Wanderlust: The Blue Lagoon, Iceland

Since coming back from Iceland the no.1 question I have had without a doubt is about the famous Blue Lagoon. Is it worth the hype?

I'd say HELL YES.

Before adding it to our itinerary, I had read alot of blogs about people saying it was over priced and not as good as some of the smaller lagoons in Iceland or that even the swimming pools in Reykjavik were better.

Yes, they may be more remote and virtually tourist free so I wouldn't rule out trying these in future however I would certainly return to the Blue Lagoon one day and would recommend to anyone to visit!

To visit the lagoon, you need to book online beforehand as you choose a time slot. the beauty of this though is that you will need to arrive at the time you choose but you can stay in the lagoon as long as you like. 

Its also open for long hours as well, during the summer you can bathe here right from 8am till midnight!

I would of loved to of stayed alot longer but we were fitting this round out flight home as the lagoon is just 10 minutes away from the airport. This does make it a great stopover visit or trip to before or after you head around the country as its so easy to get to whilst en route to or from the main airport thanks to the very frequent shuttle busses.

Storing luggage is a breeze as well as you can drop these off in a storage area for a small fee

 The terrain on the way to the Lagoon is very different to what we experienced in our trips to the south and the golden circle! Everything was rocky but covered in this lush green mossy stuff

 We arrived at the lagoons peak time, around 11am. The que was massive and went outside as well so I would recommend you also bring your warms in case you are outside a while!

Once in you will need to separate in to guys and girls changing rooms from there to get ready, There is a few private changing rooms otherwise you just take your kit off in one of the rooms with benches and store your items in a locker and head to the showers. The rules are very strict on showering before you get in so make sure you do! The lagoon water does self cleanse around every 40 hours so you don't need to worry about it being dirty either :)

Make sure you bring a swimsuit as this is required round all areas of the lagoon. sorry nudies!

On check in you are also given a wrist band which helps you to tag the locker in the changing room to you so only you can open it, this is also handy to use in the lagoon, more on that later!

Once navigated out of the beautiful modern changing rooms you are then ready to get in to the Lagoon!

One of main main worries about the lagoon was the depth being that I'm not a confident swimmer so I don't like being out of my depth. Its surprisingly shallow though, the deepest point is around 1.60m and shallowest at half a metre.

It is so wonderfully warm (but not uncomfortably) you just won't wanna get out! its pure bliss.

Remember the wristbands I mentioned earlier? This is now where you can also use them in the Lagoon,

The wristband also works like a credit card, allowing you to purchase things whilst in the lagoon cus you can't swim around with your wallet!

You can swim over to the lagoon bar and choose a drink to enjoy whilst relaxing and visit the silica mud mask bar to get one of the seriously good face masks. My over sensitive skin loved this and was feeling very pampered and soft after leaving the mask on for 15 minutes :) With our chosen package we could have a drink of our choice and a mask for free!

This isn't all you can do at the Lagoon, there is a sauna and steam room, relaxation area and also a man made waterfall which works wonders on sore shoulders and stiff muscles.

Feeling peckish? Then you can visit the Blue cafe for some light bites, or if your really in for being treated like a queen, book a table at the Lava Restaurant and enjoy some Icelandic contemporary dishes.

Top Tips to visit:

• Try to visit at an off peak time if at all possible, that said once the initial 11am rush had died down it was really quiet in the changing room area to go back to.

• If you are planning on bringing your camera/ mobile in to the lagoon area for photos you MUST make sure you have a waterproof case! 

• Do NOT under any circumstances get your hair in the lagoon water, as the water is geothermal it will make your hair go very dry and stiff. Learn how to do pretty plaits, go for a bun or all else fails, wear a swim cap!  Same goes for jewellery, if you value it do not wear it in there, silica, algae, minerals and geothermal seawater can turn gold or silver an offish green colour. 

• Don't worry about bringing shampoo/conditioner/hairdryer with you, these are supplied in the changing rooms and are wonderful and sooo good for your hair. If your lucky enough to have got a fair but of spending money on you I would def purchase the silica mask set, its very very pricey though! 

• Book your transfers and reservation for the restaurant at the same time you get the lagoon pass online, it makes the day alot more stress-free and work seamlessly if you plan ahead. 

• The water temperature is between 37-40 degrees, so whilst its beautifully warm in the lagoon itself it may be worth getting a dressing down as an extra for optimal comfort.

Packages

There are 4 types of packages to choose from to enhance your visit. The most basic is standard which gives you entry and a free silica mask at the mask bar. This is about £38.00

We opted for the comfort package which does the same as basic but will also include a towel (kinda essential really!) an algae mask and well as silica, and your first drink for free, This is £53

The most popular packages (unsuprisingly) are the premium (£68) and luxury which also include extras like wine, table reservation at Lava, slippers, exclusive lounge and products to take home at £380.

Interested in booking your visit? Head over to the Blue Lagoon website

Actually cannot wait to go back here someday!

Love, Sarah x

Wanderlust: Extreme Iceland - Sólheimajökull Glacier Hiking

Having craved an adventure holiday for some time (we're one of those peoples that can't just sit by the pool and chill!) I knew I wanted to book something that both me and Rich could do as an activity.

Glacier Hiking was for me the best choice due to that A. there is not so many places round the world where this can be done. B. Rich was very much up for it after learning that his favourite film Intersteller was filmed on glaciers in Iceland so wanted to go there and feel like an astronaut for himself, minus the space suit and fish bowl for a helmet :)

The Extreme Iceland version of this tour gives you not only the Glacier hike but also a day of sight seeing around the main even so its a looong day, but so worth it!

We started at 9am and drove down to the south coast of Iceland to our first excursion, The Black Sand Beach

Black Sand Beach (Vik beach)

This ended up being one of our favourite places we visited and also got Rich on a beach for the first time ever due to how unusual and surreal it was!

We were lucky with the weather again having that it was a sunny day, obvs not get your bikini out weather but was a good day to go :)

The sand, as the name suggests is black which is pretty cool, the sand is black as it is volcanic. The weird rocks are actually basalt columns and lava formations which is why the rocks looks amazing!

Black Sand Beach in Vik is not the only beach of it's kind, you can actually visit black sand beaches in other volcanic areas including Maui, Hawaii, Papenoo is Tahiti and Shelter Cove in California to name but a few.

2 .  Solheimajokull Glacier Hike

After many watch out for Matt Damon Jokes on the route to the glacier (you'll need to watch Interstellar to get why you might not want to run in to him on another planet, or in this case the set of the scene of the film, the glacier.) we arrived at our destination.

Glacier hiking can be pretty dangerous so a helmet, harness and a ice axe are required. The ice axe being the coolest part obvs :)

Crampons help you grip to the ice, they are like yellow sandals with huge spikes on them. You need to tred pretty hard (walk a little stampy) to get your footing cus the glacier hike is also pretty steep.
Felt like I had done a proper work out afterwards!

Spot the hikers in this pic!

The glacier was breathtakingly beautiful, and again the weather was great so we were thankful it wasn't raining or hailing whilst climbing,

Our guide pointed out loads of interesting things and sights during our hours climb, we were also lucky to see an ice cave.

Ice caves come and go so we were happy we had the chance to see one and even venture inside!

3) Skógafoss Waterfall

Another good thing about the sun being out is that it meant at our next stop, Skógafoss waterfall, is that the rainbows came out to play :)

Winter is such a good time to visit Iceland to see the waterfalls, having now seen this in really hard snow, then on the lower grounds in Iceland where this waterfall is in the south it looks really springlike!

There is the option to climb hundreds of stairs to few the waterfall from above but after our glacier hike we were just happy to see it in its rainbowyness and not do anymore climbing!

4) Eyjafjallajökull Volcano

Eyjafjallajökull you may recognise as this is the volcano that hit headlines around the world in 2010 when it erupted and put everything on standstill for travel in Europe!

The volcano is actually always covered by is own glacier which is one of the smallest ones in Iceland.

The buildings below it were not there before it erupted but opened a year or so later as a visitors centre to learn all about the 2010 eruption.

5)  Seljalandsfoss Waterfall

The last waterfall we saw on our trip was the smaller but lovely Seljalandsfoss.

This waterfall is not to be missed though as it is one you can walk behind which is well worth it. Just make sure that what you are wearing is waterproof!

And there you have it! The last of our excursions around Iceland! :)

Interested in booking this tour with Extreme iceland? Head over the the Sensational Iceland tour page here

Love, Sarah x

Wanderlust: Extreme Iceland - The Golden Circle

Tours are an absolute MUST if visiting Iceland, The magic of this country is going outdoors and seeing all of the amazing scenery so without a car (as there are no railroads in Iceland and limited buses depending on time of year) than you have gotta book one, or two. or three.

Having researched tour groups for quite some time (there are LOADS in Iceland!) Extreme Iceland stuck out to me, the website has so much choice when it comes to tours and displaying the itinerary, maps and even YouTube videos of destinations to go they seemed like the ideal choice,

Delighted to say, we were far from disappointed with the two tours we booked the first if which being the Golden Circle.

You may of heard of this one as so many tour groups run it, It is an ESSENTIAL to do this tour on your first visit, it is basically a circle of great sightseeing places not far from Reykjavik which you can see one after the other, probably about a max of a 20-25 minute gap between each once your out of the city so you can see so much in your day!

The tour is roughly around 9 hours so comfy walking shoes and warms (proper warms!) are a must. We were soooo lucky with the weather during the entire of our stay in Iceland, I had hoped for a mixture of snow and clear skies days and we got exactly that! This day was the snowiest of the week so we got to see everything in the snow and during blizzards which is cool as we don't get alot of snow here in the south so it was a complete novelty! :)

We opted for the Golden Circle Complete tour with our great tour guide guy Bjorn. Which took a group of 12 of us to all of these places:

1) Hellisheidavirkjun Power Plant  (yeh I don't know how to say that either!)

Our first stop was this geothermal power plant, located at the end of a very large lava field. It is the second largest in the world.

Its was a great idea for a first stop as having already spent a day living in the city we had a whole bunch of questions about how they get energy and water to Reykjavik. Interesting stuff and presented in a fun way so its not boring :)

The water in Reykjavik also comes from here and due to that it comes from wayy below the ground under all this lava field. The water does taste (and smell) very sulfery.

Imagine rotten eggs smell and you've pretty much got it!  We sorta got used to it in Reykjavik and didn't notice it much when showering but it did put us off driking water after a few days of drinking our apartment tap water which we had in bottles with us after we had had nothing but that for days!!

2)  Kerið Volcanic Crater

Kerið is a volcanic crater that once was a volcano but either blew itself to pieces or another theory is that it used up all its magma reserve so this is whats left,

Its actually full of water and looks like a pretty lake. Its a pretty old crater to, at around 3,000 years old

As it was very cold and snowy as forementioned, the water has frozen over so it had all turned to ice! still pretty cool and an interesting stop on the tour.

3.  The Geysirs

Without a doubt, the most touristy place we went to in Iceland was the Geysir Geothermal field. It even had its own food court and shopping area!

This did make it a pretty difficult stop as though we had a whole hour here it was hard to have time to photo the geysirs (theres loads!) and have time to join the huuuuge que for lunch as well as eat it.

Its a very impressive sight though and was a laugh to see the largest of the geysirs which goes off every 3-4 mins and reaches a height of over 70 metres. It really makes you just when your waiting for it!

4) Gullfoss Waterfall

After our fleeting lunch we then visited Gullfoss which is the most majestic and stunning waterfall I've ever seen! Its the most iconic one in Iceland and I can so see why.

and so so beautiful in the snow, this was definitely one of the highlights of our trip and when we took the most photos.

Its really was snowing hard in these pics but it made the experience even more magical.

5) Efstidalur Farm

We had a brief stop before continuing on to our last destination which happened to be a farm well known for its ice cream,

Though it was a little crazy to have ice cream in the cold that's exactly what we did and it was great!
Our new doggy friends also had abit :)

Icelanders apparently prefer to eat ice cream in the winter and see it as a winter treat to eat in the car!

The blueberry ice cream was a definate hit :)

 5) Thingvellir National Park

Our last stop before sunset was Thingvellir National Park, The area is a fissure zone running through iceland, situated on the tectonic plates of North America and Europe.

So you can quite literally walk between the two plates which is very cool. is a really nice walk to complete the golden circle tour!

 So there you have it! That is the golden circle tour :)

Planning to go anytime soon or want more info? Check out this tour on Extreme Icelands website

Would you visit Iceland or have you been on the Golden Circle Tour before?

Love, Sarah x

Wanderlust: 24 Hours in The Highest Capital, Reykjavik

So I'm baaaack!

Iceland was literally INCREDIBLE and like nowhere I have ever been before. Thought TBH, right now I am shattered so am kinda happy to be back in the warm here in the UK and in my pjs for two days of chill before reality again lol!

I've taken so many pics so I will try and consolidate them down as always, best way I thought was to do 3 separate blogs on this, one on Reyk, and one each on the tours we did.

Sooooo... on To Reykjavik!

The highest capital in the world was already dark when we got there, There are not too many planes to Iceland from the UK a day so the earliest Gatwick flight was 3pm- 3.30pm. As it was our first evening and we had spend the day pottering around the airport we quickly headed to our apartment which was really central in Reykjavik and just behind the main shopping area.

We stayed at Heidas Home - a well known little block of apartments run by the lovely Heida. If you are travelling on a budget (which we were, more on that later!) then self catering in Iceland is def the way forward as the hotels will set you back SO much money as well as you also don't get the experience of living like a real Icelander :)

We had our own bathroom, cosy little kitchenette with Microwave, hob ect and spacious bedroom with TV. Perfect to return to after a long day out and about!

It was a chilly 1-3 degrees outside during our stay (arguably less than that outside the city) so it was then time the next day to wrap up warm and explore the city!

Being the touristy tourists we are we went to all the main attractions, all of these can easily be visited during your 24 hour stay. Reyk is a very small city so its best to walk around on foot and see the sights for yourself.

1. Sólfar

The Sólfar, or The Sun Voyager,  is a beautiful sculpture located on the seafront. It celebrates 200 years since the city was created. 

2. Downtown Reykjavik - District 101

You can't miss the colourful 101 district! It is the main boulevard of the city for shopping, food and bars. There are plenty of souvenir shops as well to buy the usual magnets, mugs and keyrings or shops selling warm clothes which are perfect for excursions out the city!

Laugavegur is one of the longest streets in the 101 district and has some incredible street art!

3. Hallgrimskirka Church

Dominating the city skyline is Reyks centre piece, Hallgrimskirka Church. Its free to pop inside and have a look around.

Unlike most churches I've visited which are usually very grand or chock full of stained glass, this church has a very minimalist look which I almost actually prefer!

You will need to pay to head up to the top of the viewing tower (900 ISK) but it is well worth it for the views across the city!

4. The Harpa Music Hall 

The Harpa is beautiful to visit day or night, whether you are seeing a concert or not! It is located on the seafront, not far from the Sun Voyager Sculpture.

5. The Old Harbour

We stumbled on The Old Harbour when walking further past The Harpa, which is well worth an afternoon stroll. Aside from meandering round the ships, it is here that you can book some great tours if you haven't already done so when you visit. The offer boat tours which include Northern Lights Trips and Viking fun tours around the harbour!

There are also a great number of museums in the harbour area including the Aurora Centre which we went to when it looked like it was going to rain. Its a very small place but worth a visit if you want to know more about the lights and how they are caused by the sun,

They also show an endless cinema screening of the lights around Iceland which you can go in and watch along with some chill out music! nearly nodded off a couple of times in there as I was so relaxed!

A great idea seeing as the lights for real are obvs not guaranteed when you visit Iceland. despite having favourable conditions for the lights we sadly didn't see them in person but going to the centre made up for that abit :)

Wheres the foodie pics?!

The main downside was food, so sorry no food pics :( we simply could not afford to eat out aside from once.

Food in Iceland I'm sure is great but the cost is absolutely barmy. I had budgeted extra for the trip knowing the expense beforehand but had no idea of the costs of the smaller things - a simple ham sandwich in a supermarket for example would set you back £10, a bottle of coke or the Icelandic equivalent - £4 and eating out could cost about £25 to do in a restaurant for said sandwich and drink
:( Fish and chips about £16, you get the idea. You will run out of money extremely fast if you are not savvy with your moneys here, Dinner prices were double this each!

Best budget food buys we spotted were Reykjavik chips and like I've explained Self catering is the way to go (still like buying your food in Harrods in the budget off-licence for the expense) but still cheaper than eating out,

All in all, I hope this covers everything you wanna know about Reykjavik and what to do if you are only there a short time :)

Love, Sarah x