Breathtakingly beautiful Iceland with terrific guidance!

Iceland | Aug 25 - Sep 5, 2025

Located on busy Laugavegur street in central Reykjavik, the hotel is centrally located to easily walk to many of the tourist attractions and eateries in the city. While the hotel staff upgraded our room at no charge, our room was on the second floor facing two noisy streets. There was a lot of street noise and loud music playing until 2 am. A room in the back of the hotel might have been smaller and less "scenic" but quieter. The breakfast was served in a small room and was a bit sparse compared to other hotels where we stayed in Iceland.

Hotel located on current farm in a bit of a more remote location which might have been great for Northern Lights if there were any! Hotel rooms themselves are newer with big bathrooms in a dormitory-style building. Very clean! Breakfast was in the main building and was delicious! Coffee machines offering lattes, cappucinos, and espressos! Wake up to a view of the nearby glacier! Highly recommend!

This hotel complex is located just outside of Vík at the foot of Katla glacier. The hotel is a series of buildings with dormitory-style hotel rooms. The room was modern, clean, and comfortable. Their hot/cold breakfast was generous and tasty. Coffee options were excellent!

Modern multi-level hotel with a view of the North Atlantic Ocean. Very clean and comfortable. Hotel restaurant was convenient after a long day of sightseeing.

After a long day driving along the Eastern Fjords (and lots of mist!) we snuggled into the comfort of this more modern hotel and enjoyed the nice warm shower! We found this hotel to be more Icelandic modern in style situated in town across from a construction site. We stayed on a weekend and did not wake up to any construction noise, but might have if we stayed on a week night. Breakfast was delicious and plentiful with good coffee choices!

We were charmed by this hotel on the edge of downtown Húsavik. It is an easy 10-minute walk to the harbor front. Since we stayed two nights here, the hotel staff upgraded our room at no charge to a room in the front of the hotel overlooking the bay. This is a family-run hotel with extremely friendly staff. The hotel has an older feel, but that added to it's overall charm. The library (where breakfast is served) is filled with old books in Icelandic and decor that reflects the hotel's history. Check out the little elf house in the yard outside!

This hotel was previously a boarding school purchased by a young couple a couple of years ago. It is in a very remote location (miles of gravel roads) on the way to Hvítsekur. The owners also run a horse farm adjacent to the hotel, so viewing the beautiful Icelandic horses from our hotel windows was a plus. However, the rooms really do give off a boarding school vibe and are in desperate need of some upgrading. The bathroom was really tiny with an exceptionally small corner shower with a "sticky" shower curtain. Due to the remote location, our dinner option was limited to the hotel restaurant with very limited offerings. Breakfast was a bit sparse with a lackluster spread.

Located within a university with adjacent university apartment housing just off the Ring Road in West Iceland, this hotel had converted apartment house vibes. The room itself was spacious, updated, very modern, and clean with a gigantic shower! The area itself feels a bit residential with not a lot of restaurants but we had already had dinner in Borgarnes, 30 minutes away. Breakfast was plentiful with a good variety of both hot and cold offerings. Great coffee options!

This multi-level hotel is located the busy Laugavegur street which puts you right in the middle of many Reykjavik attractions. It also puts you right in the middle of a lot of street noise if you are placed in a street facing room! Aesthetically pleasing hotel with a rustic/modern vibe. Easy walk down to the harbor, the church, or to the infamous Brauð bakery! A convenient grocery store is right next to the hotel if you need some snacks for the road.

As avid snorkelers, this was a once-in-a-lifetime experience! With our own base thermal layer and a thermal jumpsuit and dry suit/hood/gloves provided by Dive.is, we were pleasantly warm enough to thoroughly enjoy this 30-minute swim in freezing cold waters. Mind-blowing to snorkel the crystal-clear blue water and reach out to touch Europe on one side and North America on the other! Highly recommend for the experienced snorkeler.

Our Glacier and Ice Cave hike with Southcoast Adventure was incredible! After loading a group of about 14 onto a special shuttle, we traveled about 30 minutes to Katla Glacier. After donning helmets and crampons, our guide led us up on a winding path to the ice cave. We stopped at one point to chop at and sample 800 year-old ice. We marveled at how nature has carved out an ice cave out of the glacial ice and stood speechless before it's amazing beauty. Truly a unique experience. Those with limited mobility should probably not attempt this hike.

Boarded an amphibian boat with about 20 other people to be delivered onto the Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon, so for anyone who has never ridden in an amphibious vehicle, it was unique! While the boat was somewhat crowded, once we were out on the lake and free to move around, there was plenty of opportunity to look at all of the magical scenery! How other-worldly to be surrounded by floating icebergs recently calved off of the nearly glacier!

Departing from Húsavik harbor on a traditional oak fishing boat in Skjálfandi Bay with North Sailing was an unforgettable experience. After about an hour of very misty sailing and some informative narration by our very knowledgable guide, we stopped in an area that revealed a number of active humpback whales. Lots of opportunity to take photos and videos to document the experience! Hot chocolate and cinnamon cookies were a bonus!

About 40 minutes outside of Reykjavik, we went on a guided caving tour of the incredible Lava Tunnel. Over about one hour, we hiked over rocky paths and footbridges which traverse the tunnel's rocky terrain. Along the way, our guide pointed out various geologic features and explained how the tunnel came to be. The tunnel lighting showcases the vivid colors and volcanic rock formations and a "lights out" demonstration illustrated just how dark a tunnel can be!