[Baron von Kriterium]

We just returned from a one week trip to Iceland. It was fantastic! We are already making plans for a summer trip in the next few years.

We spent the first two days in Reykjavik just basically walking around. We didn't do any of the museums although I heard from several others that they are all very good. Part of our package deal with Icelandair included a visit to the Fontana Geothermal Spa at Laugarvatn followed by some aurora action. To do this separately with Reykjavik Excursions is about $170/person. Really not worh it, in my opinion. The spa by itself is about $40/person, which is expensive for sitting in some hot water. For the northern lights, I should have been paid, because I was the one walking around advising people how to set up their cameras. I would have thought the guide should have that knowledge. That was fun, though!

All of the Reykjavik Excursions trips are pricey and it is far cheaper to rent a car and just do your own thing. Which is what we did - rented a car for three days. On day 1 we drove the Golden Circle. It was snowing most of the way so it is difficult to judge as we couldn't see much. Gullfoss was under clear skies, though. It is spectacular or sure, but it loses some of its appeal for me due to all of the tourists. Summer would be better as you can hike and get away from the crowds.

On day 2, we drove to the Snaefellsnes Peninsula. Wow! This was the highlight for me. Perfect weather and no crowds. I would rank this trip significantly higher than the Golden Circle.

We drove to Vik on the south coast to see the black sand beach and the basalt columns. This was spectacular as well and was my wife's favorite journey. On the way back to Reykjavik, we stopped in a small coastal village called Stokkseyri (south of Selfoss) where we dined on Norwegian lobsters (langostines) for Valentine's dinner. This was an awesome meal - highly recommended, and not too far off the beaten path.

The restaurant is Fjorubordid.

My only gripe was the Flybus (operated by Reykjavik Excursions of course).
Our plane landed at 0600 and we cleared customs quickly and found the Flybus. We were the first to arrive and had to wait an hour before departing Keflavik. The bus then took us to a central terminal, where we had to unload and wait for smaller shuttles. We got to our hotel at about 0930 which really wasn't enough time to prepare (we couldn't check-in early without paying 50 Euros) for our walking tour at 1000. And it was freaking cold that Tuesday morning. The air temp was maybe -5 but the wind was howling at about 40 km/hr and then you add some humidity and it was darn right chilly without longjohns.

We coped, however, but it didn't make for an enjoyable walking tour.

Long story short, if you can find an alternate to the Flybus, you might want to consider it. But I think taxis are over $100 for one way so I'm not sure there are alternatives other than renting a car.

The pros definitely outweigh the cons, though, and we'll be back!