REYKJAVIK, ICELAND 2019

I just returned from my trip to Iceland and I was absolutely blown away by the beauty of this gorgeous Nordic island. I had a 10 hour layover last July when I was returning from London and explored the Blue Lagoon, but I knew I wanted to go back to see what Iceland had to offer aside from the tourist spa attraction. My trip lasted for five days and for those who never been to Iceland, I think that’s sufficient enough to see all the beauty surrounding this country.

I would like to first reiterate two important things before deciding to go to Iceland. The first is that it’s extremely expensive! Even living in NYC, I was shocked to see how much everything costs. I will say this shouldn’t deter you from visiting but just be aware that the prices are pretty steep. The second thing to note is that you cannot freely explore Iceland without a car. My friend and I didn’t plan on getting a car but since we stayed in Hotel Rangá , which is located in the southern part of Iceland, we had no other logical way of getting there from the airport beside a car. If you plan with the mindset that things are going to cost a lot and you will need to rent a car, then the rest of your trip will be worth it because the views and experience are truly like no other.

We stayed at luxury countryside Hotel Rangá for the first two nights and definitely enjoyed our stay. Hotel Rangá is a member of Small Luxury Hotels of the World and has won numerous awards including 2018 Traveler’s Choice by Tripadvisor and 2017 World Travel Awards – Iceland’s Leading Resort. Upon entering, I was greeted by a wonderful staff and admired the cozy ambiance by the cabin inspired interior. Some of the immediate highlights of this hotel are the riverside restaurant which offers amazing views looking over Eystri Rangá the salmon river, 3 much beloved outdoor hot tubs heated with geothermal water and of course The Hotel Rangá Astronomical Observatory, which gives guests an opportunity to view the Northern Lights. I never stayed a cabin before but this hotel definitely gave me that intimate and cozy atmosphere that is often associated with winter.

I cannot rave enough about the location of Hotel Rangá because every time I would step out of the hotel, I was mesmerized by the beautiful view of the sky and panoramic scenery including the famous volcano Mt. Hekla, several glaciers and the Westman Islands. Another great amenity the hotel has to offer is its Rangá Restaurant.  I was excited to find out that the menu is inspired by modern Nordic cuisine and follows the concept of a “Farmers Market.” I love eating healthy and loved that the restaurant values local, high quality and fresh ingredients. If you visit Rangá Restaurant, you have to try their Wild Mushroom Soup. Apparently, everybody raves about it and asks for the recipe so you can take a look at it below and see if you can replicate it but I promise nothing comes close to how delicious it tastes in real life!

Hotel Rangá also recommended us to use Hidden Iceland since we expressed that we were interested in exploring Southern Iceland Activities and Adventures. If you know me, then you know adventures is my middle name so I was beyond thrilled to experience The South Coast: Fire & Ice tour with Hidden Iceland.! Our 9 hour itinerary tour included:

• a visit to the newly opened, award winning, interactive LAVA centre
• Sólheimajökull glacier: flowing down from the enormous Mýrdalsjökull icecap
• Reynisfjara to see the amazing rock formations at this spectacular black sand beach
• The Seljalandsfoss and Skógafoss waterfalls

Ryan, our tour guide and also one of the founders of Hidden Iceland, was absolutely amazing! Our group consisted of 11 people and I think we all had great chemistry, which made the experience more memorable. I’ve never hiked a glacier before so I was excited but definitely a little nervous. I must say Ryan is a professional and I trusted him every step of the way. Before we started our hike, he made sure we were all geared up because safety first! I thought it would be a little difficult to hike with a harness, crampons, hammer and a helmet but it actually proved to be much easier. I also believed the sky gods were looking after us because we were really lucky with the weather. The cold was bearable and we were able to see clear skies and amazing views of the mountains from the top. I’m not sure if this was an off peak day but there also wasn’t that many other hikers. For a moment, we felt like we had the glacier all to ourselves and that was a pretty magical feeling!

After hiking for about 4 hours, we relaxed at Reynisfjara and it was a cool experience to see a black sand beach since those are rare in the states. The other two waterfalls including Seljalandsfoss and Skógafoss were absolutely stunning! We also saw a rainbow and I thought it was a great way to end the long day. If you are ever in Iceland, then you have to check out Hidden Iceland. I love supporting local businesses and it’s amazing that the company is pretty new because they are doing everything right when it comes to customer service and customer satisfaction as well as expertise, knowledge and safety.

The last two days, we decided to explore Reykjavik, so we drove along the Golden Circle to get to our next hotel, which was Tower Suites.  The drive was absolutely amazing and seemed surreal. We were surrounded by mountains and snow and I honestly felt like I was on a winter wonderland set. The best part is that you can also make stops along the way because there are tons of photo opportunities. Don’t be surprised if you see Icelandic horses because they are all scattered throughout Iceland! I think driving is the best way to truly admire all the beauty Iceland has to offer.

Tower Suites Reykjavik occupies the 20th floor of Höfðatorg’s tower at Katrinartún 2, so you can only imagine how amazing the view is from above. In contrast to Hotel Ranga, Tower Suites Reykjavik is more modern and offers a sophisticated, upscale and luxurious design. If I can replicate the interior design of the suite and move it to NYC, I definitely would because it is truly my dream apartment. We stayed at the Snæfellsjökull Suite, which is the only suite that focus purely on the beautiful west view. Our beautiful room with Nordic inspired furniture also included:

• American king-size bed, facing panoramic, floor-to-ceiling windows
• Walk in shower
• Large closet for clothes and luggage
• Freestanding TV with a Bluetooth sound bar
• Apple TV and iPad
• Nespresso coffee machine with a complimentary selection of coffee
• Complimentary high-speed wireless internet
• High-quality binoculars to bring you closer to the preciousness of the view

What really sold me on Tower Suites Reykjavik is the view which the name suggests. The sun rises around 10 am and sets around 5 pm, so there isn’t a large window for natural lighting. However, when the sun rises, the view is absolutely stunning and same goes for the sunset. Unlike traditional service offered from a hotel, the Tower Suites Reykjavik has more resemblance to an apartment feel. There is also a kitchen area where guests can lounge and have access to drinks including coffee, tea, juice and alcohol. This is a perfect place for independent travelers and people who want to experience Iceland in a more local way. The location is only a short walk to the city centre so it is conveniently located in Reykjavik. It was actually hard to leave the hotel because the view is to die for and the suite felt like home.

I also wanted to mention a soup place called Svarta Kaffið, which was recommended to me by a friend. This popular restaurant is known for their bread bowls with soup and it was absolutely delicious especially since soup is heaven during the winter. I ordered the curry vegetable bowl and I found it to be very tasteful! Just to give you an idea of pricing, it costs 1950 ISK which converts to about $17 USD. Again, it’s pricy but it was so worth it!

For our last day, we decided to make a stop at the Blue Lagoon since my friend has never been there. Even though I already went last summer, I was still looking forward to it. It’s definitely a touristy place, which can be crowded and chaotic at times, but if you bypass all the noise and actually soak up the warm temperatures, you can actually relax and enjoy yourself. I used that time to escape from all my responsibilities and stress back at home and felt completely zen when I was there.

Overall, I highly recommend visiting Iceland! It’s truly a place that speaks for itself and one that you simply have to visit and see for your own eyes. I would like to thank Hotel Rangá, Hidden Iceland and Tower Suites Reykjavik for hosting us! I cannot rave enough of the amazing service and staff at all three places so you guys should add them on your list the next time you find yourself in Iceland!