It' s the Icelandic word for "biscuit" and a social hostel in Reykjavik. What's not to love? Housed in an old biscuit factory in the heart of Reykjavik, KEX is just steps from all the bars, clubs, and music venues that give this city its legendary reputation. It's also a painless distance from late night munchies and a mind-boggling array of coffee houses, shops, and tourist attractions. Of course, you might not even want to venture outside of the hostel with all its features: a cafe and bar, lounge area, heated outdoor patio, tourist information desk, laundry room, and free Wi-Fi. Two guest kitchenettes and private laundry facilities are also available. And with a variety of rooms for up to 214 guests, you'll have no problem meeting interesting, new travel buddies from exotic places. KEX oozes with personality and soul-just like our guests. Every piece of decor has a story to tell. Using salvaged materials and found objects from various sources, KEX is an organic concept blending Iceland' s past with a modern, international twist. The raw industrial spaces and vintage furnishings combine to give it a homey, eclectic feel. With the affordable nightly rates, you'll still have enough cash left over to enjoy a few pints of Viking beer or sample some local delicacies like hakarl and Brennivin. In addition to our dormitory rooms we offer three different double rooms: 1. Double Plus - 1 double bed, 1 private bathroom, linens and towels, and 1 fantastic seaside view. 2. Double Standard - 1 double bed (of the most clever convertible design in case you get tired of being so close to your travel partner), shared bathrooms, linens and towels, and if you are lucky the same fantastic view. 3. Twin - 2 single beds, linens and towels, and a better than average chance of making your friends back home quite jealous indeed. LOCATION: KEX is located in the center of Reykjavik, with a view across the sea to Mt. Esja across the bay. The old factory that houses KEX is also home to The Living Art Museum and studios of various artists, dancers, and fashion designers. KEX is within an easy walking distance to the city's interesting nightlife, restaurants, shopping streets, cultural attractions, and other points of interest in the city center. To reach those places a little further afield, the hostel is well connected to the city's public bus system.
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Giata.
HOTEL STYLE
Quirky Hotels
Ocean View
Languages Spoken
English, Icelandic
Location
Skulagata 28, Reykjavik 101 Iceland
Kex Hostel
1,049 reviews
Getting there
Great for walkers
Places to stay are graded on a 0-100 scale. The higher the grade, the easier it is for travellers to find restaurants and things to do within walking distance.
Good points ・The price is higher in Reykjavík, so I thought it was cheaper! · Located close to the low-priced Super BONUS, you can also walk to Hattlegrims Church, Harpa, etc. · The facilities themselves are clean and there is no problem with cleaning. The number of toilets and shower rooms is impeccable, and there is a shower room that is not in every shower room but there is a hairdryer. The temperature of the shower and the amount of hot water are not a problem. Due to its distance from the room, it can be used 24 hours a day. ・The kitchen is also located on both the 3rd and 4th floors and is clean and can be used 24 hours a day. · wifi can be used without any problems.
Points of interest (minus points) ・It was quite difficult to carry a heavy suitcase to the third floor for Forty-nine, which had no elevator. ・It can't be helped because it's a dormitory, but there were snoring and coughing by people in the same room every night. In some cases, I was a little concerned about the smell of my feet. You can only avoid this by wearing a mask or earplugs after laughing.
Other · Amenities include bed linens only No toothbrush ・Towels are available for rental · Laundromat available (credit card payment) but washing and drying are about 990 ISK each, high · Soap only in shower room (no shampoo conditioner) · There are narrow vertical lockers in the room. However, you must provide your own padlock · Suitcases are basically placed directly in the room. I'm not going in my locker.
I think it is the best hotel to keep costs down because I don't have trouble sleeping in it.
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Date of stay: December 2024Trip type: Travelled solo
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
The location of the hostel is amazing! The sun voyager is only few minutes by foot away, from which you can observe and photograph northern lights in winter. Supermarkets and other sights are also in walking distance. Across the street is a fast food chain. From the upper dorm rooms you have a great view of the ocean. I slept in a 6-bed dormitory room. The beds in this room were numbered, so everyone got told at Check-In which bed can be used. The lower beds had curtains and the upper beds also had some kind of plastic privacy protection. I found this very nice and it is something not every hostel provides. Also, there was a power outlet in reach and a board where personal belongings could be stored. There were lockers that can be locked with a padlock. I am not sure if they would fit a small suitcases, but besides that there are big enough to story everything and also to hang towels or jackets inside. Therefore they were quite handy. Suitcases could be stored under the beds. There was also a table with a chair in the room. The window that could be opened, was quite small. On the floor you can find besides several dorm rooms, a common area, the kitchen, single bathrooms with showers and shared restrooms. Hairdryers were provided in one restroom, which was helpful. More storage options would have been great in all of the bathrooms. The structure of the rooms was organized. The kitchen was equipped with a dishwasher, two large refrigerators a microwave, a kettle and the usual stuff like cutlery. Helpful is, that the reception is open 24/7. The floors can only be accessed with the key card.
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Date of stay: February 2024
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Travelled solo
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
The price/performance ratio is OK. Although it is a 42-person room, it is very quiet overall. Everyone is of high quality. However, if you get up early, you will inevitably be woken up by the alarm clock because everyone gets up at different times. Free earplugs are provided, which is great. Overall, it is very good. There is a refrigerator in the kitchen where you can put your own things, and there are also free food shelves for travelers haha~
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Date of stay: March 2024Trip type: Travelled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
This place is a great hostel, everything is clean and the whole place feels so secure. Well equipped kitchen and lovely staff. The bar downstairs throws some good parties and has a great vibe as well as selling cheap food and beer. I'd recommend anyone travelling on a budget or solo travelers wanting to make friends to stay here
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Date of stay: May 2023Trip type: Travelled solo
Room Tip:There is local parking but not free parking, however the HOPP station is opposite where you can...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Staff were welcoming and the premises felt secure. There is no way to lock the door from the inside (for individual rooms) which is disappointing. The WiFi is quite bad.
It is not accessible for people with disabilities at all which is worth bearing in mind.
I had a room rather than in a dorm which was very clean and spacious.
The shared facilities were good. Bathrooms could be cleaner but when they were cleaned daily they were cleaned to a high standard.
They could do with some air fresheners in the bathrooms and shared areas. Many of the soap dispensers did not work.
The kitchen was spacious and well equipped.
There is also a washing machine and dryer that I used.
The hostel is VERY DARK, even during the day! More lights might be a welcome addition.
It is quite loud - the doors make a lot of noise but it is not too irritating and I did stay for 10 nights. Beware the hostel turns into a bar/club on weekend evenings but I quite liked it. It is quite nice to stay somewhere you know is well liked by the locals and travellers alike.
Overall, it's a good hostel and I would probably come back here!
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Date of stay: April 2022Trip type: Travelled solo
Room Tip:4th floor is quieter. The doors are loud wherever you are.
Bring a padlock/s for the lockers - a...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I really enjoyed my 2 night stay at Kex. There are 2 communal kitchens and plenty of space to store your food. I have read that it is noisy on the lower floors because of the bar but I was on the 4th floor and it was great. The blinds block the sun pretty good which is nice when it never gets dark out.
The location was fantastic, right next to the water and within walking distance of lots of attractions and shopping in Reykjavik. The bathrooms were also super nice for a hostel - there are normal bathrooms with stalls, plus individual bathrooms with shower+toilet+sink in one.
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Date of stay: June 2022
Rooms
Service
Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I think that even in hip Reykjavik it is no longer enough to just be laid back and Berlin cool. There is still the same pile of rubble in front of the entrance as in 2019. At 8:30 a.m. the women's shower is dirty and the toilet is filthy. At reception I have to wait several minutes so that the receptionist can finish smoking and chatting on the terrace. Be careful, the bartender did not give back enough money when paying in cash! The women who take care of breakfast have a sad face, no smile, no greeting. For me, the cool decor and the tattooed arms of the employees are not enough. A little customer friendliness and clean toilets are the least I can do.
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Date of stay: August 2023Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Spend some nights in a female bed dorm (6). It’s a little narrow, but manageable. I really liked that there were multiple extra bathrooms with a toilet & shower to get some more private space. Kitchen & bathroom could be a bit cleaner, besides that it’s a very nice hostel!
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Date of stay: November 2022
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Travelled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
This is a difficult place to rate because it varies widely. I booked the 42 person dorm and quickly found out it was not an ideal situation for me, almost purely due to bathrooms. I ended up switching hotels to better enjoy my vacation. However, it probably would’ve been much more feasible had I booked a dorm with less people or a private room. I recognize this is more my bad so it’s whatever, but I personally would not recommend the larger dorms. There were only a few bathrooms to share and the showers that I saw was just a room full of shower heads, so no privacy. I likely would’ve been able to deal with the sleeping arrangement, but I found this to be lacking too much. This could be different for other rooms, but this was my experience. (I also physically did not reside in the hostel for long)
Everything else about this place was fantastic! I did wind up spending a lot of time here, but just not for overnights. Socially, it’s the perfect hangout spot and great for making new friends! I felt safe the entire time I was there and everyone I spoke with was very friendly. There’s a lovely bar and several common areas about and concerts are even held downstairs. The location is also super optimal and is close to most things in the downtown area. Most tour companies also pick up from here.
Again, my review is based more on my booking of the 42 person dorm. Otherwise, my review would be much higher. I recommend a smaller room with less people.
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Date of stay: January 2023Trip type: Travelled solo
Room Tip:Book a smaller room with less people
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We stayed in this hostel for 2 different nights. Both rooms located on the 3rd floor and there are a lot of stairs . not very convenience for people who travels with whole family and have a lot of luggages.
There are washroom and showers, we did not find issue when need to use them, there is usually no wait time. ' There is also a dinning area located on the 3rd floor with Microwave and Fridge. Tables and areas are very clean.
The only issue is the room. I find the room is very smelly and there is a leak on in the room. Water is dripping from the ceiling and the floors looks water damage for a long time and the leak issue did not get repaired.
The surrounding can be very loud until 12am
Check in and Check out are very easy . hosts are friendly and easy going.
It is an average place for a short stay in town.
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Date of stay: July 2023
Value
Cleanliness
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I think whenever you are staying at a hostel you should bring your own lock just in case. They're small enough that they don't take up much space. I've used mine at nearly every hostel ive ever stayed at
Worthing, United Kingdom246 contributions10 helpful votes
"There is local parking but not free parking, however the HOPP station is opposite where you can hire a car or electric scooter for short journeys, most things walkable "
There are more places to choose from in the Reykjavik area.
PRICE RANGE
C$128 - C$202 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
ALSO KNOWN AS
kex hotel
LOCATION
IcelandCapital RegionReykjavikMiðborg
NUMBER OF ROOMS
42
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Are there any historical sites close to Kex Hostel?
Many travellers enjoy visiting The Einar Jonsson Sculpture Museum (Listasafn Einars Jonssonar) (0.6 km), Videy Island (3.8 km), and Cemetery Holavallagardur (1.8 km).