My family are planning to see my son who's stationed at Kevlavik Iceland. Can anyone tell me about it? Any hotels nearby? Things to do. I understand it's a nice town. Thanks

Keflavik is very close to the airport and it's very stark because it sits on a vast lava field. Your son is the one who should tell you about nearby hotels, really. Reykjavik is within reasonable distance (perhaps 45-50 minutes) and I think that I would plan to spend most of my time there. The Blue Lagoon is a mandatory stop and it is not very far off the beaten path between the airport and Reykjavik. There are some nice driving tours you can take to see some of Iceland's natural wonders or there are bus tours readily available. Two websites to start:

http://www.icetourist.is/

http://www.icelandair.com/

Packages save money and off-season packages can be a real steal, if you are close to an Icelandair gateway city. Dining out is comparatively pricey. With luck, you will see some great displays of the Northern Lights during your visit.

We just returned from a stay at the Northern Light Inn in Iceland. It is right around the corner from the Blue Lagoon. Less than 15 minutes to Kevlavik and 30 minutes to Reykjavik. Stunning vistas of the lava fields. Great place to see the northern lights. Grindavik is a 5 min drive away. We didn't have a car and the owners are wonderful about scheduling bus stops or taking you to the bus stop. They will drive you to the Blue Lagoon and pick you up and also to Grindavik. Wonderful area for walking and horseback riding. Northern Light Inn is very comfortable. Excellent dining room. Eiderdown comforters. Very casual. website is www.northernlightinn.is/info.htm

We have a one night stopover in Reykjavik in beginning of April 2006. We are planning on staying in the city, but the idea of Northern Light Inn interests me. We arrive in the late afternoon and would hope to be able to see the Northern Lights. We also would like to do Blue Lagoon before leaving the next day and would like to see the town of Grindavik. Do you think this is doable from the Northern Light Inn? We would not have transportation and would rely on the Inn. How does that work? Did you have dinner at the Inn? How was the breakfast buffet? Thanks. Oh also, what were your rates. I have seen different info on tripadvisor.

Hi
I will try to answer all of your questions, but if I miss one let me know. The Inn picked us up from the airport. The Blue Lagoon is about a 10-20 minute walk from the Inn. They are happy to drive you if you don't like to walk. I don't know what time your flight leaves the next day, but it might be a bit ambitious to see Grindavik too. Should allow 1 1/2 hours at the Blue Lagoon. Also, if you like to shop, airport has good Icelandic items for sale. Dinner at the Inn was excellent both times we ate there. Breakfast buffet was fine and ample for us. Smoked salmon every morning spoiled us. Also have breads for toasting, cereals, sliced cheese and meats, jams and tomatos and cucumbers. One nice thing is they bring you a whole pot of coffee or tea instead of just a cup. Northern lights are great but change frequently through the night. If you can see Grindavik after you arrive, that would bet the best thing. Otherwise I would take a walk, enjoy dinner and hope for the lights. They also have great eiderdown comforters. We got a discount for staying 5 nights, so you would need to e-mail them to see what a one night stay would be.

Thanks for the response. We are arriving from Paris, so we land at 3:45 pm. We fly out the next day at 4:45 pm. to Boston. We thought we would try to see the Northern Lights and were looking at tours the night of our arrival, but now I am thinking that if we were to stay at the Northern Lights Inn we could see them from there. I was also thinking of seeing the town of Grindavik in the morning and then head over to the Blue Lagoon before we leave for the airport. I don't know if I really need to see Reykjavik. What is your opinion of all of this?

Well, by the time you get off the plane and go through customs it will be after 5:00 when you get to the hotel. You could go to the Blue Lagoon before dinner since I think they serve dinner until 8:00, but personally I would just relax and have a nice leisurely dinner. Then you could go out and watch the northern lights. They change every few minutes when they are really going,so you might want to stay out there for a while. If you like to drink, you might pick up something at duty free when you come in to have in your room or before or after dinner. What we enjoyed about Grindavik the most was the walk from the hotel. It takes about 1 hour. There is a nice saltfish museum there and harbor, but not a lot else. So you could just go out for a nice walk--perhaps walk to the Blue Lagoon which I think can't take more than 15 minutes. Then you can be very leisurely there and be relaxed for your flight. They have a gift shop, but it is very pricey so we didn't buy much except a travel kit as a gift. Rekjavik is wonderful, but you wouldn't have time to do it justice. Once you are in Iceland if you are drawn to it you can always plan a longer trip.

It certainly sounds doable. I may be in touch with the hotel. I am thinking that the morning we leave we could walk to the town and then after checkout go to the Blue Lagoon and then the airport. I have to look into all of it. If I go to Reykjavik, I will spend alot of time on a bus going back and forth. I'll have to think about it. Thanks for the info.