Iceland seems to be one of those holiday destinations that recent-returners absolutely rave about. The only negative reported back seems to be "it's expensive", but always swiftly followed by, "but worth it!"
So post-Christmas, when most Brits are seeking out some winter sun, my boyfriend and I instead decided to hop over to Iceland for a five night self-drive break- to see what all the fuss is about.
How did we find it? Read on...
DAY 1: THE BLUE LAGOON
Touted as the must see attraction in Iceland, the Blue Lagoon geothermal spa - and was a brilliant introduction to our holiday. We spent three hours exploring the vast open air pool, applying silica mud masks and drinking from the submerged bar, as the sun went down and the steam rose from the hot water.
We'd read reviews saying the place could feel overcrowded, but that definitely wasn't our experience - at times it felt like we were the only one's there. A beautifully surreal experience.
Where we stayed... and ate...
Despite the name, we unfortunately weren't lucky enough to spot the Aurora Borealis while staying atThe Northern Lights Inn, however we did enjoy the real novelty of sleeping on a geothermal power plant surrounded by volcanic rock - and the convenience of being based right next to the Blue Lagoon. We were pretty much a captive audience for dinner, but luckily the hotel restaurant, Max's served up delicious fish and veggie dinners.
DAY 2 & 3: Reykjavik
What we did...
Reykjavik is definitely a city to be seen on foot - it's pretty small for a start. Due to time-restraints and the weather, we didn't make it to all of the places we'd like to have visited, but here's a few of our highlights...
A walking tour - it was absolutely freezing on the morning we joined the walking tour around Iceland's capital, but it says a lot about his knowledge and humour that we stuck it out to the end (and believe me, I was very close to disappearing into the nearest shop at any moment). The great thing is, the tour - which takes you past many of the city's key historical landmarks and is full of fascinating trivia - works on a pay-what-you-can basis. Our favourite fact: a large proportion of Icelanders won't deny the existence of elves (see here for a brilliant example of this)
The frozen lake - obviously this won't be the case if you visit in the height of summer, but it was pretty cool/unnerving to walk across what appeared to be a snow covered field - until you got to the very edges and saw the swimming swans...
Hallgrimskirkja- definitely make the time to appreciate Iceland's large church - and the views from the top of its tower - from all angles. It really is all quite impressive and possible the best thing we saw in the city.
Yoga - yes, really. On a spontaneous whim, we signed up to an hour long yoga class at a very small (there was just room for four attendees!) studio close to where we were staying - 101 Yoga. The instructor kindly switched between Icelandic and English for us - as we could just about follow the counting, but definitely not translate the 'down dogs' and 'cobras'!
Where we stayed...
I'm a big fan of AirBnB - I love the idea of borrowing a temporary home in a foreign place, especially as I often find myself exploring a neighbourhood outside the main tourist areas. Kiddi's apartment was comfortable and warm - and located directly opposite one of the city's public swimming baths. Like most in Iceland it had outside geothermically heated pools, which we enjoyed one evening alongside groups of chatting locals.
Where we ate...
- Svarta Kaffid - soup served in a bowl hollowed out from a whole loaf of bread - both the meat and veggie options were absolutely delicious, and absolutely too big a challenge to finish!
- Glo - a largely veggie restaurant (with vegan and raw options) where you choose you main dish, followed by three sides - definitely my kind of eating!
- K-Bar - a Korean restaurant and bar with an interesting fusion of foods on offer
- Reykjavik Roasters - very cool to sip a cup of delicious coffee while watching a guy roast a the next batch of beans right in front of you, and I thoroughly recommend their Swiss mocha - super tasty and just a little bit indulgent.
DAY 4 & 5: The Golden Circle
We'd decided from the start that we'd wanted to hire a car to explore some of the island, but after reading a number of travel forums and blogs which warned of crazy winter road conditions - one dramatically claiming it was "suicide" for holiday makers to tackle them - we decided to scale back our ambitions slightly. We settled on hiring a 4x4 for two days, to cover the popular tourist route The Golden Circle - which we figured should be pretty safe as most coach tours do the whole thing in one long day.
On the morning we picked up the car our hostel for that night sent us an email to warn us that if we were unlikely to arrive by 1pm, not to bother trying as the roads were set to close due to a snow storm. So, taking on as much local advise as we could, we took to the road - sadly by-passing some of the sights we'd planned to stop at - to safely reach our destination. All I can say is I'm glad Paul drove that first day, and our hire car had studded tyres.
We still enjoyed that day, and filled the next with site-seeing - but definitely a lesson in how different Iceland's weather is to the UK. Here's some highlights...
What we did...
- Fontana - the roads were closed for almost 24 hours, which meant we shared this outdoor spa with very few other people. It was quite an odd experience being almost entirely submerged in a 40 degree geothermal bath while our heads were out in winds of 40mph!
- Geysir - the actual geysir, which all others are named after, only blows after volcanic activity - so I'm pretty glad we didn't see it. Plus the smaller Strokkur is still an impressive and strangely mesmerising natural wonder - reaching heights of up to 30m, around every 10 minutes. I never expected us to watch it bubble and explode so many times.
- Gullfoss - the 'Golden Waterfall' was another impressive natural attraction, falling over two stages - and we were lucky to see a beautiful rainbow shimmering over it in the sunshine.
Hveragerdi - we actually only stopped in the town's little shopping mall here to grab a coffee and a cake, but discovered a small but fascinating exhibition about the earthquake they suffered in 2008 - and the ancient fissure under its foundations.
Where we stayed... and ate...
We both agreed that Heradsskolinnd hostel in Laugarvatn was our favourite accomodation of the holiday. The former school has been wonderfully renovated to incorporate much of the old classroom furniture, library books and educational posters, giving a really cool vintage feel to the place. We had a private double room with a shared bathroom and showers - which was not a problem at all. And they served great dinner and breakfast in their restaurant, which was next to a really nice lounge area which felt really cosy and snug - especially knowing we were essentially snowed in!
IN CONCLUSION...
The five days flew by and I can absolutely see the appeal - absolutely stunning scenery, good food, wonderful natural attractions...
Yes, it's a little pricey and definitely not a shopping destination because of that - BUT I genuinely can't wait to go back and explore more, perhaps next time, in the summer!
