Iceland Active Private Tour + Laugavegur Trail

The Blue Lagoon is the only 5-star luxury hotel in Reykjavik and offers a private, otherworldly Iceland experience. Situated on a man-made geothermal hot spring like no other,  this property offers the ultimate solution to overcrowded lagoons: completely private access! The silica and chalcedony minerals cause the water to turn a milky, ethereal blue and is one of the most popular attractions in all of Iceland. The Retreat at the Blue Lagoon has taken this ultra-lux hotel to a whole new level of pampering. The 62-suite hotel/spa/resort features terraces overlooking the lagoon (!), floor-to-ceiling windows in every room, and Moss, their signature Michelin-recommended restaurant, onsite.

The Retreat Spa is built into 800-year-old lava flows and features steam rooms and therapeutic “bathing chambers” carved directly into the rock. Our family’s four-hour spa experience here was among our most memorable anywhere! Included is the “Blue Lagoon Ritual” featuring a silica, algae, and mineral body treatment provided in three connecting rooms. Following our ritual and massage, the Retreat’s “Nest” was a fitting space to end with a blissful nap. The Nest provides unique suspended chairs with floor to ceiling windows looking out at the therapeutic water of the Blue Lagoon. Kudos to the Retreat’s mastermind, Grimur Saemundson! This truly is a remarkable place.

The Blue Lagoon is the only 5-star luxury hotel in Reykjavik and offers a private, otherworldly Iceland experience. Situated on a man-made geothermal hot spring like no other, this property offers the ultimate solution to overcrowded lagoons: completely private access! The silica and chalcedony minerals cause the water to turn a milky, ethereal blue and is one of the most popular attractions in all of Iceland. The Retreat at the Blue Lagoon has taken this ultra-lux hotel to a whole new level of pampering. The 62-suite hotel/spa/resort features terraces overlooking the lagoon (!), floor-to-ceiling windows in every room, and Moss, their signature Michelin-recommended restaurant, onsite.

The Retreat Spa is built into 800-year-old lava flows and features steam rooms and therapeutic “bathing chambers” carved directly into the rock. Our family’s four-hour spa experience here was among our most memorable anywhere! Included is the “Blue Lagoon Ritual” featuring a silica, algae, and mineral body treatment provided in three connecting rooms. Following our ritual and massage, the Retreat’s “Nest” was a fitting space to end with a blissful nap. The Nest provides unique suspended chairs with floor to ceiling windows looking out at the therapeutic water of the Blue Lagoon. Kudos to the Retreat’s mastermind, Grimur Saemundson! This truly is a remarkable place.

The luxury, 51-room, log cabin-style Hotel Ranga is our most frequently requested hotel in Iceland. Located 60 miles southeast of Reykjavik, one of the biggest draws of the Ranga is its reputation for outstanding Nordic cuisine, using its gourmet restaurant concept “Famer’s Market.” The property’s location overlooking the salmon-rich East Ranga River surely provides a plentiful supply of this delicious food! Though we are not big timber design fans, the timber and terra-cotta floors and handmade furniture at the Ranga certainly create an open and comfortable atmosphere. The hotel was renovated in 2008 under the management of its engaging and friendly owner, Friorik Palson.

The luxury, 51-room, log cabin-style Hotel Ranga is our most frequently requested hotel in Iceland. Located 60 miles southeast of Reykjavik, one of the biggest draws of the Ranga is its reputation for outstanding Nordic cuisine, using its gourmet restaurant concept “Famer’s Market.” The property’s location overlooking the salmon-rich East Ranga River surely provides a plentiful supply of this delicious food! Though we are not big timber design fans, the timber and terra-cotta floors and handmade furniture at the Ranga certainly create an open and comfortable atmosphere. The hotel was renovated in 2008 under the management of its engaging and friendly owner, Friorik Palson.

Opened in 2014, the 80-room “green” Hotel Laxa is far and away the finest hotel in northern Iceland/Mývatn Lake area. Using western, 5-star luxury hotels as a reference point, we consider the Laxa to be an upper 3-star/4-star property, but certainly the highest quality among the limited choices here. The Laxa rooms are quite spacious, with big windows and nice views, all integrating a modern, minimalist design, or as a client once put it, “upscale spartan”. The property’s Eldey restaurant is noteworthy for creating menus around northern Iceland’s unique, organic ingredients, with their smoked arctic char and lamb being most popular. Another big plus at the Laxa is its ideal location: only one mile from Lake Mývatn and a 30-minute drive to the Mývatn Nature Baths.

Opened in 2014, the 80-room “green” Hotel Laxa is far and away the finest hotel in northern Iceland/Mývatn Lake area. Using western, 5-star luxury hotels as a reference point, we consider the Laxa to be an upper 3-star/4-star property, but certainly the highest quality among the limited choices here. The Laxa rooms are quite spacious, with big windows and nice views, all integrating a modern, minimalist design, or as a client once put it, “upscale spartan”. The property’s Eldey restaurant is noteworthy for creating menus around northern Iceland’s unique, organic ingredients, with their smoked arctic char and lamb being most popular. Another big plus at the Laxa is its ideal location: only one mile from Lake Mývatn and a 30-minute drive to the Mývatn Nature Baths.