WHERE: Iceland; perimeter Ring Road loop, minus the Westfjord

WHEN: September 2021

TRAVEL PROFILE: Traveled as a couple; spending a few days in Reykjavík before renting a car to drive counterclockwise around the island nation. We did not travel into the rugged terrain of the Westfjord, opting instead to spend time traveling the Snæfellsnes Peninsula, often called “Iceland in a Nutshell” due to its concentration of beautiful geography in a relatively confined space.

REYKJAVIK

NOTES

We visited Iceland’s capital city during peak COVID, closely following guidelines the country put in place while trying to rebound some of its tourism business and re-start its economy. We were sensitive to the needs for protection with the community, and Iceland was welcoming and well-organized in its response to the pandemic for visitors. The city is compact, highly walkable, and full of creative energy. Cozy, artistic, individualistic — this is what I took away from my time there

Travel hack (but possibly impacted): when we arrived in the morning after flying from the US overnight, we picked up our rental car and drove immediately to the infamous Blue Lagoon. It allowed us to ease into the weather, get some hot bath comfort, and fight off the slight jetlag from the travel from the east coast of the US. Due to recent and on-going eruptions (which actually started back in 2021, during out visit), Blue Lagoon has been on and off closed, with lava hitting as close as the parking lot

LODGING

Reykjavik Konsulat Hotel (stayed) - instagram - we booked this hotel through our Hilton status and program points. It is perfectly located in the pedestrian-centric portion of the city (note: valet is helpful, as parking is equally expensive, but the city center is easy to navigate.) Our room had a nice view over the town center and staff was friendly, with nice amenities and food/drink available on-site at the Wine Room
The Reykjavik EDITION - instagram - 1 Michelin Key - a stylish and nightlife-oriented luxury hotel located along the harbor, walking distance to some of the city’s best downtown nightlife

FOOD

Note: we tried to focus on unique and interesting restaurants in the city. Unfortunately, many of these concepts didn’t survive COVID

Food Cellar - instagram - a grill and cocktail bar in a 160 year old building in the city center with a recessed outdoor patio (seasonal)
Makake (now closed)
The Coocoo’s Nest (now closed)

COFFEE, COCKTAILS + THINGS TO DO

Blue Lagoon (hot springs; enjoyed) - instagram - Grindavik - an infamous collection of hot springs that feature day passes, cocktails/beers in the baths, skin care, a restaurant, and even lodging. It is about 30 minutes away from Keflavik (international arrival airport) and about 45-60 minutes away from Reykjavik. It is a great place to start your morning after an overnight flight from the States. Keep an eye on current volcanic conditions
22 Bar (beer + cocktails; enjoyed) - instagram - LGTBQ+-friendly (as is all of Iceland to be honest) serving great beer, cocktails, and music in a cozy setting
Bravo (beer + cocktails; enjoyed) - website - might as well stop calling bars LGTBQ+-friendly, they all are! Great spot for electronic and DJ music and cocktails, with a large selection of local and imported craft beer
Einstok (brewery; enjoyed) - instagram - fantastic local brewer to Iceland, from Akureyi to the north, featured in a tasting room in the heart of the city

GOLDEN CIRCLE

NOTES

The Golden Circle is an international travel term for a loop that allows you to see some of Iceland’s most famous sites over the span of 1-3 days. It is great for people visiting for long weekends and want to experience some of the ruggedness of the country without taking the time and effort to travel far from Reykjavik. There are numerous tour groups offering tour buses, but our recommendation would be to rent a car (any car is fine) and drive the loop over 2-3 days. Geysers, glaciers, and the Great Rift can all be found here.

LODGING

Litli Geysir Hotel (stayed) - instagram - Golden Circle - this hotel is a quaint, cozy, and simple lodging located a 5-minute walk across the street from the Litli Geysir, a popular tourist spot consisting of geothermal pools and several geysers. We enjoyed a few Icelandic beers in the cozy lobby playing board games once the sunset over the rugged terrain. Close by, 2-3 minute walk, is Geysir Center, which includes and outdoor gear shop, a coffee shop/cafe, and a nice restaurant, as well as the larger Hotel Geysir
Efstidalur Farm Hotel - instagram - Golden Circle - a few rooms located on a beautiful cattle farm, with a popular ice cream shop and restaurant located on-site

FOOD

Hotel Geysir Restaurant (dined) - instagram - Golden Circle - an elevated restaurant that caters to the visitors to the Geysir area of the Golden Circle. Food included local Icelandic cuisine and elevated continental dishes in a stylish setting. Pricey, but we enjoyed it
Friðheimar (dined) - instagram - Golden Circle - one of the most unique meals we had in all of Europe, let alone Iceland. We dined in a giant greenhouse surrounded by beautiful tomato vines, in a rainbow of ripeness, with pollinating bees circulating in the more quiet areas of the greenhouse, which can be toured as a part of the meal. The menu obviously features tomato forward dishes, and it was a cozy and satisfying meal in an unusual and beautiful setting

COFFEE, COCKTAILS + THINGS TO DO

Efstidalur (ice cream + restaurant, enjoyed ice cream + coffee) - instagram - Golden Circle - a family-run dairy farm with a hotel, ice cream, and restaurant on-site. We picked up ice cream and some coffee

VIK + SOUTH ICELAND

NOTES

LODGING

Volcano Hotel (stayed) - website -Vik - a simple, but beautiful hotel about a 15 minute drive away from downtown Vik, through the stunning foothills of the dormant Eyjafjallajökull volcano and glacier that towers over Vik. Sprawling views of the rugged country-side, Volcano Hotel provided a quiet respite from an already quiet town, but we appreciated the views and coziness
Ekra Glacier Lagoon (stayed) - website - southern coast - Ekra Glacier Lagoon is a self-service, connected series of cozy rooms, all facing the raw, southern coast of the country. Behind the hotel, the cliffs of the foothills of the giant glacial volcano to the north and to the southwest sits the infamous Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon, near Diamond Beach
Fosshotel Glacier Lagoon - instagram - southern coast - Michelin Guide - a contemporary luxury hotel carved into the landscape of the rugged southern coast, with access to many of the same nearby sites as Ekra, run by the Island Hotels group

FOOD

Smiðjan Brugghús (dined) - instagram - Vik - beer, wings, burgers, ribs. Perfect. Great food, cozy and energetic atmosphere

COFFEE, COCKTAILS + THINGS TO DO

Skool Beans Cafe (coffee; enjoyed) - instagram - Vik - who wouldn’t love drinking inside a cozy, retrofitted school bus-turned-coffee house with views of volcanic, black sand beaches?!

EASTERN ICELAND

NOTES

As one rounds around to the southeast of the massive Vatnajökull glacier/national park, taking up almost 10% of the country’s landmass, you enter the dramatic rising and falling roads of Eastern Iceland. Made famous by the scene in The Secret Life of Walter Mitty where Ben Stiller (and a body double) skateboarded down the street pictured above into Seyðisfjörður. Our hub for our time in this part of the country was a beautiful lodge outside of the small town of Egilsstaðir. While the Golden Circle and Snæfellsnes Peninsula are typically quite busy, the east and north portions of the country are quite sparse, and it provided us a beautifully remote sense of peace.

LODGING

Hotel 1001 Nott (stayed) - website - Egilsstaðir - a beautiful, single story lodge in the remote river plains outside of town. Beautiful evergreens tower over the two hot tubs where one can soak in the northern lights, which I pictured at the start of this article

FOOD

Askur Taproom (dined) - instagram - Egilsstaðir - an enjoyable pizza and beer taproom in the heart of town

COFFEE, COCKTAILS + THINGS TO DO

Seyðisfjörður (town, art district) - wikipedia - a small town on the eastern coast of Iceland, a quick drive up and over the mountain range over beautiful roads from Egilsstaðir. Known as an art hub with a visual arts collective in town since 1996, a visual arts center opened in 1998, and the town is home to an art school, known as the LungA School. Worth it for the drive alone, the culture is icing on the cake

AKUREYRI + NORTH ICELAND

NOTES

The northlands of Iceland are rugged, remote, and desolately beautiful to traverse. As one leaves the eastern coast, with its jade and blue mountains, lush with evergreen life, the north opens into a truly prehistoric experience. The roads stretch through seemingly endless miles of alien landscapes as you travel up in altitude and into the arid high-country. Dettifoss, the infamous waterfall of Prometheus fame, is located in the heart of this barren country. As one travels further west, and you climb down from the high country, you once again enter the glacial mountains and fjords experienced elsewhere until you hit Iceland’s second largest city, Akureyri

LODGING

Hótel Laugarbakki (stayed) - instagram - Hvammstangi - a simple, but satisfactory hotel located mid-way between Reykjavik and Akureyri. The hotel offers simple rooms, a restaurant, and some amenities. One of our less favorite hotels on our trip, and I would have preferred to have stayed in Akureyri to explore the city more

FOOD

Strikið (dined) - instagram - Akureyri - a lovely patio restaurant with views over the city and to the mountains behind. Great place to stop for a drink and a bite

COFFEE, COCTAILS + THINGS TO DO

Dettifoss (visited) - wikipedia - considered to be the second most powerful waterfall in all of Europe behind the Rhine Falls. The drive in via the east (the direction we arrived from) is a gravel road typically only passable during the summer and connected shoulder months. After parking, it is a short, non-technical hike to witness one of the most impressive waterfalls I have ever seen. For keen visitors, you may recognize this as the site of the opening scene of the film Prometheus.

SNÆFELLSJÖKULL + WESTERN ICELAND

NOTES

The middle peninsula on the west coast of Iceland provides one of the more beautiful, self-contained “day trips” to experience the country from Reykjavik. In a few hours, you can leave the city and find yourself driving stunning coastal roads, climbing through precarious mountain ridges, and visiting cultural outposts teeming with Icelandic charm. Along the way, you can find the arrowhead point made famous in Game of Thrones, visit the rejuvenated small town of Hellissandur with its dozens of street art murals, and visit the Snæfellsnes National Park

LODGING

Hótel Hamar (stayed) - instagram - Borgarnes - located on one of Iceland’s few golf courses and just an hour or so north of Reykjavik, Hamar offers a nice jumping off point for visitng Snæfellsnes Peninsula and/or a quick night before passing through the capital to head back to Keflavik for flights back home. The hotel offers a nice onsite restaurant and saunas and hot tubs outside to soak up the sunset, stars, or if you’re lucky, the northern lights (we were told during our dinner that they were slightly visible, it is nice how much this country leans into the opportunity to see them.)

COFFEE, COCKTAILS + THINGS TO DO

Snæfellsnes Peninsula (visited) - wikipedia - maybe not the official name for the middle peninsula of Western Iceland, Snæfellsnes offers a taste of dramatic and rugged Iceland all in a few hours’ drive. We came from the northeast, but traveling up from Reykjavik is equally easy. The roads out to the national park at the end of the strip of beautiful landscape take you through breathtaking beauty
Murals of Hellissandur (visited) - website - what was once a small seaside town has blossomed into a truly unique art destination, where over 40 large-scale art projects are on display on buildings, homes, and public spaces
Snjófell Restaurant (drinks; enjoyed) - instagram - Arnarstapi - a great place to soak in beautiful views in a modern Icelandic architecture. Great for drinks and a quick bite