The Mantis Posted January 4, 2017 Share Posted January 4, 2017 On 26/11/2016 at 19:28, Jeek said: ETA www.sadcars.is is good for cars. They take cars that have done a lot of miles, service them, then rent them out at a 3rd of the price. Found out about them on here, from the guy who does the Icelandic and Faroese football blogs. Apologies to him for forgetting the name Guilty m'lord. Since it's only 4 days you could stay around Reykjavik and use the buses although they're pricey - if you use them a lot you'd be as well with a car. You wouldn't go much beyond the golden circle in that short trip. There's a lot more to Iceland than that tiny SW corner so you need to go back in summer for a week or more. There's hostels across the country if the hotels are too pricey. Definitely use Sadcars. What some people haven't mentioned is, the mountain roads, the ones that start with F, are off-limits anyway unless you have a 4x4 or want to void your insurance. Most of them will be closed for the winter. You do get the odd gravel road but Sadcars won't be bothered about a few chips in the paint. Hotel - wise I've usually stayed at the Fosshotel Baron. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shahid khan Posted June 19, 2018 Share Posted June 19, 2018 BUMP Booked a 3 night stay in Reykjavik in December. Taking our 2 year old. Any advice is welcome. Thanks in advance. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doulikefish Posted June 19, 2018 Share Posted June 19, 2018 BUMP Booked a 3 night stay in Reykjavik in December. Taking our 2 year old. Any advice is welcome. Thanks in advance. Wrap up well 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeek Posted June 19, 2018 Share Posted June 19, 2018 1 hour ago, shahid khan said: BUMP Booked a 3 night stay in Reykjavik in December. Taking our 2 year old. Any advice is welcome. Thanks in advance. Not sure about the 2 year old aspect, not having kids myself. But my advice would be to hire a car and go explore, somewhere like Selfoss is only 3/4 an hour away, even just driving on the N1 (the main ring road ) is a joy to behold and there are so many hidden gems, see the little tourist icon signs and go for a look. we did this and found a really cool place called Asbyrgi, completely by accident (albeit this is up north). for car hire, it was suggested by @The Mantisto use Sadcars (a rent-a-wreck type company) I did and they were great, and about 1/3 the price! great if you don't mind your car looking a bit rough. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Granny Danger Posted June 19, 2018 Share Posted June 19, 2018 Went a few years ago for the Scotland game; not sure if it’s the best destination for a toddler. Blue Lagoon was an incredible experience and not to be missed. Enjoy. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Minertaur Posted June 19, 2018 Share Posted June 19, 2018 (edited) 3 hours ago, shahid khan said: BUMP Booked a 3 night stay in Reykjavik in December. Taking our 2 year old. Any advice is welcome. Thanks in advance. Great place to visit. Certainly get a car hired and go exploring. I was only there for a long weekend and spent half of that away at the Blue Lagoon. Trying to think back on what I did when there but it was mainly out driving on the golden circle. The geysir was boring but Gullfoss and Bruarfoss (actually got engaged here) were spectacular. As for Reykjavik itself - the views from the top of the church are great and the hot dogs you get down near the water are excellent (bit small though so get 2). Food wise I only ate out once and it was at Grillmarket which I think is a bit upmarket to take a 2 year old to. Be sure to visit the Penis Museum also. Edited June 19, 2018 by The Minertaur 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Armand 2 Posted June 19, 2018 Share Posted June 19, 2018 4 hours ago, shahid khan said: BUMP Booked a 3 night stay in Reykjavik in December. Taking our 2 year old. Any advice is welcome. Thanks in advance. We went to Reykjavik last October and I really liked the whole country. Icelanders are very laid back folk. Reykjavik was a lot smaller than I thought it would be, though; only really one proper 'main' street. I'd say 3-5 days is optimum time to go so you've picked the right duration. Went out on one of the Northern Lights tours on the first night. Got picked up at 9pm and drove maybe an hour out to the countryside where we stopped at a pretty remote cafe/social club. There was literally nothing to do and they informed us that we'd be waiting for up to 3 hours to see the Lights. It was cloudy - there was no chance of seeing shit - but they insisted on staying out, even taking a detour after the 3 hours after a possible sighting. Eventually got back to the hotel about 3:30am. All the tour operators (Grayline, etc.) all offer free tickets if you don't see it on your first tour but once was plenty. Check the weather forecast and unless it's due to be a very clear night, I'd give the tours a miss. Not sure it'll be high on your agenda anyway with a toddler. Blue Lagoon is a must visit but maybe not for the reason you'd think. The Lava Restaurant served the best beef I've ever had in my life, better than any steakhouse I've ever been in. The Lagoon itself is relaxing and certainly a good way to spend an afternoon. We did the 'Golden Circle' tour where we got picked up at 8am and went on a road trip around all the waterfalls and landmarks. We went with a smaller operator, Iceland Horizon, rather than the Graylines, etc. The tour guide was a local guy and he was absolutely brilliant - really knowledgeable and explained the history of the whole country. Also confirmed that there was f**k all chance of seeing the Northern Lights on the night we went. Again, your 2 year old might get a bit restless though as it's a long day on a minibus. It is pricey, right enough. We went to a couple of nice places for food - the aforementioned Lava; Messinn was very good; and Svarta Kaffid is a great, cheap, novelty lunch - they serve you soup in a big bread bowl. 36 minutes ago, The Minertaur said: Be sure to visit the Penis Museum also. My missus and I walked past this place numerous times, pondering what 'phallological' meant. It was only when we picked up a flyer that said in "Visit the Penis Museum" that the penny dropped. I'm a fucking idiot but I was disappointed in her lack of enlightenment. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shahid khan Posted June 19, 2018 Share Posted June 19, 2018 Excellent and informative replies guys. Many thanks. The Mrs was thinking of doing the Northern lights tour on her own and I’ll occupy the wee one. Reading up there seems to be pop up Christmas markets and an ice rink for the Christmas season so will have something for the wee man to do. Penis museum sounds interesting...... 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Widge Posted June 19, 2018 Share Posted June 19, 2018 I found the blue lagoon to be a bit of a disappointment, but then again I was camping whilst I was there and the campsites have their own natural pools, which are simply incredible. I keep meaning to go back now I’m a little older, fantastic country and have many fond memories there. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Minertaur Posted June 20, 2018 Share Posted June 20, 2018 12 hours ago, Widge said: I found the blue lagoon to be a bit of a disappointment, but then again I was camping whilst I was there and the campsites have their own natural pools, which are simply incredible. I keep meaning to go back now I’m a little older, fantastic country and have many fond memories there. I agree to an extent about the Blue Lagoon. I stayed the night before at the Silica hotel which is next to BL and has it's own private pool area. That was simply incredible and one of the best places I've ever visited. Went to BL the morning after and it was far too busy and a lot less relaxing. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gannonball Posted June 20, 2018 Share Posted June 20, 2018 Do not do the Northern lights tour unless the aureola borealis forecast is very good, I did one very similar to the one somebody mentioned earlier and it was a waste of time, they offer a free go next time if you see f**k all so we went up the next night and wasted our night again. Declined another night as didnt want to waste any more time. I did like the Blue Lagoon but have heard the Fontana one is better and can be booked as part of a golden circle type bigger tour. We also popped in to a local council ran outdoor pool in Reykjavik and was nice just lying in a roasting outdoor pool for a couple of quid in winter. We also managed to to the the golden circle tour on the shortest day of the year when we went in December Eating out is expensive but I thought the food was class when we did, if you book somewhere tha gives you a decent breakfast then you can rob bits for the tour or whatever you are doing that day. I stayed at Hotel Fron both times I have been to Iceland as it was decent value and the breakfast was handy for making the odd sandwich etc. They also have apartment style rooms to cook which is handy. Despite the mentioned f*ck ups I absolutely adored Iceland and now want to go back again. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MONKMAN Posted April 29, 2019 Share Posted April 29, 2019 (edited) Just booked flights going late November for 6 days. Not overly fussed about spending too much time in Reykjavik, going to hire a 4x4 and see the real Iceland. Suggestions please. Waterfalls, natural springs etc... Edited April 29, 2019 by MONKMAN 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fife Journeyman Posted April 29, 2019 Share Posted April 29, 2019 2 hours ago, MONKMAN said: Just booked flights going late November for 6 days. Not overly fussed about spending too much time in Reykjavik, going to hire a 4x4 and see the real Iceland. Suggestions please. Waterfalls, natural springs etc... Head over to Olafsvik, that sits at the bottom of Snæfellsjökull Glacier. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arabdownunder Posted April 30, 2019 Share Posted April 30, 2019 Just booked flights going late November for 6 days. Not overly fussed about spending too much time in Reykjavik, going to hire a 4x4 and see the real Iceland. Suggestions please. Waterfalls, natural springs etc...https://bungalo.com Icelanders renting out their holiday cottages 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welshbairn Posted April 30, 2019 Share Posted April 30, 2019 Tempted by a package trip to Northern Iceland from Inverness in February. 4 nights including hotel is around £1000 though, seems a bit steep. https://www.superbreak.com/go/AF375/themeparks-attractions/incredible-iceland-from-inverness 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tarapoa Posted May 9, 2019 Share Posted May 9, 2019 (edited) Had two nights there en route to Denver in 2016, when they had the (now-canned) Aberdeen-Reykjavik option - which was great for avoiding flying back over our own house seven hours after leaving it when going to western US via London or Amsterdam. Stayed in a really minimalist hotel in a place called Hafnarfjordur - which I recognised from European fitba. It's a southern suburb of Reykjavik - which all in all is an unremarkable place in itself, but good for spotting fitba teams whose name you recognise (with their standard giant blancmange style indoor facilities) - even took a run up to Akranes for proper Dons nostalgia (played them twice in our glory years) - and they were playing Vikingur when we got there and I saw 10 minutes or so of it in town that reminded me of Fraserburgh or Macduff. Only had one full day there so did standard 'golden circle' - it was good, but most of the waterfalls and geyser attractions were mobbed with tourists. Saw that volcano that paralysed European aviation in the south - and had a look at the blue lagoon, which is a piss and a hop from the airport and presents a good layover option if your connection is 5+ hours. It's a barren place, and was hard to love too much as we have similar landscapes in Scotland percolated by more interesting ones - but 'the real Iceland' as mentioned would involve going round the whole island - and some kind of off road experience in the middle part with those crazy-tyred vehicles they have. Edited May 9, 2019 by tarapoa 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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