Travel Vacationing in Iceland

[mundodabolsa]

Can you ladies who have been to or are from Iceland give me some suggestions for visiting the country?

Where should we go aside from Reykjavik?

In Reykjavik, is there a particular hotel you recommend or a neighborhood which staying in would be more fun?

I'd love to hear anything!

thanks in advance!

 

[Mediana]

It's been a while since I was there but my best tip is to rent a car. We debated back and forth if we should take excursion tours to places or drive around our self. I'm so glad we went with the car since the weather was pretty bad. Reykjavik is pretty small so just go with the Hotel you like the most. We stayed at 101 and liked it.
Blue Lagoon is on the way to or from the Airport. It was our first stop and it was great in the morning. Not a lot of people and drizzling rain. Just think twice before you dip you head. Specially if you have long hair. You'll need about a bottle of conditioner to make the hair almost the same as before. Don't worry though, they have conditioner in bulks for everyone to use.

As for what to see. We went to Gullfoss the waterfall, the Geysir and volcanic crater. We saw more waterfalls and more Geysir. I can't remember all the names but we did a few day tours.

Oh, an try the hot dogs. They are delicious. I could eat only that in Iceland and be happy. But if you'd like something more you should checkout the Fish Company. There are a lot of great restaurants so you shouldn't have any problems there.

How long are you gonna be there?

 

[mundodabolsa]

It's been a while since I was there but my best tip is to rent a car. We debated back and forth if we should take excursion tours to places or drive around our self. I'm so glad we went with the car since the weather was pretty bad. Reykjavik is pretty small so just go with the Hotel you like the most. We stayed at 101 and liked it.
Blue Lagoon is on the way to or from the Airport. It was our first stop and it was great in the morning. Not a lot of people and drizzling rain. Just think twice before you dip you head. Specially if you have long hair. You'll need about a bottle of conditioner to make the hair almost the same as before. Don't worry though, they have conditioner in bulks for everyone to use.

As for what to see. We went to Gullfoss the waterfall, the Geysir and volcanic crater. We saw more waterfalls and more Geysir. I can't remember all the names but we did a few day tours.

Oh, an try the hot dogs. They are delicious. I could eat only that in Iceland and be happy. But if you'd like something more you should checkout the Fish Company. There are a lot of great restaurants so you shouldn't have any problems there.

How long are you gonna be there?

thank you so much for the tips, we're really in the baby stages of planning and research so I appreciate any and all info. for some reason my dad really doesn't want to drive there, is it do-able if you don't rent a car or should I work hard to persuade him?

we're thinking maybe 2 weeks, does that sound good? could be 10 days, we're flexible.

anyone have any thoughts on whale watching possibilities?

 

[Mediana]

If you're staying that long I would definitely recommend a car. I think 10 days would be more than enough.
Check out this site for recommendation to what you can see on the Island. http://www.tour.is/tours/self_drive_tours.php

 

[mundodabolsa]

Blue Lagoon is on the way to or from the Airport. It was our first stop and it was great in the morning. Not a lot of people and drizzling rain. Just think twice before you dip you head. Specially if you have long hair. You'll need about a bottle of conditioner to make the hair almost the same as before. Don't worry though, they have conditioner in bulks for everyone to use.

is there a point in going to the blue lagoon if I won't go in the water? can I just observe the natural beauty from a lookout point or deck or is it not worth it then?

 

[Mediana]

is there a point in going to the blue lagoon if I won't go in the water? can I just observe the natural beauty from a lookout point or deck or is it not worth it then?

You're sure you don't wanna go in? It's absolutely fabulous. They do have a restaurant where you can look out but I wouldn't say its worth to go there if you don't wanna get it. On the way up to the Blue Lagoon there are rivulets? (Don't know the enlist word for it) on the sides where you can feel the warm water with you fingers. Its all green and beautiful.

 

[mundodabolsa]

You're sure you don't wanna go in? It's absolutely fabulous. They do have a restaurant where you can look out but I wouldn't say its worth to go there if you don't wanna get it. On the way up to the Blue Lagoon there are rivulets? (Don't know the enlist word for it) on the sides where you can feel the warm water with you fingers. Its all green and beautiful.

I don't wear bathing suits so it's not really an option to go in. but I bet my parents would want to go so if I could sit in a restaurant and people watch while they enjoy themselves that would be perfect. good to know it's a possibility, thanks!

 

[Elara]

I don't have any tips yet, but we're going in a month for 5 days. We're going to go hiking on a glacier, caving, and horseback riding (all booked through http://www.adventures.is/), and then stay for two days at the Blue Lagoon. And I don't know for sure, but I'd think that if you don't want to get into the water at the Blue Lagoon, you'd probably be just as happy driving around and stopping to look at the lava fields instead. And, it's about $50-60 per person for admission, which, if you're not going to get into the water, probably would not be worth it. But, before you decide for sure not to go, definitely go look at the website (http://www.bluelagoon.com/)- I've been wanting to visit it ever since I read about it several years back.

 

[Mediana]

I don't think you need to pay just to visit the restaurant. Its before the entrance to the bath but you could email them if you want to be sure.

 

[mundodabolsa]

It's been a while since I was there but my best tip is to rent a car. We debated back and forth if we should take excursion tours to places or drive around our self. I'm so glad we went with the car since the weather was pretty bad. Reykjavik is pretty small so just go with the Hotel you like the most. We stayed at 101 and liked it.

I've been looking at 101 based on your suggestion, the location looks great. Question though, do all rooms have the bathtub right in the middle of the room?? I can't tell from the pictures if the bathroom has a door or not... thanks!

 

[OlgaMUA]

no added advice except to say.. we loved it!!

oh, people do dress for the restaurants and clubs in the city at night.

wasn't unusual to see men in dress shirts and jackets

 

[Mediana]

I've been looking at 101 based on your suggestion, the location looks great. Question though, do all rooms have the bathtub right in the middle of the room?? I can't tell from the pictures if the bathroom has a door or not... thanks!

To be honest ... I don't know for sure but If there were no door I'm pretty sure I would have remembered that. I don't really like those fancy hotels where you can see directly into the bathroom, and I've had a couple of those.

 

[mundodabolsa]

To be honest ... I don't know for sure but If there were no door I'm pretty sure I would have remembered that. I don't really like those fancy hotels where you can see directly into the bathroom, and I've had a couple of those.

thanks for the reply, if that bothers you too I agree that you would remember it if it were unusual.

 

[Mediana]

Hi again, I talked to a friend of mine who visits Iceland every year. She confirmed the thing about the resturants. It has a glass along one of the side with a view out over the Lagoon. The upperlevel has a terrace where you can sit outside and so talk to your parents.

Also, about the whale watching. She said you should just go to the harbour and book a ticket there. There are about 3-4 diffrent boat that will take you out during the spring.

 

[sil]

I loved it and it was a bonus that it was a very economical vacation.
I stayed at the Hotel Reykjavik Centrum in 101 and it was great.
http://www.hotelcentrum.is

I would find a hotel that includes a breakfast in the rate, just for the convenience of being able to grab a quick brekkie before you start an early day without having to leave your hotel. We opted out of this but realized that it would have been handy as we started our days very early and I didn't always want to go out and seek breakfast. We went during winter so we only had 4 hours of daylight each day. So depending on what time of year you go prepare for the expected weather and daylight.

I don't know how active you are, but I walked everywhere. The city is very walkable.
We took day trips almost everyday out to the surrounding areas which was fun and touristy.
The next we go I would do the Blue Lagoon enroute to or from the airport. It just makes more sense, so you don't have to make a trip out there for the Lagoon alone. The Lagoon is set up very well to accomodate people straight from the airport. They provide a place to store your lugguge, towels, hairdryers, body lotions, every thing you need to make yourself decent.

If you are thinking of planning some excursions and are undecided on what to do or which company to go with, keep in mind that day trips or touristy excursions can be booked at the last minute and we were able to book through the hotel front desk. The price is the same. Reykjavik Excursions is like the McDonalds of tour companies out there and have tours running everyday (even holidays). We went with a smaller company, Go Travel. The Go Travel is smaller and much more intimate. This suited us better, but for somethings like the Lagoon we used Reykjavik Excursions.

I had to work during my trip as well, but that was made easy as there is wifi connections everywhere. Credit cards are accepted everywhere which made it very handy (even the smallest businesses.) Things in general (eating out, services etc...) worked out to be way less expensive compared to North America.
You must have a hot dog at the hotdog stand. It's the best hotdog I've ever had. (Seriously, it's one of the reasons I want to go back.)


Iceland Air has great deals and next time we will take advantage of the free stop over option in Iceland before continuing on to Europe. It's definitely a place we will go back to.