Best Trip Ever - Hands Down!
Iceland
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May 24 - Jun 3, 2025
Our family trip to Iceland was the best family vacation we have ever experienced and I give kimkim all of the credit for making it happen smoothly. I can't thank Noga (our local specialist), enough for her skillful, end-to-end planning that allowed us connect all of the dots on a 10-day itinerary that included six hotels, pre-reserved daily activities (i.e., Kayaking, Rafting, Horseback Riding, Whale Watching, etc.) and included self-guided experiences aligned with our family interests.
Logistics couldn't have been better. We circled Iceland on the "Ring Road" with extended stays in locations that allowed us to see what we wanted to see (and do). We knew we wanted to be outside as much as possible to see the incredible, natural wonders Iceland serves up around each turn. The hotels and outfitters kimkim chose to facilitate our accommodations and adventures were superb. Everyone was friendly, insightful and you could see they enjoyed being in the business they were in, whether it was hospitality or adventure guides. Usually, I am the master planner on our family trips, but Noga was excellent in conducting high-level planning to capture wishes and expectations, price range, allocation of time, and then detailed planning took place. This part of the process was extremely informative, completely collaborative, and left me in the driver's seat to make final decisions. Kimkim did all of the planning legwork that is essential in planning a successful vacation experience, particularly in a country I knew nothin about. The ROI (return on investment) with kimkim was extremely high for me. You can measure that in the satisfaction of of everyone participating in the trip, which for me was my family. My reputation as being awesome Dad is still intact.
Because of Noga and the kimkim team (Carina for sure), I intend to use kimkim again on a future international trip we are considering.
Hotel Reviews
Wonderful in-town setting that was clean, cozy and comfortable. We arrived to late too sample dinner but the breakfast buffet the next day was excellent, and the staff were very friendly and accommodating. We only stayed one night. We felt this was one of the better hotels on our 10-day trip, and would stay here again.
A great, secluded location near the coast and right off the Ring Road that provided contemporary charm and elegance. While we were unable to take advantage of internal services such as hot tub, pool, and sauna due to our time constraints, it was clear guests were enjoying all of them. Dinners were elegantly prepared and catered to a broad set of tastes and preferences. We were able to save time by having a breakfast to go option that allowed us to select various food items and take in the car. Views of the glacier outside our hotel room were fantastic. Hotel exuded more upscale in terms of services and furnishings. Would definitely revisit again.
Arrived late, missed dinner and nothing was available in town. That situation was on us, but points out there are, at times, few options to eat when travelling the Ring Road. We intentionally prioritized seeing the country and taking advantage of extended daylight. Seemed a little harder to move our luggage in and out of the hotel. Room was warm, but it did have a mobile fan. Windows could open but there were no screens and some flies were beginning to hatch outside so we just used the fan. Not crazy about the overall location, however we did find a wonderful homemade, farm fresh, ice-cream parlor in the area and "Daddy's Pizza" was great for a lunch.
We loved the town of Husavik and the Fosshotel Husavik was well situated to enable exploration of the harbor, surrounding restaurants and shopping. Staff were helpful and accommodating.
Stayed two nights, incredible location with views of the surrounding mountains and ocean lagoon. Staff were very friendly and helpful. Service was excellent.
Our last night in Iceland we stayed at this hotel and didn't have a lot of exposure to internal services. First impressions ... the reception area is cramped (right next to dining), the access to elevators was somewhat impeded with construction / barrier. We did not eat dinner or breakfast here.
Activity Reviews
We loved the team of guides at the Black Sand Beach. The horse ride was a good way to see the beach and surrounding area. Everything was executed well. Icelandic horses have a charm all their own.
Overall an entertaining and informative tour into an ice cave contained in the 2nd largest glacier in Iceland, something we had never done before. The previous year we visited glaciers in Canada, but this was a more hands-on exposure through both lava fields and glacial structures. Had hoped for more individual cave rooms than what we saw, but that is a function of mother nature versus the outfitter.
There are so many waterfalls in Iceland that you lose count. You will see high volume, forceful displays of hydraulics that will amaze anyone, as well as small, poetic wisps of water cascading down a huge cliff. That being said, Godafoss was our favorite as a beautiful, quintessential waterfall that could easily be our trip icon.
Great kayaking is all about what you are doing and where you are doing it. It doesn't get any better than kayaking a glacial, iceberg-laded lagoon. Equipment was superb.
Just amazing!
Another one of those "we've never done this before" experiences that Iceland seems to deliver all over the island. Can't say enough about how much we anticipated this particular activity. My daughter just graduated in zoology and wishes to become a marine biologist. This was partly her idea and I have to say it exceeded everyone's expectations. You can't make whales magically appear, but we saw plenty of humpbacks.
I'm personally not a big fan of spas or bathing with strangers but my wife and daughter enjoyed it. As far as Icelandic spas go I think this one is a little more scenic (oceanic views) and private (fewer people) versus the gigantic Blue Lagoon.
We opted for more time touring of the country versus seeing Reykyavik. I personaly would have like to have taken more time to see the city. The day we were visiting Reykavik was quite cold and windy as a gale had swept into the area. We walked to the old town section from our hotel and it was a lot of fun. There is really no crime to speak of so we felt completely safe. We walked to Hallgrimskirkja and enjoyed the Loki Cafe (lamb soup was fantastic), which was right next door. The girls wanted to see the Rainbow street and did some shopping. This is a nice, historic section of town. Had dinner in a ramen restaurant and were not overjoyed.
I can't say enough about this activity as well. It was the perfect length of time (~ 3 hours) and the rivers cuts through wonderful canyon-like landscape. Mostly class 2 and class 3 rapids. Plan on getting wet, but not getting dunked. Gear was fantastic and the guides are great ... very safety conscious.
Not bad but the hike was a little more demanding than what you would expect in a shoreline hike.
This was a must see and the photo you see in brochures is the real deal.
Thank you so much for the wonderful review, Rick! It was a true pleasure working with you and your family to craft such a memorable adventure. I'm thrilled to hear you enjoyed your itinerary and all the exciting activities along the way. I’d love to help you plan your next journey whenever you're ready to return to the land of fire and ice!