Debs--That is who we used for our tour as well, and were very pleased!

"As for the BL, a lot of people have opinions on it, even if they haven't been there, which I don't understand."

So true. I'd compare it to the tours vs independent travel debate. Finding the public pool, showering with the locals, avoiding those damn other tourists, and paying less is purer travel to some.

Which is what we did by the way. We went to a public pool but largely because it was a pleasant walk from our hostel. But I couldn't understand the lady at reception and some guy snapped at me for not taking a long enough shower. Ok buddy - show me what I missed.

I wonder if they snap at the tourists over at the Blue Lagoon?

Thanks for all the info. Booked with Iceland Air for $820 to Paris with a stopover in Reykjavík for 4 nights.

mms & Debs does Reykjavik Excursions do the Northern Lights excursion? What tours did you do?

mms - thanks for the restaurant rec.

We may look for an apt -- anyone do that?

Fron Hotel is $113 a night for our dates. I have read about noise on weekends. Anyone experience noise on Friday andor Saturday? I am a very light sleeper.

The noise depends to some extent on when you're traveling, I think. We went through Reykyavik almost exactly a year ago, when the high school and college kids had just finished their exams. It was an absolute zoo on the streets and around bars until dawn for a couple of nights (don't remember what days of the week they were), but we didn't hear any of it in the hotel room (we had a room that overlooked the back of the hotel, though, not the street).

For our dates in August, Fron Hotel is $180/night in USD. Anyone have another suggestion?

buferson--We stayed at the 4th Floor Hotel, which was fine. Not fancy, but it was a spacious room with a nice bathroom. Our room faced the street so was noisy, which would be my only complaint. Our kids stayed at the Centerhotel Midgardur and said it was nice and they did not have any noise issues, and there were there over NYE.

Yestravel: I stayed at the Hotel Fron on a Thurs and Fri night last July. Unfortunately I had a room on the street and it was really noisy Thurs night from the bars. Heard bottles breaking several times. Friday night didn't seem as noisy.

Just ask for a room in the back of the hotel if you stay there.

yestravel (great screen name by the way)! RE does offer a Northern Lights excursion - when you have a chance, check their website for dates/details of it.

We took the Grand Circle Tour (lasted all day and there was a lunch stop as well), along with the City Tour. Both were very informative.

Remember landing at the airport and taking the bus into the city (which is about 45 minutes away if I recall correctly) and thinking we must have landed on the moon! The landscape was quite barren and everything was brown/black, but as we got closer to the city, we began to see buildings and some color. As you approached the city, things changed and it became very colorful and scenic, as it remained for the rest of the trip!

We didn't visit BL while there.

St Cirq - funny about the students. We have run into situations like that --sometimes fun and sometimes not so fun.

powhatangal - thanks. I think we will go with an apt not right in the thick of things since we will be there over a weekend.

Debs -- funny on the name, it was an act of desperation after every name I thought of was already taken. Appreciate the info -- excited to be going to Iceland and hope I can manage not to freeze to death!

Sounds like StCirq is referring to the rúntur- the weekend drinking and going out tradition. I didn't notice any noise when I was last in Reykjavik in September. I'm headed back next week and will let you know!

Personally, I think the Blue Lagoon is worth it. It's a neat experience and an eerily beautiful landscape. I'm going again next week since I'm taking my mom on her first trip to Iceland and I think she'll find it neat.

I also really enjoyed the food in Iceland. Lots of fresh seafood (no surprise there!) and a surprisingly good Indian place, Scherazade. The food at the tourist spots is the usual mediocre stuff, though.

Enjoy your trip!!