Courtyard Keflavik Iceland: Honest Marriott Hotel Review

Chain hotels are few and far between in Iceland and the ones that are in Iceland are typically located in the Reykjavik region — you won’t find a Marriott once you head out on the Ring Road. I’m a Marriott loyalist, so I wanted to stay at one while we were in Iceland. This was the last hotel we stayed at during our nearly two week Iceland ring road trip. We stayed at the Courtyard Marriott Keflavik Iceland due to its proximity to the airport. I used points to pay for the room, as the cash price was quite expensive. Here is my review of my two-night stay at the Courtyard Keflavik Iceland.

Courtyard Marriott Keflavik, Iceland

The Courtyard Marriott hotel is located just outside of the small town of Keflavik, on the Reykjanes Peninsula. It’s only a 6 minute drive to the KEF airport, which makes this an excellent location to stay at the end of your Iceland trip in all seasons.

This hotel is located right off the main thoroughfare and there isn’t much around (but the hotel has a restaurant — I’ll get to that later). There was a hotdog stand in the parking lot, but it was just closing up shop when we arrived, so you might be able to catch this food truck in case you’re interested in trying the famous Icelandic hot dogs!

Courtyard Marriott Keflavik is about an hour away from Reykjavik.

The parking lot at the Courtyard Marriott Keflavik is huge and it’s free. You won’t have any issues finding a spot.

RELATED: The Reykjanes peninsula (where this hotel is located) has a lot to see. Check out the best spots to see on the Reykjanes Peninsula and my itinerary here!

Rooms – Courtyard Marriott Keflavik Iceland

We had a king bed room at the Courtyard Marriott Keflavik Iceland. Everything about the room was immaculate – very clean and modern.

The rooms at the Courtyard Keflavik have your typical American style bed. No separate duvets here.

One thing about hotels in Iceland is that most of them do not have air conditioning as it is usually not needed. During our two day stay, we encountered some warm, sunny weather — daytime temps were almost 80 degrees – definitely not the norm in Iceland summers but it can happen! So it got a bit warm in the room. We knew that warm rooms might be a thing in Iceland – we like even when it’s chilly outside — so we did bring along a portable USB-fan, which really helped. The windows open, but they only open up a tiny crack — so you can attempt to cool the room down that way too.

Also, another difference here vs. the other hotels we stayed at in Iceland is that the bed doesn’t have separate duvets.

Bathroom – Courtyard Marriott Iceland Keflavik

Daily housekeeping is being done here, which I always appreciate!

Coffee maker and storage space – Courtyard Marriott Keflavik Iceland

Amenities at the Courtyard Marriott Keflavik

The public areas of this hotel are very nice and welcoming – there are plenty of spots to relax, enjoy a meal, or chat with your travel companions.

Restaurant / breakfast area seating at the Courtyard Marriott Keflavik Iceland

Free wifi
Breakfast buffet (extra charge, free for Platinum status and above)
Restaurant and bar
Daily housekeeping
No airport shuttle service – despite it being only a 6 minute drive away, taxis will run you roughly $25 USD.
Fitness Center, which was pretty nice. I used it twice during my stay and felt I got a good workout. It has modern cardio equipment and some weights.

Cardio equipment at the fitness center at the Courtyard Keflavik

Another view of the fitness center at the Courtyard Keflavik

Breakfast / Restaurant at the Courtyard Marriott Keflavik

The breakfast buffet at the Courtyard Marriott Keflavik was my favorite breakfast of all the hotels we stayed at in Iceland. It’s excellent, with tons of choices — you have your typical European-style breakfast items (cold cuts, cheese, bread, various pastries) and your typical American offerings, like scrambled eggs, bacon and sausage. Plus fruits, skyrr yogurt, coffee, juice, milk, etc. Everything was nicely presented and fresh and being properly maintained throughout the breakfast hours.

Breakfast buffet had lots of choices – Courtyard by Marriott Keflavik Iceland

Breakfast is not included in a general rate – the hotel has rates that include breakfast, otherwise you can purchase it. If you have high enough status with Marriott, you and a guest will get free breakfast daily. I don’t know the cost of the breakfast as I do get it free with my status. It’s a great breakfast and I recommend getting this included in your rate. It’s worth it.

Excellent breakfast buffet – Courtyard by Marriott Keflavik Iceland

We ate dinner one night at the restaurant and it was really good! Prices aren’t cheap and you’re going to pay for convenience, but portions are decent-sized – you won’t walk away hungry.

Final Thoughts – Courtyard by Marriott Keflavik Iceland

Out of all the hotels we stayed at in Iceland, the Courtyard by Marriott Keflavik was the nicest and probably my favorite. Not that the others weren’t – we only struck out once with hotels in Iceland — they all were great. The Courtyard Keflavik Iceland just had the amenities that I enjoy while staying at a hotel — great breakfast spread, a nice gym, modern rooms and a good restaurant. I would absolutely stay here again – I highly recommend the Courtyard by Marriott Keflavik Iceland.