Iceland (Lonely Planet, 7th Edition) - Fran Parnell [85]
Many people make the lagoon a stop on the way to/from the airport. If you travel with Reykjavík Excursions, luggage storage is free; otherwise, queue at the hut outside the complex to leave your bags (Ikr500 for up to three pieces of luggage).
Sleeping & Eating
Northern Light Inn ( 426 8650; www.northernlightinn.is; s/d/tr €140/190/235; ) Nearby, and with similarly unearthly views, this recently-enlarged bungalow hotel now has 32 spacious en-suite rooms with phone and satellite TV. There’s a sunny sitting room with free tea and coffee, and free transfers are provided to the international airport and the lagoon (although the latter is easily walkable).
Blue Lagoon – Clinic ( 420 8806; www.bluelagoon.com; s/d €150/220; ) Guests don’t have to be undergoing treatment to stay at the Blue Lagoon clinic, a 10-minute walk across the lava field from Iceland’s most famous attraction. Rooms are soothing and modern, with heated-floor bathrooms, and each has a small porch from where you can regard the surrounding moonscape. Rates include breakfast and entry to the lagoon.
Kristjana’s Kitchen (mains Ikr1700-3200; 11.30am-1pm & 6-9pm; ) The Northern Light Inn’s fab panoramic restaurant serves ‘hearty Nordic soul food’ – this means herring platters, fish dumplings, smoked lamb and other Icelandic favourites; plus there’s a choice of vegie dishes.
Getting There & Away
The lagoon is 50km southwest of Reykjavík, but there are plenty of bus services that run there year-round. You’ll need to book in advance.
The cheapest is the Blue Lagoon Bus Service ( 511 2600; www.bustravel.is), which leaves six times daily from the BSÍ bus terminal in Reykjavík, or you can arrange to be picked up from certain hotels. You can return to the city, or three services continue to the international airport. The return journey (or journey there and then onward to the airport) is a bargain – Ikr5000, including lagoon admission.
Alternatively, Reykjavík Excursions ( 580 5400; www.re.is) runs slightly more frequently, at a cost of Ikr5900 including lagoon admission.
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GRINDAVÍK
pop 2850
Grindavík (www.grindavik.is), the only settlement on the south coast of Reykjanes, is one of Iceland’s most important fishing centres. If this were an English seaside town, its waterfront would be full of B&Bs, pubs and shops selling sticks of rock; here, all flimflam is rejected in favour of working jetties, cranes and warehouses. The busy harbour and tourist-free town are actually quite refreshing.
Sights & Activities
The main attraction here is Saltfisksetur Íslands (Saltfish Museum; 420 1190; www.saltfisksetur.is; Hafnargata 12a; adult/under 8yr/8-16yr Ikr500/free/250; 11am-6pm), a pretty well done museum dedicated to explaining the fish-salting industry. An audioguide (English, German or French) leads you over wooden piers to tableaux showing various stages of the process. It’s probably not for everyone, but if you’re interested in Icelandic history, an understanding of the saltfish industry is vital – after all, it was so important that the country’s coat-of-arms was a filleted cod until 1904. The museum also serves as a tourist information desk ( 11am-6pm).
There’s a good modern swimming pool ( 426 7555; Austurvegur 1; adult/under 16yr Ikr300/free; 7am-9pm Mon-Fri, 10am-5pm Sat & Sun summer, to 3pm Sat & Sun winter), with a rather litter-strewn, graffitied reconstruction of a Viking temple outside.
Sleeping & Eating
The town campsite ( 660 7323; Austurvegur 26; per person Ikr750; Jun–mid-Sep), near the swimming pool, has just undergone a massive facelift and is now one of the country’s flashiest.
Heimagisting Borg ( 895 8686, 896 8685; bjorksv@hive.is; Borgarhraun 2; s/d Ikr6500/9000; ) This wonderfully clean and congenial guest