The Hotel - Egilsstadir
Hotel Edda Egilsstadir
Located in Egilsstadir - a small village on the banks of the river Lagarfljot. The population is around 2300. It was established in 1947 as a service centre for the farms in the district. The location was chosen because of the road connections with the eastern fjords and other highways in the area. The village is now the largest in the east and a main administrative and transportation centre. The airport at Egilsstadir is an alternate for Keflavik International Airport and can handle large jets. There are three daily flights from Egilsstadir to Reykjavik. Charters from Europe arrive here during the summer.
The weather is more continental as the district is far from the ocean and th cold ocean breezes do not cool the air. The wooded areas, waterfalls, and the river make the district an attraction for tourists. When driving from Eidar or Egilsstadir, cross Lagarfljot at Fellabaer and take road # 933 on the west side of the river going south. The distance to Skriduklaustur is about 35km (22miles) from Egilsstadir. Vegardur and Valthjofsstadur are close by. Returning, drive across the river again to the east side, and drive on road # 933 to Atlavik and Hallormsstadur and then onwards on # 931 to Egilsstadir and Eidar again. There is a picnic area just past Hallormsstadur between Hafursa and Freysholar.
Old School Hospitality
Dorms become quality hotels - a brief history of Hotel Edda
Hotel Edda, open since 1961. Ours is quite a unique story, rooted in the nation’s inherent characteristics that still to this day define our standard of service. If the somewhat harsh nature has taught us anything through the centuries, it is practicality and hospitality towards strangers. Therefore, it was perhaps inevitable that the boarding schools in the countryside, vacant during summer breaks, would assume a new role as the increasing intercontinental air travel in the 1950’s made Iceland a more viable destination for tourists.
At that time there was virtually no infrastructure available to travellers from abroad, outside the capital and a handful of the largest towns. One either had to camp in soggy tents or rely on the generosity of farmers or villagers. So how were we to accommodate the growing number of foreign visitors, waiting to see our waterfalls, glaciers and barren highlands? The answer was obvious: New and modern boarding schools were strategically positioned around the country, with all the facilities and readily available, since summer breaks were exceptionally long to allow students to return home to work on the family farms during the busiest months of May to September.
And so Hotel Edda came to be in the spring of 1961 at the boarding schools at Laugarvatn and Akureyri, soon to be followed by more than a dozen locations in other parts of the country. Over the next decade, the makeshift summer hotels proved to beneficial to both travellers and locals alike, offering the former a good place to stay while enjoying the spectacular nature and the latter a fresh job opportunity in an ever-growing service sector.
Most things were different back then. Travelling around the country was extremely time consuming. Rough, single-lane gravel roads were the only available option and the largest glacial rivers weren’t bridged until 1974 but had to be forded when and if conditions allowed. And although only some of the country schools are still operated and the accommodation at Hotel Edda has changed from dorm rooms to comfortable hotel rooms of modern quality, our staff still welcomes visitors with the relaxed attitude of someone offering up their home for a weary traveller. We call it, fittingly, old-school hospitality.
Welcome to Hotel Edda.
Environmental Policy
The main appeal of Iceland is the pristine and unspoiled nature. Hotel Edda recognize their environmental responsibility and our goal at Hotel Edda is to continually improve our environmental performance without compromising the outstanding level of service our guests have come to expect.
We pledge to:
- Reduce waste and increase recycling
- Choose nature friendly products and services
- Emphasize using local products and Icelandic ingredients
- To follow the current environmental legislation and aim to exceed it
- Inform guests about our environmental policy and how they can participate and help
- Educate employees and service providers about environmental issues