Exeter Hotel by Keahotels Reykjavik

There are things we expect at five-star hotels; turndown service, tony labels in the minibar, and fruit juices squeezed by breakfast fairies. These are not the things we’re looking for when we check into the Exeter, a harbor-side hotel that signals more hipster hangout than Four Seasons snooze fest. Tucked just past both a take-out counter for artful coffee and pastries and a pizza restaurant (N.

B. not a pizzeria, this place has higher culinary ambitions), the lobby is appropriately casual, with a smattering of low-slung seating areas and a certain log cabin vibe, if that log cabin had been fashioned by a savvy decorator and his artistic friends; think quirky graffiti and repurposed wood. Exeter embodies the young, entrepreneurial spirit of Reykjavik, it’s playful and carefree, savvy and no-nonsense.

And yet it delivers white glove fluff in unexpected, albeit dialed down ways; the friendly staff is genuinely accommodating in a can-do kind of way; the bright rooms are equipped with desks that you’d actually consider working at; in-room Nespresso machines (just make sure to recycle the pods, ok?) deliver a morning jolt; there are proper bathrobes and thoughtfully chosen amenities in the smartly designed bathrooms. And then there are the bathroom floors: they’re heated, something that a fair number of Four Seasons suites can only dream about.

Breakfast at Exeter makes us feel like we’re in a proper Icelandic home kitchen, plates and bowls are country-style enameled in white and blue, the buffet is decked with herring, cold cuts, boiled eggs, and no-fuss toaster bread. The coffee is a tried and true drip brew and the waitress treats you like family. She’s not a breakfast fairy as her orange juice comes in a Tetra Pak, but she remembers our names––a personal touch that’s worth five stars.