ICELAND! I can’t believe this trip finally happened, and I’m so incredibly happy that Melissa talked me into going. It was EPIC right from our very first day at the Blue Lagoon!

Traveling to Iceland is becoming increasingly easier. There are now several airlines that fly into the capital city of Reykjavik including Delta, Icelandair, and WOW. I flew on Delta (TPA –> JFK –> KEF) simply because it was the cheapest and easiest route  for me, but if you are flying out of a larger city such as New York or Chicago, you should check out Icelandair. My flight was on a new plane, and somehow they have managed to make the seats even smaller. As an added bonus, if you managed to score an aisle seat, you won’t get your full foot/leg room as a support bar for the seat in front of you is in your space. On the bright side though, there are chargers at all the seats, the entertainment system is great with way too many movie choices, the food is decent, and the booze is free and unlimited!. I got a tasty spicy Asian noodle salad, fresh fruit bowl, and a cinnamon brownie. On hindsight, I really should have skipped the dinner and tried to sleep, because once I finished eating, I then had to finish the movie I was watching, and then I only had 2.5 hours before arriving with a full day of adventures ahead of me. Whoops!

Once I arrived in Reykjavik, I followed the “Arrivals” signs which eventually lead me to a long line for Passport Control. Evidently an Icelandair flight had landed right before us, so there was quite a long line, but it still only took 10-15 minutes to get through. After that, I again followed the “Arrivals” signs which lead me to a closed door. Huh? I stood there for a minute and exchanged shoulder shrugs with another passenger who also clearly had no idea what to do. Then the doors miraculously opened. Weird! And, standing on the other side was Melissa! Hurray!!

Blue Lagoon

We weren’t renting a car for the trip because we were concerned about driving in snow storms in a foreign country, so that left us with the only option for getting to Reykjavik. The bus. It is about a 45 – 60 minute ride into the city which would put us getting there at roughly 9 am. We didn’t really like the sound of tiredly walking around the city for hours until we could check into our hostel, so we opted to be dropped off at the famous Blue Lagoon along the way. The Blue Lagoon is a bit pricey ($45 not including transportation, drinks, food, towels, etc), but this ended up being a great decision and I highly recommend starting the trip this way.  (See the Blue Lagoon packing list at the bottom of this page so you know what to pack separately in your luggage!) Once you arrive at the lagoon, there is a luggage building where you can store your bags for 4 euros each. Then, you walk down a cool little path with lava rocks piled on each side until you come to the lagoon.

You will be given a wrist band when you check in and this allows you access to the lagoon, your locker, and allows you to buy drinks and snacks. (And, yes, there is a bar in the lagoon so you don’t even have to get out of the water). The locker rooms are pretty standard with a bunch of lockers (duh) and one private changing area per room for those of us who don’t like being naked in front of everyone. After changing, you proceed to the shower room where they encourage everyone to shower naked, but thankfully the showers now have a privacy door in front of them. Then, you are off to the lagoon! Tip: Don’t go outside like everyone else. When you exit the shower area, turn left and enter the little indoor part of the lagoon. There is a secret little door at the end that’s half under water and lets you go outside straight into the lagoon.

We spent several hours soaking in the Blue Lagoon. The scenery is breathtaking with a stark contrast between the black lava rocks and the light blue water. Find a spot and just relax. There are stations where you can get masks for your face, a swim up bar with yummy Skyr smoothies, steam rooms, and even a little cave that explains the history of the lagoon. When you start looking like a raisin, there is a lounge on the second floor with super comfy reclining chairs and a view over the entire lagoon.

After we had our fill of the Blue Lagoon, we headed back to the locker room to shower and change. Shower gel and conditioner were provided in the showers, and hairdryers, q-tips, and plastic bags for wet bathing suits were provided in the locker room. Then we jumped on the next bus and headed to Reykjavik! (Tip: You can use the same bus ticket that you used to get to the lagoon. There is no need to get another one).

Reykjavik:

We stayed at the Reykjavik Downtown Hostel which was awesome. Typically I stay in dorms at hostels, but we rented a private double room which worked out perfectly. The room itself had 2 twin beds, 2 night stands, a chair, a closet, and a window overlooking the harbor. Right outside our room was a little common area just for the 4 rooms on our floor and a small kitchen with a sink, fridge, coffee pot, microwave, toaster, and dishes. There was a larger kitchen downstairs if we needed a stove. There were also 2 shared bathrooms on the floor with a shower in one of them. The shower was nice and hot with good water pressure. Also, the crowd staying at this hostel appeared to be older and quieter which was a huge bonus since we were going to have very busy days and tired nights ahead of us.

After unpacking, we headed out in search of dinner. Luckily, our hostel was only a couple blocks from the main street with all the restaurants and shops. We were too tired to do much searching, so we ended up at one of the first places we spotted, the Laundromat Cafe (they supposedly have an actual laundromat in the basement though I didn’t check it out myself). We grabbed a seat at the bar and both had a grilled ham and cheese sandwich with fries. The portions were large, the food was hot, and everything definitely hit the spot. We also got tap water, which is what we drank the entire trip because the Icelandic water is the most delicious and fresh tasting water you’ll ever find.

 

The Blue Lagoon Packing List:

• Bathing suit (can rent)
• Towel (can rent)
• Flip Flops (can rent)
• Face Wash
• Shampoo
• Comb/Brush
• Hair tie to keep hair out of water
• Underwater camera
• Body wash, conditioner, hair dryers, and plastic bags for wet swim suits are provided at the Blue Lagoon for no additional charge
• Don’t take jewelry! It can tarnish!