Hi Jill,
First of all, I'm so sorry to hear about your sad loss. :-(
I did the Iceland trip in November 2015.
My partner is sick with skin cancer and I needed to get away from the stress and strain and the Iceland trip is exactly what I needed.
This is a fantastic break away so please don't be nervous.
You are looked after so well.
1. The food is amazing. Mainly fish or lamb but there are vegetarian options if need be.
2. Locals are very friendly and all speak English.
3. Hotel was amazing, but did find the rooms a little dark. I couldn’t get the air con off at night, because the switch was so stiff. Luckily a piece of blue tack held the switch back so I could sleep without the noise.
4. The hotel’s hot water smells of sulphur but you CAN drink the cold water, even though the info you receive says you can't.
5. The excursions are amazing.
6. Restaurants were hot inside so make sure you can take off a layer or 2.
7. When we went we had lovely weather. Sunny, no rain, no snow.
8. All places take credit cards. I took £400 in Icelandic money with me which was far too much money. In the end I bought a couple of expensive items from the reception display cabinet as the exchange rate wasn’t good, so I thought I will spend what I can.
9. Iceland is quite expensive. I think a pint of beer was £7. Not sure how much a glass of wine was.
10. We got confused with how the shower worked in the hotel, so in advance I will tell you. At the end of the tap there is a ring, pull it down to convert the tap to shower. Many of us had baths the 1st morning as we couldn’t figure out the shower.
11. You have to buy your own food on the plane.
You do a lot of coach traveling and I found that I had too many layers on and got very hot in the coach, so take thin layers.
I had a thick, heavy coat which was cumbersome to carry around everywhere.
Blue Lagoon - do it. So amazing to relax in the hot mineral waters.
The old Geyser's. There may be some ice here, so take suitable boots that can grip.
The Golden Circle. WOOOOOW.
Northern Lights. WOOOOOW. Late at night so take warm clothing like thermals and a warm coat.
The Icelandic scenery is amazing. You will be blown away.
My main worry was finding my way around Heathrow Airport, but there were 2 people there. 1 holding up a JY folder and directing you to the booking in desk. The 2nd JY person was our rep. He booked me in. The good thing is our rep came to Iceland with us. He was with us all the time. Fantastic. I felt safe and knew he would be there if anything happened.
Then you have an Icelandic tour rep on all the coach trips. She was brilliant.
The hotel is a short walk to the sea front. I teamed up with Rosemary and we had a lovely walk exploring.
This Icelandic break will be something to look forward to and you will come back wanting more of Iceland.
Have a fantastic time.
Julie C xxx