Keflavik good and cheap accommodation

Having been involved in international educational projects I happen to travel frequently to Europe and often need a place to stay in Keflavik for reasonable price.

So, I´ve been testing various options, every-time I travel and am glad to share my personal experience here.
Living in the north of Iceland in a small fishing village Dalvik, I normally need to get to Keflavik a day before my flight, as most of the flights I take to Europe leave early in the morning.

I do that by flying from Akureyri to Reykjavik (local city airport) and from there taking public transport all the way to Keflavik - ideally to a place of my accommodation. Today, I´d like to share a few words about Bed and Breakfast Keflavik airport hotel, which is located in old NATO base area in the blocks that used to belong to American army. The surroundings is not impressive at all, as you can imagine - streets full of blocks on a flat land. However, their location is very good - cca 10 mins drive from Keflavik airport and what´s more they´re 5 mins walk from the nearest public transport bus stop, called Keilir. This place has a good standard, basic accommodation with breakfast and shuttle service included and that´s what makes their prices reasonable. It´s rather big place for Icelandic standards, as they can host up to cca 150 people and this place tends to get full in the summer time.

Now, how to get to them by using public transport (STRAETO), after  having reached RVK airport. There´s a STRAETO bus stop right across the parking lot, outside of the airport - not well marked, so you´re better off asking locals for the directions. It´s bus number 15 that you take first and get off at the second stop - if you want to be sure you can tell the drive that you need to get off at BSI (Central Bus Terminal).
There, you need to find a bus top for the bus number 55 - you need to cross the road and walk in the direction of the BSI. The buses leave once in an hour in the rush hours and once in two hours when the traffic is less busy.
The name of the bus stop where you get off is Keilir and from there it´s quite straightforward to find the hotel after having walked for about 5 minutes.
Remember to agree on the shuttle bus at the reception.

Good luck and we look fwd to hearing your feedback.

for all responsible tourists

You can find more about the initiative here - wishing you pleasant stays, while preserving nature for future generations :)

Unique guesthouse 7 mins from Keflavik airport

This post is for all of you who are in search for a place to stay close to Keflavik airport (max. 10 mins drive), yet wanting something special with a unique touch (1x6) that also nourishes your soul, not only body and mind.

There´s this perfectly located Ecological guesthouse with a great view of the sea that was designed and created by a local artist Daniel. Once you pass the entry gate, you enter hidden paradise, natural hot pool welcomes you in the garden with gentle clouds of steam and oval stones inviting for a dip straight away. But, come on, you have to be patient - there´re bags to be dropped off and check-in formalities to be taken care of.

And so you continue up the stairs, making your way inside the house and there it is, THE KITCHEN TABLE - cosy dining corner, ready to host  in a relaxed atmosphere and apparently with the best coffee in Iceland - maybe :) as Andi and Yukiyo - current owners put it. They´re the ones who give the whole place very special touch on top of the unique design that 1x6 is characteristic for.

Rooms are special too, each one is different and all of them give you the feeling of warmth and calmness. I happened to stay there with my 10-month old daughter, just for 1 night, as we were returning from a European business trip and were to continue to Akureyri  the next day. The temporary lack of a baby chair was no big deal, as the hosts were up for giving support, when needed, especially around the kitchen table :)

Yukiyo and Andi take pride in serving deluxe breakfast including homemade bread and I must say that it was very special moment once I was served their delicacies made of fresh and local ingredients served in a way that made me feel a little hesitant to touch, not to 'destroy' the art :)

It is possible to have the airport transfer ordered in connection to flights and it works really smoothly, presuming that the hosts are informed about any changes on time.

Andi is there to help out and assist with any logistics and Yukiyo surprises you with yammies that are pieces of art just as much as pleasure for your taste buds.

All in all, this place is highly recommended to those who consider themselves as mindful travellers and have time to appreciate personal service that this family-run guesthouses provides.

Go ahead, and check their availabilities, and be fast as they´re becoming very popular.

Getting from Reykjavik to Keflavik

Are you one of those who likes using public transport when available? Then, you might definitely find this bit useful, as finding information online about your transport possibilities between Reykjavik and Keflavik in the tourist season of 2017 can be confusing at times.

I live in the North of Iceland, an hour drive from Akureyri and need to travel on business to Europe quite often. Since I like using public transport myself, here I´m sharing the latest update on getting between Reykjavik domestic airport to Keflavik area.

March 2017, the only 'public' possibility is taking a public bus line 55 and the company standing behind is called STRAETO. There´re a few stops in Reykjavik where this bus stops, but the most significant one and easiest to find is the one located between BSI Terminal and a road called Hringbraut.

The bus stand doesn´t have any special sign, so you really have to check the schedule at the bus stop making sure that the schedule stands for the bus number 55, thus ensuring that you're at the right spot.

It cost me 1760 isk / single ticket.

To view the schedule, please click here and note that the site is also available in English. The bus operates 7 days a week.

Now, when it comes to your end stop in Keflavik – you can choose from the following:

Midstod – a parking lot for buses close to NETTO shop, which is located quite centrally. If you´re staying with your friends living close by or at 1x6 guesthouse, it might be a good idea to get off there.

Hringbraut / Norðurtún

Hringbraut / Melteigur

Keflavik Airport 

Last but not least, this year, it seems that there´re 2 other competitors operating the route RVK-Keflavik airtport and here are the prices for their single tickets:

Flybus; 2,500 isk  BSI-Keflavik airtport

Grayline; 21 EUR  Grayline bus terminal - Keflavik airport

Please note that the prices refer to the cheapest version, I could find at the time of writing,

So good luck when supporting public transport services of Iceland and do let us know any useful information that might increase the quality of this post, based on your experiences from 2017.

NO TRAVEL conditions today

in more or less all Iceland - FRIDAY, February 24th.

Very violent storm expected: starting at 10 am in south-west and moving north-east from 3pm until midnight.

Updates on: www.safetravel.is

It´s 2017 already and with increasing number of tourists in Iceland throughout the whole year, some new precautions are necessary. The organisation Safe Travel is putting a lot of energy into keeping the tourists up-to-date when it comes to weather and road conditions and here I´m posting a part of their info and hoping for your feedback on how useful or not this is. Enjoy the read and I look fwd to your comments.

Here we have the forecast for the next few days. Both road conditions and the weather forecast should be checked multiple times a day for the forecast given is not a 100% reliable such a long time in advance – check out: www.road.is + en.vedur.is

Weather and road conditions January 26th 2017: 

The weather over the next two days will change quite a bit. Tonight we are expecting snow in southwest Iceland but once the morning arrives lowland-roads will most likely become more wet.

Northeast and East Iceland should be free of precipitation for a bit. Icy roads should be expected in all Iceland due to the fact that temperatures will be at or just below freezing.

Fri: Temperatures will drop in SW, wind will calm down which results in some icy roads. 15-17 m/s winds can be expected on mountain roads in Northwest and Northeast with some snow. This could result in some difficult driving conditions, especially for those not used to these conditions.

Sat: Winds from North east will bring colder temperatures. Temperatures below freezing in all Iceland with snow and snow showers in northeast, especially from Siglufjörður to Seyðisfjörður. Things will calm down a bit in the south.

Sun: We expect things to calm down in all Iceland and there is a good chance we‘ll have a beautiful, calm yet cold day. Late that evening snow comes in from the southwest but not until very late.

The highland roads are all impassable as usual and will stay that way until late spring or early summer! Those travelers that wish to visit the highlands must do so with a scheduled tour in a modified vehicle. We‘ve had a few incidences where visitors think that having a 4x4 vehicle is enough to do this – that‘s of course not the case! The damages can cost thousands of dollars so it‘s important to inform out guests of this!

Popular tourist sites:

As mentioned earlier, our highlands are only accessible in a modified vehicle incl. popular sites such as Landmannalaugar, Þórsmörk, Kverkfjöll, Snæfell and Kerlingafjöll. Not all these roads will be closed with a clear closure over the road so it‘s important that our visitors are informed of this before heading out. Some traveler think that a 4x4 is good enough to handle the wintery highlands but that of course is not the case.

The area arond Gullfoss will continue to gather some snow. All the trails in the area are icy and the main trail up to the waterfall is CLOSED. It‘s important to inform our guests that there is a good and valid reason for the closure! Invisible spots of very slippery ice underneath the snow so it‘s very easy to slip and fall. Crampons recommended on other trails in the area.

The trail towards Dettifoss is marked, covered in some snow but very slippery underneath and therefore we recommend crampons!

The road from Ring Road 1 towards the falls (862) is open but from there and north to Ásbyrgi is impassible.

Two dry toilets are open.

Hiking trails in Ásbyrgi are nice, light snow over everything all the way towards Botnstjörn. Slippery spots underneath the snow so crampons are recommended. Road to Ásbyrgi from the north is extremely slippery at some points but should be passable for all vehicles.

Reynisfjara is always dangerous, in all kinds of weather, due to the unpredictability of the waves. It‘s not that the waves are big, it‘s the fact that they are sneaky. Every 7th, 10th or 12th wave goes a lot further up the beach than the rest and this can catch visitors by surprise that are too close to the water. The sand is very fine and the sheer pulling factor of the wave makes it easy for it to pull visitors out to sea. If you know that your guests are going there by themselves – make sure they are informed of this.

Kirkjufjara by Dyrhólaey has been CLOSED due to increased dangers in rockslides and deadly sneaker waves.

Popular hiking trails:

Esjan: To hike up to „The Rock“ is fine. We don‘t recommend that poeple continue to the top due to ice. We recommend that poeple bring their crampons along as there is more and more ice on the trail as you go higher. Snow is covering the whole trail so it‘s hard to see the ice. People must not underestimate Mt. Esja because of how accessible she is – during the winter time you need proper hiking boots along with proper gear for winter!

Skaftafell: Trails up to Svartifoss and Sjónarnípa have spots of ice so it’s recommended that hikers have their crampons with them. Longer trails such as Kristínartindar are only for very experienced hikers! You’ll need a guide’s expertise with that one! Headlights should be kept in mind since the day is short!

The campsite is open but is not serviced. The only service in the area are bathrooms and two showers by the Information Center Skaftafellsstofa. People can pay for the campsites inside there and will be charged half price.

Laugavegur and Fimmvörðuháls: Both these trails are closed for normal traffic. There are no scheduled busses running to or from Landmannalaugar and Þórsmörk. The start of the Fimmvörðuháls hike above Skógafoss has been closed for now due to bad conditions and in attempt to restore and protect vegetation in the area.

Reykjadalur: The trail is now snow-covered with spots of ice underneath. It is marked with trail markers. It can be very slippery so it‘s important that visitors wear proper hiking boots. It‘s a hike that might be easily accessible but during the winter it can be a lot more challenging than in ideal summery conditions. Headlights should be kept in mind!

Glymur waterfall: the ideal spot to see the waterfall is from the southern side of the canyon but to reach that you need to cross Botnsá. Usually, during the summer, there is a log people can cross on but during the winter it is removed due to danger and therefore it is necessary to cross the river on foot. The trail after that can be quite steep and slippery. It‘s always better to have crampons on this hike. The hike can take around 3-4 hours at this time so it‘s important to keep a headlight close by.

Avalanche danger: Moderate (level 2/5)

Moderate danger in mountainous areas like Northern Westfjords, Tröllaskagi Peninsula and Eastfjords. Further info can be found here: http://en.vedur.is/avalanches/forecast