Hi. My husband, myself and our 3 kids (13, 11 and 8) are thinking of visiting Iceland in June. Any adivce would be appreciated - but I have 2 specific quesitons. First - my husband and son do not eat meat or shellfish. Will that be a problem? Second - what is the nicest hotel in Rekjavik? We are used to the Four Seasons so this trip is going to be a real experience for us.
Thanks so much!
Iceland - family trip
Recent Activity
View all Europe activity »
- 1 Sicily- two week summer vacation
- 2 A Christmas Store in Paris
- 3 Help me choose places to visit in Italy
- 4 Best castle for 7 and 9 year old boys
- 5 browsing homes for sale in Kent
- 6 Sights to see, places to stop in drive from Edinburgh to London
- 7 EU Rule On Olive Oil Roils Europe!
- 8 I am Planning about to spend holidays at Windermere
- 9 Best area for wine and which one?
- 10 Time Out London - is there a replacement?
- 11
Venice - another trip report (deja vu all over again)
- 12 Northern Italy
- 13 Gatwick Express 5 for 3 -- available at Victoria station or only online?
- 14 Pre-paid SIM card at Munich Airport
- 15 Bellevue House in Florence Contact ?
- 16 Must-do Day Trips from London
- 17 Beaune Hotel or B&B Recommendation Please
- 18 Drive Rome Florence
- 19 Backpacking for the first time in 2014
- 20 Which tour company would be best?
- 21 How to make a phone call from a pay phone in London to Germany
- 22 The Adventure Begins.. Sarge56 in Italy
- 23 When to exchange US dollars to Euros
- 24 Barcelona - eat, drink, dance.
- 25 10 days in Barcelona - itinerary ideas?
If you want to stay at the nicest hotel in Rekjavik, I would hope they have more on the menu than meat or shellfish. Do you consider fish, meat?
Be sure to travel the Ring Road and visit the Blue Lagoon. Take the elevator to the top of the church for a great view. Expect a lot of wind, so bring a jacket that breaks the wind.
Hmmm... there are some nice hotels in Rejkjavik, but nothing of the 4 Seasons ilk. There is a decent Radisson and a few other. Outside of Reykjavik, there are no real luxury hotels. That said, every place we stayed was clean and the staff was nice. Rooms are generally small. Think a good motel with Ikea furniture or a B&B.
Food could be interesting for you. The staples of the diet are fish and lamb (although beef and some pork are available). Since most veggies are either imported or have to be grown in greenhouses, expect to pay a pretty penny. There was a fair amount of pasta on the menus and the dairy products (if you eat cheese and yogurt) were excellent.
We drove the ring road, plus a lot of side roads (almost 2000 miles in 2 weeks) and had a great time. If you are going to drive the loop, I'd actually recommend against going to the Blue Lagoon (especially in summer). For about a third of the price, go to the Lake Myvatn Nature Baths. Great setting and far fewer people. Much less touristy (we were there in October... about 5 people in the whole place and snow was falling).
They eat seafood, so I guess it won't be a problem.
Thanks for the wind advice!
astein,
Thank you for all your advice too.
I will definitely check out the Radisson.
In Reykjavik, check out a place called Icelandic Fish and Chips. Inexpensive by Iceland standards.
Has the 'fresh catches of the day', breaded with organic spelt and barley flour and fried in 0 transfat oils. Nice side dishes as well (instead of fries, they have potatoes roast in olive oil and sea salt). All very good.
I just returned from a weekend in Iceland with my 11-year-old son. He really enjoyed soaking in the Blue Lagoon and doing the Golden Circle, especially the geysers and the Gulfoss waterfall, and walking through the continental rift at Pingvellir. Also we had fun at the weekend flea market in Reykjavik.
On your question about food, I agree that Icelandic Fish & Chips is a good choice. Also there is a great little burger joint almost directly across the street from Fish & Chips, where you can get veggie burgers as well as the conventional kind, and great milkshakes.