One night of fun in Reykjavik, Iceland

After camper vanning around the south of Iceland in pretty cold and wet conditions which you can read about here, here and here our last night spent in Iceland was at IcelandAir Hotel Marina Reykjavik. This hotel is located in the heart of the city, in an up and coming art district overlooking the marina. It is one of the coolest hotels I have ever stayed in. Original, colourful and modern designs characterise this hotel, combined with old relics from the harbour and shipyard. Along with exploring every inch of this funky hotel I also went for a night swim at the Blue Lagoon which was absolutely amazing and so relaxing!

After a long drive back from Jokulsarlon which took most of the day we arrived in Reykjavik at about 3:30pm. We checked into our funky hotel, and headed down to the cafe for and an afternoon snack.

I could have quite happily lied on this bed that felt like it was made of clouds and watched cable tv all afternoon but I always feel guilty lying around when I am somewhere new. I love exploring and I can watch tv and lie around when I am at home so after unpacking a few items I headed down to the ground floor of the hotel for a look around. There are so many interesting little nooks and crannies in this hotel and every inch of it is decorated with eclectic and kitsch items which gives such a cool vibe to the entire hotel.

There are so many spaces in this modern hotel to hold function all sorts of functions and events, there were some people filming in one of the rooms and at the end of the ground floor I found this amazing cafe. They made the most delectable sweets and a really good chai latte which I was craving after not having one for six days!

While we were relaxing in the cafe with our sweet treats we were looking at the website for the Blue Lagoon and realised that you have to book in advance! And you need to book a few hours at the least ahead of time. Because it was already passed 4pm we booked the last two tickets to the 6pm session. I was hoping to get something earlier because I also wanted to visit Geysir while I was in Reykjavik but going to the Blue Lagoon was highest priority so we booked for 6pm. It was about a 45 minute drive from Reykjavik to the Blue Lagoon so once we booked our tickets we headed up to our room and got ready to go.

It was twilight by the time we got to the Blue Lagoon. After heading through the reception, you have to find a locker which luckily I did straight away but I heard one lady saying it took her 20 minute to find one that was available. You also need to have a shower to wash off any creams so that you don’t upset the balance of lagoon.

You can’t be modest in the changing rooms. Everyone gets naked while they change into their swimwear. Boys and Girls are separated though! Once you leave the change room you walked straight out the massive doors and into the blue lagoon. The temperature of the water is about 38 degrees and it felt like heaven walking from a freezing 2 degrees into these heavenly warm waters. My whole body instantly relaxed.  As you walk around the massive lagoon, some parts feel a lot hotter than others but it is absolutely magical and I think being there at night made it even more special.

The warm waters are rich in minerals like silica and sulfur and bathing in the Blue Lagoon is reputed to help some people suffering from skin diseases such as psoriasis. You can grab some of the silica mud and apply it to your face and skin for a spa treatment as you relax in the therapeutic waters.

The blue lagoon is one of the most visited attractions in Iceland. There is a waterfall that you can stand under and get a free massage from the pounding waters hitting your shoulders or you can head over to the pool bar for a beverage.

This was my second time visiting the blue lagoon and I think being there at night made it even better than the first time. I felt thoroughly relaxed after swimming around for an hour or so.

After my skin was all wrinkled up from being in the water too long I though I had better get out. I quickly showered off back in the change rooms and put my 5 layers of clothing back on and headed back to our hotel for dinner.

The Slippbarinn (the coolest bar in town) served up the most mouth watering beef sirloin and fois gras burger with a side of sweet potato fries! It was amazing! I am drooling now just remembering it. All the other items on the menu looked and sound just as amazing too.

The next day we were up at 4am to get to the airport for our international flight to Rome. I am bummed that I missed the free breakfast as it is supposed to be one of the best breakfast buffets in Reykjavik. Only staying one night at this awesome hotel was no where near long enough to enjoy everything it has to offer but I do know that I will be staying here again the next time I am in Reykjavik.

After seven days of exploring the amazing continent of Iceland I feel like I only just scratched the surface. Even though we had some really shite weather, there were periods of pure, amazing beauty. I had such a fun time and can’t wait to come back again to explore more of this strange, diverse, beautiful and extraordinary land.

If you didn’t see my Iceland Adventure video in the previous blog, here it is again!
 

 
Have you been to Reykjavik before? What was your experience like? What did you get up to? I would love to know so leave a comment below!

IcelandAir Hotel Marina, Reykjavik

Myrargata 2, 101 Reykjavik

Hotel phone: (+354) 560 8000
Booking phone: (+354) 444 4000

https://www.icelandairhotels.com/en/hotels/marina