Did you read the Spin the Globe article in the May/June 2012 AFAR? There is a pretty hilarious article by Chris Colin and how he spent his time in Iceland....you should do the same only with less brown stuff.

Posted Jun 05, 2012

No comment on the brown stuff. And sadly I don't have any places to recommend outside Reykjavik. But when you're there, the best hostel is definitely the Downtown Hostel. Clean, comfy, central -- and they'll help you with any planning you need for the trip.

Have a blast, keep your nose clean and thanks for the rec, Colin.

C

Posted Jun 08, 2012

K'... We loved, and I mean loved Iceland Sandy...

A few suggestions as follows:

1. Cool Flea Market in downtown Reykavick: Kolaportio. Open Sat and Sun 11-5 Great finds. Lots of locals and young folks selling their wares here. And there is a brilliant and hip internet cafe that sits around the corner from this market. Sorry... I forgot the name of the cafe.... Last time we were at this cafe one of writers from Lonely Planet was sending off his feature.
2. Sorry to sound like a mother hen but please, please make sure your rental car offers a GPS because much of the country is uninhabited. Extreme weather conditions ( one minute it is sunny, then 20 minutes later it is raining heavily and I mean so hard we had to stop the car... ) and lack of mobile phone coverage, esp the highlands and few rural areas can be dangerous.

3. Check out Harpa for concerts. YOu would be amazed at this gorgeous concert hall, but also the price for admission tickets. Heck! They even offer a price for folks who are unemployed. How cool is that?!!

Posted Jun 10, 2012

Hi Sandy!
I visited Iceland in March - and did two minor roadtrips during a sunday with some friends. There is a site called safetravel.is where you should add your itinerary or at least let someone (I mean, someone) know where you are planning to head, when, how, with who and where. It'll help in case something does happen. You can just let your hostel staff know or the next hotel reception, or just post on the site your travel plans ahead. I think even the locals use it!
We drove just a quickie around Reykjavik to South and East during one day, but managed to cover about 400 kilometres of fantastic, beautiful, mouthgaping scenery, nice people, muddy roads, rainbows, sunshine, fishermen, a film crew, etc. Really, anything is possible and the things you least expect will most probably happen.
The best tip I could give is not to follow the touristic routes, but head inland and sleep in a tent watching a sunrise or set somewhere, where you can see a little cloud of dust in the horizon, coming from another car somewhere miles away. Just make sure you have all the equipment needed and you follow still some of those trails that you can call roads and do not go off tracks without a guide.
GPS - well, our car did have one, but let me tell you, it was more of trouble than help - the size of everything surprises you - the roads are really, really small outside Reykjavik and it might be hard to realise distances even with the GPS :) So bring also a compass and a printed map, lots of water, extra pair of dry and warm clothes and some food, flash light and some brains :) Iceland is pure magic.
If you'd like, try meeting some of the locals, as Inspired by Iceland invites you to meet some real icelanders: http://invitations.inspiredbyiceland.com/invitation/list
Even the President of Iceland invites people to his home, and I as many other guests did visit during Design March. It was one of the best memories - tasty local food, good stories and warm welcome to this inspiring country.

Posted Jun 21, 2012

Hi, Sandy. I just got back from Iceland. We were a group of eight and we stayed at Luna Hotel Apartments. We stayed there last year as well and loved it. The rates are very reasonable and the location can't be beat - right in the middle of town. I'm sorry I can't help outside of Reykjavik. You'll have a wonderful time! Enjoy!

Posted Jul 05, 2012