In pre-pandemic times, an era that now seems long ago, I took my first international trip to Iceland. My sister and I went as a belated celebration for her birthday and neither of us had been out of the United States except for Mexico. Even today Iceland has been my favorite trip and one which I hope to repeat soon once coronavirus is in the rearview mirror and international boundaries fully reopen for tourism. If you are looking for an exciting international trip (presuming you do not live in Iceland of course) Iceland is a great vacation spot that boasts many things to do and has a very convenient booking scheme.
flights and lights.
I booked our trip exclusively through Icelandair’s website. At the time the closest direct flight was from Denver so I arranged flights to and from Denver and Austin. Since then, Icelandair has more versatile flights so that wouldn’t be necessary. Once I picked out the preferred flights I used the vacation builder to add our excursions, lodging and airport transfers. TIP: my research found the times most favorable for viewing the Northern Lights was early March and in November. We chose March because that is around the end of their winter so the weather was expected to be much more tolerable for being outdoors than in November. We picked overnight flights and happened to fly during a solar storm, so the Northern Lights were vibrant and active during our flight, right out our window. Truly amazing to see and I am told a very lucky occurence.
icelandic food week.
The cost for economy seats was included in our package, but we upgraded our flights after booking to first class and I would say it was very worth it. Upgrading the flights made up about 75% of the total trip cost, but Icelandair does offer a bidding system where you can log in and place a bid on what you would be willing to pay for an upgrade and they go down the list and fill empty seats. Our return flight was upgraded using this system which was nice. They also offer a type of economy plus or middle ground between economy and first class which offers many of the amenities of first class such as dining and if I recall correctly, adult beverages. The food on the flight was good quality – our dinner main was elk tenderloin and was presented quite nicely. Another perk of traveling during the first week of March was we *happened* to arrive in time for their restaurant week. Completely by chance, the week we were there chefs from all over the world had flown in for weekly residencies and offered preset menus at almost all of the restaurants – even the hotel restaurants. Hands down the best culinary experience I have ever had. If you have time be sure to stop at their Braud (bread) shop and get a freshly baked roll or croissant and a cup of coffee.
some details.
We took the bus transfer which was selected in our package and was as expected. Comfortable but affordable – an overall ordinary experience. Because we had scheduled so many excursions we opted for rather basic lodging and the bus took us directly to our hotel, called Cabin Hotel. The room and bathroom were small and the breakfast was continental but we hardly were at the accommodations anyways so it didn’t impact our overall experience. A plus is that the hot water from the geysers is plumbed straight into town so the water is almost instantly hot in the shower. And – the water there is so clean the tap water is probably better than some of the bottled water people drink. TIP: When doing excursions, transportation is included and often picks you up and drops you off at your hotel. The transportation busses runs for many different excursion companies so you have to be waiting for the bus, read the sign in the window and be proactive in finding your bus. Sometimes several buses will say ‘northern lights’ in the window and won’t specify the company they are picking up for. If you are unsure just ask the driver and show them your ticket. They have a list of names that they are supposed to be picking up. If you miss your bus other busses may be nice enough to take you but be aware if you miss your bus and cannot get a ride elsewhere, you are basically out for your ticket cost and won’t be able to do that excursion unless you rebook and pay for another ticket.
this is what we came for.
We chose to do a handful of excursions. The northern lights tour was on our arrival night and was successful in that the lights put on a nice show for us. The tour guides said if you ever get a ticket and the lights aren’t visible you can get your ticket reissued for up to a year from the original tour date – pretty much until you get to see them too. They served snack and beverages (cold and hot) for purchase and had warming jumpsuits to wear so you can stand outside on the boat for extended periods of time without getting very cold instead of remaining inside the whole time. The whale watching can be hit or miss, for obvious reasons, as sightings are not guaranteed. We were lucky and saw a wide array of sea life, including whales. The geyser/snowmobiling excursion was a fun but all day adventure. The first half of the day was visiting geysers and included stopping at a local shop to get food and souvenirs and local goods. The second half of the day was riding snowmobiles (in pairs) and was a good time. Every visitor to the Blue Lagoon should be warned – prior to getting into the water everyone has to go into locker rooms (gender specific) to rinse off any products or oils that might be in your hair or on your skin. There are hair driers and vanities for getting ready and lockers for storing your items safely along with shampoo, conditioner and shower gel in each shower stall. But that is not what you need warning of. Many visitors are from European countries where public nudity is not regarded as taboo. Therefore, we were a bit shocked when everyone was walking around the locker room completely naked and getting relatively close to other people, not even phased that their *ahem* unmentionables were too close for comfort (in my opinion). You’ve been warned. The Blue Lagoon itself was nice, they offer free mud masks for you to apply while in the lagoon and there is a bar for purchasing drinks also. We stopped in the gift shop after and if we went again we would probably book a spa treatment. TIP: if you’re looking to get good photos I would recommend going in the daytime. We went towards the end of the day and the steam (which we thought would make our photos look cool and whimsically mysterious) actually made them look bad and out of focus with flashback. Lastly, but definitely a repeat excursion for our next visit: snorkeling between the tectonic plates. This was by far the best adventure – we dressed in a wet suit and a dry suit so we floated naturally without effort to allow us to stay dry and to enjoy the snorkeling more without getting wet and very cold. The only thing exposed is part of your face but honestly it goes numb after the first few minutes and you don’t feel cold at all. A photographer goes with each group and you can purchase photos afterward – which we did and have framed in our hallway. Your hair does get wet though so be prepared to rock a messy look on the ride back.