Iceland Offbeat

Just returned from the most wonderful trip to Iceland. Eric, our specialist, really understood the sort of vacation we wanted to have and put together an excellent itinerary for us to follow as we drove the Ring Road. It was so nice to have a handful of experiences all booked and paid for with self guided tours in-between. Everyday was an adventure, and just when we thought we had seen or experienced everything, the next day proved us wrong!
Thank you Eric and Kimkim for a very memorable experience.

Hanna created an amazing adventure for my son and I in Iceland. The Katla Ice Caves were a next level experience on the glaciers! Trip provided clear directions with so many options of the best things to do and see from hikes, waterfalls, Diamond Beach, and food options. We slept well every night! Hanna’s choices of hotels all included comfortable beds, great breakfasts and dinner options. Food was expensive so appreciated having a solid breakfast then picking up lunches at local grocery shops while out exploring. Thank you Hanna!!

We had a wonderful time on our 9-day visit to Snaefellsnes Peninsula and the Golden Circle. The scenery is all amazing and so dramatic! The most spectacular waterfalls and canyons were only a short hike from each parking lot, and every parking lot had clean restrooms. Visiting in late April turned out perfect; we had the best weather - no rain until the day we left, and even the most popular sights were not too crowded. We really enjoyed the lava cave tour, the Zipline Iceland tour in Vik, and the Settlement Center at Borgarnes, and the Reykjavik food tour was a real highlight. We visited Hvammsvik Hot Springs and the Sky Lagoon, which were each very neat. Our accommodations were all comfortable and the breakfasts were very good. I wish we had planned more historic locations, but with all the driving needed to see everything, I think we fit in as much as we could with the time we had. The only thing that would have improved the trip is seeing puffins and the aurora borealis, but we'll have to return for that!

Iceland Trip: April 2025: April 12 - April 19
Transportation: Rented a 4WD Landcruiser
Distance Covered: approximately 1800 kilometers.

Jenny from KimKim helped organize this amazing trip for my family of 5. We chose midrange for accommodation and we covered west, south west, and most of south Iceland up to Jokulsarlon - Glacier Lagoon. We followed all of what Jenny had planned for us and also did a few things on our own.

Jenny really understood my family needs and planned accordingly. Her selection of mid and high range hotels, which is what I requested was great. Each hotel and/or the hotel location offered something very unique, such a a geothermal pool, a beautiful hiking landscape, short driving distance to interesting places etc. With 3 active boys with ages ranging from 18 to 5 - I knew breakfast was important and I requested that all accommodations include breakfast, so we can eat quickly and hop on to our daily site seeing adventure. This helped because I was aware of time change challenges and to not waste time looking for a breakfast place in the morning.

Jenny help to match the site seeing locations and provide Google map links and times was very helpful for us to plan our day. This helped the boys pick some extra places to see that was of their interest and also in the area. Without Jenny's help, I don't think I would have been able to plan our trip so well.

Definitely recommend Jenny for Iceland and KimKim for their expert advice. The way things were planned and provided was the best travel advisory services I have encountered to date! Thank you Jenny and KimKim!

Activity Reviews

The Secret Lagoon

Iceland

While we didn't get to enjoy this place as we arrived 2 hours late for our appointment, the front reception was very understanding and recommended we come back the next day morning. Our appointment was at 4pm but we arrived onsite closer to 6pm. My family was tired from our long hike at Thingvellier National Park and we lost track of time. The following morning due to our trip being in the opposite direction to where Secret Lagoon is located, we had no choice but to skip visiting this place. When we went to Secret Lagoon around 5:45pm, the place was still crowded but lot of people were seen leaving.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Blue Lagoon

Iceland

Blue Lagoon appointment time: 6:00pm on a Friday April 2025 was my family's first trip to Iceland and visit to Blue Lagoon. Jenny from KimKim conveniently booked the Blue Lagoon trip towards the end of my family's Iceland trip - it was a great way to enjoy a relaxed itinerary before heading home. This was also convenient because the next day morning, the drive to KEF airport was only 22km and this made it easy as I was traveling with kids - youngest 5 year old. Blue Lagoon Experience: When we arrived at Blue Lagoon - the line up from check-in was long. We waited in line for about 35mins. Some were able to skip line by going through express check-in but I did not receive this feature. However, express check-in did not do much since I noticed, reception was holding back people due to lack of locker availability. To me - Blue Lagoon felt more like a theme park - very crowded and long line. Blue Lagoon water temperature is pretty high. My 5 year old started complaining after about 15mins in the pool that he wanted to leave. I helped him move around to a slightly cooler area. Children are recommended to not stay longer than 45mins.

Excellent trip with a ton a wonderful sights and experiences. The staff was very responsive throughout the process and always accessible. Our group had an ambitious itinerary which was modified necessary, on the fly, with ease. All the planning was great and thus it allowed us to efficiently navigate this amazing island. Adam and his team did a great job and if we do Iceland again, I will be emailing him first!
Thanks!

We'd like to thank KimKim and Jenny for organizing a fantastic trip! We got to see things that we had previously only dreamed of. Jenny was very prompt and would help us fix any problems that arose. Because of her and KimKim, we had a blast! I highly recommend KimKim for future travelers. It's a hassle-free experience and we truly enjoyed every minute of our trip.

We had Adam plan a road trip for my family and me across Iceland, and it was a fantastic experience from start to finish. The trip was thoughtfully planned and captured all the key highlights of the country — from dramatic waterfalls and black sand beaches to geothermal hot springs and charming small towns. Every detail was taken care of, making the journey smooth and stress-free. Adam clearly knows Iceland well and tailored the itinerary to suit our interests perfectly. Highly recommend!

Eric planned an unforgettable trip for our family! It was the exact pace we needed plus hitting all the must see spots and more! His trip details and notes and quick links for daily driving plans and food options made planning our days exploring and driving the countryside seamless. He and his team helped during the trip to reschedule a whale watching tour due to weather and were so responsive. We had a trip of a lifetime. Thank you Eric !

Hanna was wonderful and the planning process was very easy. We had no hiccups along the way, everything was seamless with all of our accommodations and tours. Thor was our guide for the Crystal Blue Ice Cave tour and he was fantastic! Definitely recommend Skalholt Cottages, beautiful quiet location and wonderful space for a family of 4. Plan for time in Vik after the Lava Show (also highly recommend for the kids) - black crust pizza nearby and the team at Smidjan brewery were so friendly with great desserts for the kids too. If you're planning to head to Keflavik early to stay the night before a flight don't rush to get there - there isn't much to do especially for young travelers.

Hotel Reviews

Grey Apartments

Reykjavik

Great location, comfortable enough accommodations with kitchen conveniences. Parking was tricky - be prepared especially if you're arriving late and plan ahead for the nearest garage as you cannot count on street parking.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Cleanliness & Comfort

More pillows

Skalholt Cottages

Selfoss

My favorite hotel on our trip - plenty of kitchen space (we cooked an entire dinner!) along with outdoor grill. Spacious bedrooms and plenty of room to stretch out in the living area as well as sit comfortably at the dinner table. Hot tub was a wonderful added bonus. The hosts were incredibly friendly and accommodating.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Castle Inn Apartments - Downtown Keflavik

Keflavik

There is an upper and lower level, we were on the lower level which felt like walking into a basement with windows right at street level. The toilet ran the entire time we were there which was quite noisy. The kitchen area is a bit cramped, we ate out but our family of 4 could not have sat comfortably around the table. The living room and bedrooms were very spacious however. Street parking was no problem and it was an easy drive to the airport.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Easy to airport, but very little walking distance around for things to do.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Stracta Apartments Orustustaðir

Kirkjubæjarklaustur

Definitely not worth the ~10 minutes off the main road to get to. We felt like we wasted an entire hour of driving and gas back and forth over 2 nights. There were permanent lights on around the perimeter of the building making it very bright at night, so didn't even have the benefit of darkness for Northern Light hunting. Paper thin walls and very small bathroom - no way for more than 1 person to be in at a time.

Authenticity & Character

It was "modern" and "pretty" but I would not say that gives it authenticity or character

Location

Too far off main road

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very new so felt clean and the beds/linens were comfortable.

Activity Reviews

Crystal Blue Ice Cave

Iceland

Incredible experience - Thor was great!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Icelandic Lava Show

Iceland

Definitely a must - especially if traveling with kids. Highlight of the entire week for both my 8 and 12 year old sons.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The Secret Lagoon

Iceland

Quality of Experience

Rye Bread tour (Geothermal bakery)

Iceland

Fun experience to see how the bread bakes underground. The guide allowed my sons to both help bury the next loaf, and they enjoyed that interactive portion. The view on the lake is beautiful. Plenty of portions of both the bread and fish.

Northern Lights Hunt Super Jeep Tour

Iceland

We did not see the lights, which we understood going into it but was still disappointing. Our guide (could not pronounce his Icelandic name but translates to reindeer so he said call him "Buck") tried many different locations including turning around at one point when a tip came to head in a different direction. He was very knowledgeable in teaching about the methods behind the "hunt". He was able to capture faint lights above us on a photo, which made it not feel like a total loss. The Jeep-side hot chocolate and cookies were a nice touch.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport