Trip to Iceland help please

[Cantdecidewhich]

My Ds is trying to plan a surprise 2 night trip for his wife and asked me to help and I am struggling. He is hoping to see the lights, and a lagoon but doesn’t know where to stay. They will hire a car if necessary and don’t mind staying somewhere remote. Can anyone please help with this?

They’ll be fine staying in the capital reykjavik. From there they could access the ‘golden circle’ which are some fun Icelandic sites. The blue lagoon I think is closer to the airport, they might be able to stay there? I’m unsure. Those are the bit touristy things anyway.

There are lots of very beautiful hot spring places though so they could quite easily go a bit more off the beaten track. What do you think they’d prefer?

I stayed in Reykjavik and hired a car. It was very easy.

You can also take internal flights quite cheaply, we took a couple.

We also stayed in Reykjavik at an Air B&B which was great. W went to the secret lagoon (instead of the blue) and it was brilliant, small but perfect! We also visited the tomato farm (can't remember the Icelandic name!) But this was also really yummy. We hired a car too, it was bloody icy, mind!
I know your DS is probably already aware, but it is a very expensive place (and I live in London!)

Blue Lagoon can be done after they land but they need to book, although it would be worth looking at the Secret Lagoon too. Depending on when they're going depends on what they can do as the weather and road conditions can get dicey quickly in the winter.

I recommend the Reykjavik Residence, Canopy by Hilton or the Kvosin. Alternatively they could stay at Airbnbs if they want to drive around and stay en route.

@MaizeBlouse yes thank he knows it will be very expensive.

Thank you for the replies so far, if they want remote where is a good area or place to stay?

Are the roads dangerous?

Has he seen the Alexander Armstrong programme about Iceland on Channel 5? There's 3 of them and some ideas on there for things to do.

I liked the look of the Sky Lagoon which was a new natural lagoon, not sure where it is. They went to somewhere right over the other side of Iceland, can't remember why but I'm fascinated by very remote places like this, because I think the majority of Icelanders live in or near the capital, and it's such a sparesely populated country, it must feel very 'end of the world'.

Internal flights might be a good idea, I think it does take a long time to drive everywhere, I don't think the roads are dangerous unless you drive carelessly, as there's hardly anyone on most of them.

@BarbaraofSeville thank you I will tell him about the programme sounds good!

Roads wise there is a ring road that goes around the whole country. This is very well maintained. There are also some roads that are just gravel and another level of road that is only accessible by 4x4. These are all well denoted on maps though so it shouldn’t come as a surprise.

If I wanted to be somewhere a bit off the beaten track but only had 2 days I’d probably go to the fjords north if Reykjavik. The area I’ve circled is at most 2 hours from the air port and will feel away from any crowds (if there are any).

I’ve been a few times and have gone as Far East as Jökulsárlón which was really incredible and an interesting drive to get there. They’d need more than 2 days though to do that trip properly.

@LightsS0bright thanks that's interesting I have sent it to him to look at, in fact I have sent him all the replies, I am sure they will help.

One point to note is that while the ring road and tarmac roads are great, some of the interior roads are pretty rough and you need the right vehicle and a bit of skill (e.g. you might find yourself having to drive through quite deep water in some places). Not to mention that the weather can get quite hairy, especially in winter, and tourists do get stuck quite often. So I’d advise a bit of caution especially if he’s planning to go anywhere remote.

Jokulsarlon is spectacular, we just did a bus day tour from Reykjavik. I also loved the Blue Lagoon, beautiful. For a two night trip I'd forget trying to get somewhere remote and stay in Reykjavik and do day trips out.
Iceland isn't the best place to see the lights and we're still in a low point of the cycle I believe (we found this out when we went to northern Norway last year and saw nothing) so I'd forget the lights as they are too unpredictable in such a short time and concentrate on what is definitely going to be visible.

I was going to recommend the stuffed crust pizza

My younger son is going to Iceland 7th to 12th December
He’s staying in Apotek Hotel in Reykjavik
Whale watching trip from Reykjavik on 8th
Northern lights trip later that day
Golden Circle on 9th Dec
South Iceland Glacier hike on 10th
Blue Lagoon on 11th
He’s flying from Paris (doesn’t live in uk at the moment)
No food included and cost is around £1000

Just to give you some idea

Ps
The Itinerary was posted to my uk address and I’ve just had a peek

The blue lagoon is hugely overrated and a massive tourist trap - its man made and the water comes from a nearby geothermal power plant. I have been there and I wouldn't rush back.

I would look at the Secret Lagoon or anywhere else to be honest - the blue lagoon just had great PR and snazzy facilities, the reality is sadly lacking

We went in August, stayed at the Hilltop Cabin Hekla, it's remote, has a hot tub and looks at the Hekla Volcano.
We found Reykjavik a bit underwhelming, great to visit and good if you like cities, we wanted to be more remote.
The Blue Lagoon is very touristy, lots of people taking selfies and very busy. It's also fake, the water is from the thermal electricity station nearby. The secret lagoon was more what I'd expect of Iceland and its real, with a geyser spurting away.
The golden circle is really easy, do the volcanic crater, the fault lines, big geyser and huge waterfalls. The rest is is exhibitions and farms.
As you come out the airport, there's a shop that sells booze cheap, stock up there.

Do the golden circle.

Take food. Anything you can pack to fill a hungry tummy! It's one thing paying an extortionate amount for a meal, another when you just want a snack. If I remember correctly a bar of chocolate was about £20.

It's so expensive I kept being out by a factor of ten. As in 'Gosh this is lovely, and only £20. No, wait- it's £200!'

@IReallyCan

I was going to recommend the stuffed crust pizza

Don't recommend whale watching unless you're a good sailor. 4 hours pitching about on a boat in the pouring rain - and we didn't even see a whale. I am a good sailor but I felt sick, many other people were in a real state.

A glass of prosecco at the Blue lagoon ....£16. A small glass. 3 burgers and coffee in a small cafe £50. Smuggle food in your luggage.

Oh yes, and I've just remembered - we took loads of snacks - cereal bars, chocolate, peanuts etc. It was 2017 when we went and beer was £10 a pint then. I never even bothered with wine because they were charging £60 for a bottle of indifferent plonk in the restaurants.

The Secret Lagoon is fabulous and worth the drive. Itvis very basic though in terms of facilities. We were totally alone in the water for some of the time. The best thing we did for sure.
We stayed in an Airbnb about 20 mins outside Reykjavik with a hot tub and wood burning stove. The roads are quiet and the only driving issue is getting a hire car suited to the weather - we went the weekend before lockdown and it was heavy snow. We paid extra for spike tyres on the car hire rep's recommendation - if we went again we would get a more capable car as we did get stuck turning around in a car park .
The Blue Lagoon is touristy but we enjoyed it - the restaurant (the proper one, not the self service cafe) was fabulous, and a real treat.

A 2 night trip is very short. Does she like cities or aiming for remote and wild?

We went in Dec a few years ago. There was heavy snow everywhere and on the roads. There were very well organised bus tours from Reykjavik and for 2 days, I wouldn't bother hiring a car- nor trying to drive and navigate on snowy roads. Obviously it depends when they are planning on going? We did a golden circle day trip to see Gullfoss (huge waterfall), geyser and the national park.

We also did a northern lights night trip which was great. One thing to note though, is that the northern lights come out much better in a photograph. Many of the pictures you see in shops are often highlighted and touched up to make them look brighter. What we saw on the night with our eyes was only so, so, and I was disappointed. I was amazed when I saw our photos though which looked stunning- even without any touch ups!

We stayed in a hotel in town with a kitchenette. It was very handy to re-heat a meal or make basic breakfasts and snack and certainly saved some cash. It was in Reykjavik itself. If they want to go to the museums, this is really the best place to stay.

I recall alcohol being VERY expensive. There was a duty free shop at the airport, and you could buy alcohol on arrival. This works out much cheaper than trying to find an off licence once there. Especially if they want a nice bottle of bubbly to celebrate.

Here are some other tips:

guidetoiceland.is/connect-with-travel-bloggers/10729/6-practical-tips-for-saving-money-in-iceland

I would probably stay one night east of Reykjavik but close enough to the Golden triangle and then do a road trip on the south coast taking it the many waterfalls until you reach Jökulsárlón and stay there before driving back

I forgot: there was the national museum of Iceland about the history which was fascinating. There is also a penis museum- only one in the world at that time. Also fascinating, but because it was so odd! Again, both these are in Reykjavik.

With so much snow when we went, we work ski clothes most of the time. A ski jacket with layers underneath, along with salopettes and walking boots. I saw locals, at night, whilst snowing, just in jeans and a woollen jumper, but layers are the way to go unless you cope with the cold very well!