self-catering and exactly what each actually offers a travelling pet on a longer road trip.
Pet-friendly · Reykjahlíð in numbers
Two real options, opposite styles of stay
Myvo The Studio apartment at Geiteyjarstrond, the village's one lakefront property, allows pets alongside its beachfront garden and sun terrace, giving a dog direct access to grass and lake-adjacent walking paths rather than a hotel corridor. The self-catering kitchen is a genuine advantage for pet owners too, since it avoids the awkwardness of leaving a dog alone in a hotel room while searching for a restaurant that allows outdoor seating for guests travelling with pets. Free bicycle parking on site also means a dog can join an owner cycling the flatter lakeside paths rather than being left behind for the afternoon.
Fosshotel Mývatn, the other pet-friendly option, sits directly next to the lake with a 24-hour front desk, useful for pet owners arriving late after a long Ring Road day who want staff on hand if a pet needs anything. The trade-off is less private outdoor space than the lakefront studio offers, since this is a full hotel building rather than a standalone apartment with its own garden and terrace directly outside. Every room still comes with a private bathroom, and the restaurant's lake view makes for a decent wind-down after a long day of driving with an animal in the back seat.
Both properties sit within reasonable range of the geothermal Nature Baths, 9 km from the lakefront studio and 6.8 km from Fosshotel Mývatn, though neither pool complex itself typically allows pets, so plan for someone to stay back with the animal during a soak. Bike hire at Fosshotel offers one way to explore the shoreline with a dog on a lead without relying on the car for every short trip around the lake, and the flat terrain around Reykjahlid makes for an easier ride than the hillier stretches further along the Ring Road.
Choosing between the two comes down to independence versus service: the lakefront studio suits an owner who wants their own space and kitchen for a pet-focused stay, while Fosshotel Mývatn suits a traveller who wants a restaurant, bar and staffed desk on hand along with the option to bring a pet rather than a stay built specifically around one. Either way, confirming any pet fee or breed restriction directly with the property before arrival avoids a surprise at check-in after a long day already spent on the road with an animal in the back seat.
Reykjahlid's flat, quiet streets and lakeside paths make it an easier stop for a dog than some of the steeper, busier Ring Road towns further south. The village's limited traffic and open lava-field walking routes right from several properties mean a pet-friendly stay here doubles as a genuine walking base rather than a strict compromise made for the animal's sake.