Hotel Breidavík fills up for eclipse booked 14 years ago

Hótel Breiðavík was fully booked for the total solar eclipse after one guest reserved a room 14 years ago, mbl.is reported. Hotel owner Birna Mjöll Atladóttir told The New York Times that she initially thought the booking was a joke.

The guest reserved the room for August 12, 2026. Birna said the hotel had long since filled all its rooms, and that the phone rang continuously while a New York Times journalist visited over the weekend.

The hotel has established a campsite in two fields nearby and installed toilets. It also ordered a month’s supply of food specifically for the eclipse days.

Birna told mbl.is that about 1,000 people had stayed at the campsite in Breiðavík the previous night. She said the anticipation was clearly visible.

“There are simply a lot of people, I would estimate more than 1,000 at the campsite, and the weather is still beautiful,” Birna said.

The New York Times also spoke with Margrét Brynjólfsdóttir, who lives in the Westfjords. “This is the worst country for seeing a total eclipse,” she said, referring to the weather. The forecast has been one of the day’s most discussed topics in the media.