Hotel Leirubakki

Nice property in the middle of nowhere.

Friendly staff, clean rooms, great breakfast

I chose the Hotel Leirubakki because it offered reasonably priced rooms, it is in a lovely out of the way location, and because they have horseback riding on site. The friendly staff at the Hotel Leirubakki did not disappoint! We had reserved 3 rooms for our family of 5 and all 3 rooms were cute, clean, spacious, and comfortable. We were very happy with our rooms. The property was peaceful as we walked around visiting the horses and checking out the Viking hot pool. Breakfast was in a pleasant dining area and was a very nice, but typical, European continental breakfast. For us, the highlight of our stay was our chance to ride the famous Icelandic horses. The Hotel Leirubakki is on a horse farm. At the farm, they do not give you a crowded horse ride with overworked horses, instead they share a riding experience with their guests and limit tours to one a day and just a few days a week. The horses are always treated wonderfully. We had a private tour with just our family of 5. And we had 3 very nice young woman who helped us out and took care of us the entire time. None of us had riding experience and one person in our group was initially going to pass because she was afraid of riding. But our 3 guides were so patient and helpful, so she decided to give it a try (and LOVED the experience). Another person in our group had injured her ankle so getting on and off her horse was a real challenge. But again, our guides went above and beyond to help her out and make sure she was able to ride. After making sure we were all settled on our horses, the guides gave us all instructions and let us walk our horses around the barn until we were all comfortable with what we needed to do. Then off we went through the Hotel Leirubakki's farm land. After a lovely ride, we returned to the barn then visited with our 3 guides and the horses for another 30 minutes or so. They were so accommodating and took their time answering all of our questions and letting us treat and pet the horses. We never felt rushed to leave and would probably have stayed longer if our time permitted. While our ride was the highlight of our stay, all in all we loved the Hotel Leirubakki and all the folks we met there. I would highly recommend visiting the Hotel Leirubakki especially if your bucket list includes riding the famous Islandic Horses. The horses at Leirubakki are world famous champions that can trace their origins to the famous Kolkuós bloodline.