Osprey Holidays Blog

Lisa and Stephanie’s Trip to Reykjavik

Day 1:
We arrived in Reykjavik later on in the evening where our transfer bus Gray Line was waiting for us. With a 50 minute journey into the centre we were well on our way to soak up the Icelandic culture. Arriving at the Fosshotel Reykjavik, we dumped our bags and headed back out for a bite to eat. We found a great little pizza stop called Devitos – definitely one of the best pizzas we’ve ever had!

Day 2:
It was an early start for us, so we enjoyed a hearty breakfast and headed to the coach for our first tour of the day, The Golden Circle. With a 6 hour tour ahead of us, we were excited to see the 3 main attractions that we had heard so much about from colleagues and friends. It was a 45 minute drive until we reached our first stop, Iceland’s National Park. The sun had just begun to rise as we arrived, giving amazing views over Lake Þingvallavatn with the stunning greenery around us.

Our second stop was the one we were most looking forward to out of the 3 attractions. From the National Park to The Geysirs the journey took 50 minutes. The Geysirs were incredible to witness with several at the beginning of the trail and the largest, geyser Strokkur, just a 5 minute walk up a gentle hill. The hot springs erupt every 5-8 minutes so it wasn’t long before the action happened right in front of our eyes. The wait in the cold was completely worth it – an experience neither of us have had the pleasure of seeing before.

This was our longest stop so we treated ourselves to Icelandic fish & chips for lunch. With full tummies all round, we set off for our third and final stop of the tour, the Gulfoss ‘Golden’ Waterfall, just 15 minutes along from the Geysirs. We decided to brave the stairs to the viewing platform and get as close as possible to the powerful falls. Let’s just say, we weren’t disappointed! The waterfall was stunning, almost like looking at a picture from a magazine.

Soon enough, the time had flown by and the temperatures had dropped; it was time to head back to the hotel. Arriving back into Reykjavik late afternoon, we had our first hotel visit of the trip, Fosshotel Reykjavik. As we were staying here, we already had a good idea of the facilities on offer. After our tour, we decided to check out the main shopping street Laugavegur, a 5-minute walk away. The Laugavegur is a long street lined with many shops, restaurants, and bars, ranging from tourist to high end. The street itself takes around 30 mins to walk from one end to the other.

After having dinner at the Fosshotel Reykjavik it was time to layer up in search of the Northern Lights. Unfortunately, it wasn’t our night and the lights didn’t make an appearance. Luckily with Reykjavik excursions you can book again every night for up to 2 years, so we booked again for the next day.

Day 3:
We started our 5 hotel visits, all within walking distance of each other. Each hotel had different personalities with unique characteristics. The hotel’s we visited were:

Hotel Holt – 4*
Center Hotel Plaza – 3*
Reykjavik Centrum -4*
Hotel Borg by Keahotels – 4*
Apotek by Keahotels – 4*

With our successful hotel visits completed, it was time to make our way back, grab our swimwear and head to the Sky Lagoon.

The Sky Lagoon
The lagoon was like stepping into a bath, exactly what we needed after our morning visits. The views across Reykjavik alone are out of this world, with the infinity ledge over looking the Atlantic ocean you could very well be in paradise. The swim up bar was a must because let’s face it…. who doesn’t want a picture holding a glass of fizz while floating in a natural lagoon surrounded by incredible nature!

The 7 step ritual is unique to the Sky Lagoon and we both managed 2 minutes in the cold plunge pool. For us the sauna was a much better ritual!

Back to Reykjavik we went for another hotel visit, the 5* Reykjavik Edition. We also had the pleasure of dining in the Tides restaurant, the food was out of this world. After dinner it was time to head back out to try to catch the Northern Lights! Despite conditions being better it just wasn’t meant to be. Nevermind, it’s a perfect excuse to return to Iceland…

Day 4:
More hotel visit visits for us to complete our trip. Each hotel was in a superb location and walkable to the main Laugavegur and each hotel was unique in its own way. We visited:

Fosshotel Raudara – 3*
Hotel Klettur – 3*
Sand Hotel by Keahotels – 4*

Sadly our time in Iceland was coming to an end, so we headed back to the airport for our flight home. Iceland, its been a blast!

To find out more about Lisa and Stephanie’s visit to Reykjavik or if you’re interested in a similar trip,
give the team a call on 0131 243 8098 or send us an email.

Tags: agent, city breaks, FAM trip, holiday, Hotels, Iceland, Luxury, northern lights, osprey holidays, reykjavik
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