Discussion
I was there week before last.
Booked it all through icelandair as a package just to keep things simple.
You can choose various excursions in advance but it's just as easy to book ones when you are there - we did both.
Or you can hire a car and go your own way of course.
Hotel wise we stayed at the leifur eiriksson - nothing too fancy but has all you need really.
Boat trip to see northern lights was a highlight. Also plenty enough to see in Reykjavik itself if you just want to have a day in town.
Booked it all through icelandair as a package just to keep things simple.
You can choose various excursions in advance but it's just as easy to book ones when you are there - we did both.
Or you can hire a car and go your own way of course.
Hotel wise we stayed at the leifur eiriksson - nothing too fancy but has all you need really.
Boat trip to see northern lights was a highlight. Also plenty enough to see in Reykjavik itself if you just want to have a day in town.
tex200 said:
I was there week before last.
Booked it all through icelandair as a package just to keep things simple.
You can choose various excursions in advance but it's just as easy to book ones when you are there - we did both.
Or you can hire a car and go your own way of course.
Hotel wise we stayed at the leifur eiriksson - nothing too fancy but has all you need really.
Boat trip to see northern lights was a highlight. Also plenty enough to see in Reykjavik itself if you just want to have a day in town.
Thanks for that as the furthest I had decided on was seeing the northern lights.Booked it all through icelandair as a package just to keep things simple.
You can choose various excursions in advance but it's just as easy to book ones when you are there - we did both.
Or you can hire a car and go your own way of course.
Hotel wise we stayed at the leifur eiriksson - nothing too fancy but has all you need really.
Boat trip to see northern lights was a highlight. Also plenty enough to see in Reykjavik itself if you just want to have a day in town.
I might try and squeeze a boat trip to do a bit of whale spotting.
We went this time last year and did the golden circle & Reykjavik. We stayed at the Fludir Hotel which has a hot tub in the centre of the grounds, but there isn't much else there sadly. And then at Hotel Selfoss which offer wake up calls for the northern lights if they appear, also it's seems a busy and bustling town so you can spen sometime there if you want. Can highly recommend the Tryggvaskáli restaurant in Selfoss, very nice food.
[quote=tex200]I was there week before last.
Booked it all through icelandair as a package just to keep things simple.
You can choose various excursions in advance but it's just as easy to book ones when you are there - we did both.
Or you can hire a car and go your own way of course.
Hotel wise we stayed at the leifur eiriksson - nothing too fancy but has all you need really.
Boat trip to see northern lights was a highlight. Also plenty enough to see in Reykjavik itself if you just want to have a day in town.
[/quote
Sounds like the deal currently offered on Travelzoo I've been looking at? Sorry but I can't attach the link for some reason.
Booked it all through icelandair as a package just to keep things simple.
You can choose various excursions in advance but it's just as easy to book ones when you are there - we did both.
Or you can hire a car and go your own way of course.
Hotel wise we stayed at the leifur eiriksson - nothing too fancy but has all you need really.
Boat trip to see northern lights was a highlight. Also plenty enough to see in Reykjavik itself if you just want to have a day in town.
[/quote
Sounds like the deal currently offered on Travelzoo I've been looking at? Sorry but I can't attach the link for some reason.
I can vouch for the hiring a car and a cabin. When I went with 3 other friends for a week back in February 2013, we booked Easyjet flights at £70 a head, a very nice cabin at £500 (£125 per person) and the hire car for roughly £350 (£87.50 per person). It's an expensive country, but this approach actually worked out reasonably cheaply overall (for Iceland). We didn't eat out and instead bought food from supermarkets to cook back at base, and supermarkets aren't appreciably more expensive for normal food than they are here in the UK. Being able to explore the country at our leisure with the hire car was absolutely brilliant. We also 'found' the northern lights by ourselves which was unbelievable. Hoping to go back at some point, hopefully sooner rather than later. It's one of my favourite countries I've visited to date.
If there's only 2 of you then this approach isn't quite as good value, but probably still comparable with the hotel/tours approach.
If there's only 2 of you then this approach isn't quite as good value, but probably still comparable with the hotel/tours approach.
In 2014 we booked this place,
https://bungalo.com/property/299
about 20 mins outside Selfoss.
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@64.0599027,-20.9653...
Hired a 4x4 and the drive was around 1.20 from the airport.
From there we were close enough to all the nice waterfalls etc and like others we shopped in supermarkets and cooked at base.
If you do this one word of warning, pick up your drink from the duty place inside the airport on arrival it is a whole lot and I mean a whole lot cheaper.
Supermarkets do not sell booze only the gov off licence does and they close around 4pm even on a Saturday.
If you smoke then you can only buy at a petrol station. Or Duty free I think.
I think for the cottage we paid £300 for 4 days.
https://bungalo.com/property/299
about 20 mins outside Selfoss.
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@64.0599027,-20.9653...
Hired a 4x4 and the drive was around 1.20 from the airport.
From there we were close enough to all the nice waterfalls etc and like others we shopped in supermarkets and cooked at base.
If you do this one word of warning, pick up your drink from the duty place inside the airport on arrival it is a whole lot and I mean a whole lot cheaper.
Supermarkets do not sell booze only the gov off licence does and they close around 4pm even on a Saturday.
If you smoke then you can only buy at a petrol station. Or Duty free I think.
I think for the cottage we paid £300 for 4 days.
My wife and I spent a week in February this year in Iceland, we flew EasyJet and organised everything ourselves. It is an expensive place, as others already mentioned, but shop around and you can find decent and affordable options. We rented a Dacia duster 4x4 from these guys http://www.bluecarrental.is/
I strongly suggest you get a 4x4 with good winter tyres during winter (others might disagree), roads can be icy, it can be very windy etc.
We stayed in Reykjavik the first and last nights there; then one night in Vik, another two at a place between Vik and Kirkjubaejarklaustur, and another night near Hella, at Ranga hotel (I don't recommend it, I found it overpriced and somehow kitschy).
If you can, try and book an ice cave tour, this was I think the most memorable experience for us. We booked with http://www.localguideofvatnajokull.com/
Also, I loved this guesthouse that we stayed at for two nights: http://www.hrifunesguesthouse.is/ (Warning: click that link and you're hooked, the owner takes some amazing photos and also organises photo tours). The location is perfect, food was very good and we had a great time there.
Go for it, you won't regret it, it's an amazing place.
I strongly suggest you get a 4x4 with good winter tyres during winter (others might disagree), roads can be icy, it can be very windy etc.
We stayed in Reykjavik the first and last nights there; then one night in Vik, another two at a place between Vik and Kirkjubaejarklaustur, and another night near Hella, at Ranga hotel (I don't recommend it, I found it overpriced and somehow kitschy).
If you can, try and book an ice cave tour, this was I think the most memorable experience for us. We booked with http://www.localguideofvatnajokull.com/
Also, I loved this guesthouse that we stayed at for two nights: http://www.hrifunesguesthouse.is/ (Warning: click that link and you're hooked, the owner takes some amazing photos and also organises photo tours). The location is perfect, food was very good and we had a great time there.
Go for it, you won't regret it, it's an amazing place.
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