Stays in Búðardalur

The beachfront setting and private hot tub live up to what the listing promises, and having the whole holiday home to ourselves changed the pace of the stay compared to a shared guesthouse setup. The kitchen is properly equipped, not a token microwave and kettle, which mattered for cooking a real dinner after a long day. Bringing a dog was straightforward given the pet-friendly policy, and the beach right outside meant evening walks without getting back in the car.

Staying on a working farm this close to Eiríksstaðir turns a short historical visit into something closer to two days immersed in Dalir district, sheep and horses visible from the kitchen window each morning. The private kitchen earns its keep given how far the property sits from a restaurant, forty minutes off Route 1 and seventeen kilometres from Búðardalur itself. Confirm your house's bathroom setup ahead of time, since it varies, but the lake and mountain views make up for any extra planning.

The beachfront setting is real, not a marketing description, the garden and sun terrace open straight onto Hvammsfjörður with nothing in between. The hot tub gets used more than expected even outside summer, and having a kitchenette in the family room removes the pressure of finding dinner each evening. With this many reviews behind it, over twelve hundred, the property has clearly been tested at real volume rather than being a newly listed unknown.

The capsule format sounds tighter than it feels once you are inside, and having a private bathroom attached rather than down a shared hallway makes a real difference for a budget stay. The twenty-four hour desk earns its keep for anyone rolling in after dark off Route 60, and the shared kitchen is properly equipped rather than a token microwave corner. This is a place built for one or two people passing through, not a family group settling in.

What stands out here is the restaurant, a proper kitchen serving local and international food rather than a token breakfast spread, which matters in a village with few other dinner options. The tour desk is genuinely useful for planning hikes around Dalir district without guessing at trail conditions. Rooms are comfortable rather than luxurious, and the concierge service is a nice touch for a property this size and this far from a major town.

Dalakot works for families on a road trip toward the Westfjords who need one easy night. The restaurant downstairs solves dinner with food children rarely refuse, the breakfast buffet covers the morning, and parking is free at the door. For a day with children, Eiríksstaðir, about 20 km away, brings the Viking age to life with costumed guides inside a turf longhouse, and the Sælingsdalslaug pool at Laugar is about 20 km north. The drawbacks: some rooms share bathrooms, rooms are simple, and Búðardalur has little to do in the evening. I would treat it as a stopover, not a base for a week.

This is a straightforward, well-kept stopover rather than a destination in itself, and that is exactly its appeal for anyone breaking up a longer drive. Every room's private bathroom is a genuine step up from a shared hostel setup at a similar rate, and the multilingual front desk removes a layer of friction that smaller guest houses in rural Iceland often leave unresolved. Do not expect a restaurant or lounge, this is a place to sleep well, not linger.

The restaurant is the reason to choose Gil over the other budget and family options in Búðardalur, a proper vegetarian and vegan dinner menu alongside pizza and barbecue that most guesthouses this size do not attempt. Rooms are comfortable, with parquet floors and genuine soundproofing that matters if travelling with children on an early bedtime. The meeting rooms feel like a mismatch for a farming village at first, until you realise how many travellers pass through combining work and driving.

The appeal here is having a whole outdoor setup to yourselves, the terrace, garden and picnic area are not shared with anyone else staying nearby. Cooking is limited to a microwave, kettle and toaster, so this suits a stay built around barbecue evenings and simple meals rather than an ambitious home-cooked dinner. Bringing a dog is a real option here, one of very few in the village, and the private entrance means arriving and settling in without much fuss.