Return to Keflavík
This item appears on page 28 of the March 2018 issue.
My friend Dan and I went to Iceland in August of both 2016 and 2017, flying Delta from Minneapolis, with connections in Albany, New York.
For our last night in Iceland, we went to Keflavík, the town next to the airport. We took the airport bus for a round trip (about $42) and then at the airport took a taxi to Hotel Grasteinn (Bolafótur 11; hotel grasteinn.is/en/location), a nice, new hotel on the north end of town.
In 2016, the price there was $170, with breakfast included. In 2017 the room price had gone up $20, and a light breakfast cost $8 extra.
In 2016, we ate at Fernando’s Pizza (www.facebook.com/fernandospizza), where the pizza and salad were very good. As I remember, the price was $18.
This last time, we ate at Ráin Restaurant (Hafnargata 36a). The big thing on their menu was seafood, which is what we ordered. Dishes came with soup, salad, potato and veggies, and the bill was around $55 for each of us. Everything was wonderful!
There were several museums. The ones we visited were the Icelandic Museum of Rock ’n‘ Roll (www.rokksafn.is/en), Viking World (www.vikingaheimar.is/en) and the Reykjavik Maritime Museum (borgarsogusafn.is/en/reykjavik-maritime-museum). The Blue Lagoon geothermal spa was nearby, as well.
The hotel called a taxi for our morning trip back to the airport. The ride took less than 15 minutes.
In the letter “What to Expect in Iceland” (Jan. ’18, pg. 16), Jim Delmonte wrote about the hotel he stayed in by the airport. I found the hotels in town a better deal, even with the added price of taxis — plus you’re not stuck at the airport.
Lastly, Jim was right when he said prices are high in Iceland!
KEITH PRIOR
Albany, NY