Iceland // August 2022

Iceland Trip Notes – Aug 25-29, 2022

Dave mentioned after we were there that Reykjavik felt like Vancouver and I like that thought – a touch European but still modern, and very accessible for US travelers. Now if it were only a little warmer in the summer, it would be even more popular. We both agreed we would be happy to visit again, and see more of the countryside – driving felt very reasonable on the main roads. I also had good wifi service, not the fastest but enough to find what we needed.

Everyone spoke English well; signs were in English – virtually no language barrier. We did take some Euros from our bank – no one wanted them. Credit cards were EVERYWHERE, so we got used to that. We did get ISK from the airport ATM (additional fee there), and the BUS.IS station (no fee there). So 10,000 ISK cost around $85-90 with our own bank fees added. If you charged, the rate translated around 1000 ISK = $7.50 so it was a bit better. You could drink tap water – no problem. A few places actually looked funny at me when I asked about bottled water – no there are glasses and water is free (restaurant and the whale museum).

I posted a lot of pictures on Facebook, so find me there if you want to see them – facebook.com/lbruns.travel

Keflavik Airport – very nice – long walk from Delta arrival gate to exit, but clean & not crowded. Customs & immigration took just a few minutes; a longer wait for luggage. A fairly large duty- free section; shopped a little on the return home.

Gray Line Transfer – not a great start to the trip. Transfers & 1 tour booked with DL Vacations package.

1^st issue – Our flight was delayed by an hour, but we made up time in the air. So just after 8 AM we had our bags went to the meeting area for 830 bus. I was looking for their rep for quite a while – no one there (I think they left since our flight was late!) I called them at 836 AM – well you missed the bus; I asked where their rep was, and was told they would be back around 9 AM for the next bus. Sat and waited, and sure enough they showed up. Around 915 was told we could walk outside (cold & windy!) and wait there. Another person I saw talking to her came out – there were 2 rows of busses behind each other – ours was in the back row, so of course could not see it from the waiting area, but I still went to check it out just in case. Went to the bus – can we get on? Driver is not answering and not opening the door – because the door was broken! He finally got it open and we boarded 9 passengers total, then of course could not close it. They sent 2 people to help; got the door closed and we started down the highway – door opened up again at road speed! They had a waiting area around 3 miles down the road – about 3 more large busses and a smaller shuttle waiting there. It still took them another 20 minutes to move us to a shuttle and get moving. So we should have arrived the hotel around 915 AM – it was 11 AM before we got there.

2^nd issue – return to airport. They were responsive before/during the trip with reminders. On the email they sent, they said departure time Bus Stop #1 630 AM. They did say on the document be at the Bus Stop at 6 AM, but that’s kind of a mixed message. Not that I love standing out in the cold (48 degrees) at that time of AM, but we were there at 555; bus showed up at 615 AM. Kind of surprised they don’t have actual bus stop shelters around town (especially for the winter when it’s lots colder than now!)

Our tour with Gray Line was fine – Circle Tour – they did show up at correct time for pick up, and dropped off not too far away from our hotel – less than 5 blocks. Guide was knowledgeable and kept us moving to see the sights – Pingvellir National Park; Gulfoss Falls & Geysir (like Old Faithful but has been known for much longer). A lot of driving but was a nice amount of time (around 7 hours total from the pick up time). Their busses did seem much more crowded than the RE.IS busses we were on.

I did appreciate follow up from them directly (I did reach out in advance of the trip so not sure if they had my email from that or from DLV).

Sky Lagoon & Blue Lagoon (both trips booked with BedsOnline – local operator RE.IS)

Both were interesting – Sky opened in 2021 – close to Reykjavik; Blue Lagoon around 40 minute drive from town (or stop on the way to/from the airport).

Sky Lagoon is a large pool complex overlooking the harbor towards Reykjavik. We had the middle entry – The Ritual Experience. After enjoying the pool area, we started the ritual – 1^st a cold plunge pool (no thanks it was 55 degrees & windy when we got out of the pool – that was cold enough!) Next stops – dry sauna & wet sauna. Both had windows looking outside, but wet sauna was super steamy! Then into the cold mist room (refreshing), and time to do the skin scrub. A 2^nd steam bath, then a warm rinse to end this experience. Time to go back out to the pool and enjoy a beverage (beer was fine; sparkling wine on tap was not too good). Changing rooms were nice with privacy if you wanted. Both locations had wristbands that secured your locker and could be used for food/beverage charges during your stay (had to return them to exit). Only note is there were 2 changing areas and it was hard to remember which entrance we came through to get back to the correct locker room (but the attendants were helpful getting to the right area!) The Pool and waterfall were clear waters so really no smell, but a bit of residual silt on our suits even after a rinse at the hotel room.

Blue Lagoon – 2^nd afternoon – another fun experience similar to Sky Lagoon. We had the middle option – Premium admission. The main difference here was 3 skin treatments vs. 1, and bathrobe instead of just towels. The Blue water comes from the silica, and everything the water touches eventually turns white. The do mention to treat your hair with conditioner and also don’t get the water on your eyeglasses as the silica could scratch them. They also had a couple saunas, but not an extensive ritual like at Sky Lagoon. So we dipped in the pool, did the saunas, got our beverages (this time Somersby Cider for me – yummy!) Our last stop was the masks – 1^st the black volcanic mask, then white silica & green algae (they could tell if you had 1 mask or 3 from the color of your wristband). You let the mask dry, then rinse off with cool water right into the pool. We did the 5 PM trip out to the lagoon, and the last bus returned at 815 PM – it was kind of rushed to do all this in the short time; thought about dinner there, but you would need at least another hour for that. Some people mentioned the smell, but it was not overwhelming or unpleasant. And swimwear is fine after machine wash at home.

The detail on these vouchers said meeting was at the BUS IS station which is a good mile + from our hotel location; near the domestic airport. The 1^st day we walked; 2^nd took our hop on/off shuttle to get there. Both times they returned us to a bus station closer to our hotel which was nice. I did not reach out in advance for further details (phone # was provided but not email); they did not send updates.

Other activities – we had a bit of time to explore on our own, so enjoyed 3 museums – the Settlement Museum (next door to our hotel), the Saga Museum and Whales of Iceland – located along the harbor pier.

Settlement Museum – quite interesting – it is the actual site of an early settlement in Reykjavik including outline of building foundations and many artifacts found there. And it is right underneath the hotel, so we were sleeping above this historical site! They also have other information as the city grew into present day Reykjavik. We spent a good hour there and enjoyed it quite a lot.

Saga Museum – historic stories of the first people living in Iceland with narrated tableaus and lifelike figures. You could also dress up like a Viking at the end including helmets and chaing mail (those metal helmets are heavy!)

Whales of Iceland – seeing the many species in lifesize is impressive. They also had a movie that looked interesting “Sonic Sea is a 60-minute documentary about the devastating impact of industrial and military ocean noise on whales and other marine life.”

We only watched a bit as we had to leave for our trip to Blue Lagoon.

Hotel Reykjavik Centrum – really enjoyed this stay. Rooms were clean & comfortable – windows actually opened for fresh air. Heated bathroom floor, and good amount of storage. Restaurant is not fully open – offers brunch – 3800 ISK – around $28.50 USD. They did have a lounge bar with beverages and some snacks open in the evening. 2 beers cost 2200 ISK. They also had a little cooler / snack area in the lobby. One night I wanted a Cider, and they had the opener ready at the front desk. The room was not overly large – queen bed, a desk, good size closet, not too large bathroom (heated floors were nice!) There was a little room maintenance that could have been done, but over all very pleasant and helpful staff and would recommend.

The area around the hotel was nice too – we had a convenience store just 2 doors down, plus many restaurants & bars within 2-3 blocks. We had our 1^st evening meal at a sit down restaurant on the plaza – could be casual or more upscale; a bit expensive for 2 smaller meals – Dave had Artic Char on blini; I had lamb on flat bread, plus truffle fries. With 2 beverages the meal came to 11100 ISK – roughly $90 USD. There are also a hot dog & sandwich stand on the plaza, and gelato shop nearby (small cup about $5 USD).

For breakfast, I found a bakery – 6 blocks from the hotel towards the harbor – Deig Workshop – fresh bagels donuts coffee – so good I returned the next AM and bought supplies for our other 2 breakfasts too (hooray for minifridge at the hotel room).

2^nd night – got off the bus from Blue Lagoon around 845 PM. Hard Rock nearby – they close at 9 PM on Saturday night! Saw quite a few other sit down restaurants, but just not that hungry. Walking back to the hotel – there was a row with some restaurants and bars (American bar & English pub – no food). Most restaurants were shutting down, but the Dirty Burgers & Ribs was still open (found it is a chain brand). Had a couple burgers, fries & beers (Carlsberg) and was 2500 ISK (and free water 😉).

3^rd night – Dave wanted to shop, so we took off to find some stores a bit farther from the hotel (about 12 blocks to the east along Hverfisgata / Laugavegur was not as touristy but still some nice shops). Along the way we saw one of the famous hot dog stands. On the way back we stopped at a brew pub – they also had food, but just not that hungry. So hot dogs for dinner. They sell the dogs with 5 toppings – raw onions, crispy onions, ketchup, brown mustard and “mayo relish”. I skipped the raw onions; they wanted Dave to try the brown mustard, but he is strictly a ketchup guy. They also sold chocolate milk, sodas & a candy bar; even with that limited menu there was always a line when we were there! One last trip to the Gelato stop (open until 11 PM and always busy), and back to the room to pack.

We didn’t see the northern lights – heard they were visible around 2 PM on Saturday night, but was not awake then!

-Lori