Amazing Iceland

In November I was fortunate to visit Reykjavik and experience what the area has to offer.

I flew from Heathrow into Keflavík International Airport and transferred to the Midgardur by Center Hotels where I stayed for 3 nights. A great hotel, well located with a fantastic choice of shops, supermarkets and restaurants nearby. The centre of Reykjavik is a 20 minute walk. If you walk along the waterfront you'll go past the Sun Voyager Sculpture, a great photo opportunity.

On our first night we took a private transfer to the harbour where we enjoyed a Northern Lights Cruise. A great experience onboard a great boat with a bar (the hot chocolate was very welcome!) and several observation decks. It was a little choppy at first but once we headed out of the main harbour area it calmed down and was lovely to watch the stars and distant lights of the city. We didn't see the lights so were invited back to try again.

The next day we had some free time to mooch around the city. We rode on FlyOver Iceland...what an experience! You will hang suspended, feet dangling, before a 20-metre spherical screen while the film whisks you away on an exhilarating journey across Iceland. Special effects, including wind, mist and scents, combine with the ride’s motion to create an unforgettable experience. It was amazing! No need to pre book this, just turn up and they'll get you on the next available ride.

We visited Hallgrímskirkja, a beautiful church. It's stunning with wonderful views over the city.

Rainbow road in the centre of Reykjavik was also a great photo opportunity, this leads to a great street of shops and lovely cafes.

Later that evening we experienced the Sky Lagoon thermal baths. The most beautiful place! Our booking was for after sunset and you can see the lights of Reykjavik in the background. It's such a gorgeous place. We had tickets for the "sky" experience which includes a seven step ritual and private changing facilities. Well worth the upgrade in my opinion. The seven step ritual was great. It's seven areas of the lagoon, all offering a different experience and treatment including ice bath, steam room and body scrub.

On our 3rd day we had a full on day! Golden Circle by Super Jeep and Snowmobile. An early start was well worth it. We got to experience sun rise and sun set on this trip. Our first stop was snowmobiling on Langjokull. We were kitted out in the appropriate safety gear and had a demonstration on how to operate the snowmobiles and we were off. We had 20 minutes on the snowmobiles, before a short break then we headed back to base. This was an awesome experience with views like no other. Truly exhilarating! Thingvellir National Park is an awesome site full of history and folklore. It has been granted UNESCO World heritage site status. Here you will see the two tectonic plates of America and Eurasia. The Geysir Geothermal Area is located within the Haukadalur Valley. We had time to wander around and see (and smell) the Geysirs blow. Gullfoss Waterfall is so spectacular, the views are incredible. They offer a few areas to view the falls. It's also a lovely place for a spot of lunch.

The food prices weren't as bad as I had thought...you hear horror stories of meals being hundreds of pounds but we didn't struggle with this. As an example, I had a burger, chips and a drink one night and the cost was around £18. Not too dissimilar to home.

Alcohol was a little pricier and convenience food at supermarkets was quite expensive compared to home but nothing outrageous.

I would go back in a heartbeat. Such a diverse place with dramatic landscape all around.