Winter Fun in Iceland
Guðmundur Jónasson Travel is offering three winter fun packages filled with sightseeing programs and activities.
• Winter Fun Package 1: Iceland at Its Best (departs daily)
There is a lot to see and a lot to do in a short time. Explore Reykjavik, Iceland’s capital, walk around the world-famous Geysir hot spring area, visit the magnificent Gullfoss waterfall and enjoy the excitement of northern lights hunting.
Included: Return airport transfer without guide to accommodation, 2 ½ hours Reykjavik City Tour with guide, entrance to the National museum of Iceland, 3 hours northern lights evening hunt with guide, 8 hours Golden Circle Tour with guide, admission to Geysir museum, 3 nights accommodation of your choice including breakfast. $260 per person for guesthouse accommodations. Valid Nov 2009-Mars 2010, except over Christmas/New Year.
• Winter Fun Package 2: Like a Viking (Thurs. to Sunday only)
Explore a new world, like the Vikings did. Fight the winter blizzard, like the Vikings do. Discover some of the most spectacular scenery on earth, like the Vikings did. Learn about living in wilderness with volcanoes, hot springs, glaciers, fjords, lava fields and waterfalls. Come and be a Viking in Iceland.
Included: Return airport transfer without guide to accommodation, 8 hours Golden Circle Tour with guide, admission to Geysir museum, 9 hours Saga Circle Tour in West Iceland with guide, entrance and light lunch at the Saga and Viking museum in Borgarnes, 3 nights accommodation of your choice including breakfast. $310 per person for guesthouse accommodations. Valid Nov 2009-Mars 2010, except over Christmas/New Year.
• Winter Fun Package 3: Shop and Relax (Groups only, daily departures)
Come to Reykjavik, where shopping is fun, where foreign currency is king and where you can find the special gift from Iceland for your friends and family. It’s shopping with a twist in the world’s most northern capital. Travel from shop to shop and in between, relax in a hot pot (outdoor thermal pool).
Included: Return airport transfer without guide to accommodation, 2 ½ hours guided walking and bus tour Reykjavik, entrance and transfer to local geothermal swimming pool, three transfers between accommodation and the two shopping malls on day 3, entrance and towel at Blue Lagoon (either on arrival or departure depending on flight times). 3 nights accommodation of your choice including breakfast. $260 per person, min. groups of 10 only. Valid Nov 2009-Mars 2010, except over Christmas/New Year.
For more information: Guðmundur Jónasson Travel, +354-511 1515, gjtravel@gjtravel.is, www.gjtravel.is
Travel Deals from our friends at Icelandair this month include:
Aurora Adventure
The Aurora Borealis, or the Northern Lights, are undoubtedly one of nature’s most spectacular phenomena. What could be greater than viewing them in the realm of Vatnajökull, Europe’s largest glacier? Stay in Hofn in Southeast Iceland, a region where tall glaciers stretch towards the sea. It’s a spectacular place to enjoy glacier hiking, ice climbing, ATV black sand safaris, and the spectacular and photogenic views of the glacial lagoon.
Four night stays are available now through Dec. 15, 2009 and Jan. 6 – Mar. 31, 2010 from $1,429*. For more information, click here.
$100 Off The Winter Wellness Spa Getaway
Your spa vacation just got even less expensive: our previous discount has been chopped by a further $100. Revive yourself with a visit to Reykjavik, with its clean and crisp air, geothermal pools and dynamic people. Relax and recharge your body and soul, and allow yourself to enjoy the spectacular nature Iceland has to offer. Stay at the Park Inn Island, which is within walking of three of Reykjavik’s best known spas (Laugar Spa, NordicaSpa and the Blue Lagoon Spa in Reykjavik) as well as the city’s largest geothermal swimming pool, or the Icelandair Hotel Loftleidir, with included pool and spa facilities.
From $789* per person based on double occupancy. Departures: Oct. 1, 2009 through April 27, 2010. Click here for more info.
A Very Viking Thanksgiving
How about going out for dinner this Thanksgiving? Way out. Thanksgiving is a popular holiday in Iceland (really: who doesn’t enjoy a feast?) and you can enjoy turkey – and then some – in an exotic location worthy of telling your friends about. Iceland is just five hours from America – and a perfect place to have a great time while you’re counting your blessings.
Departures November 25. From $999* per person based on double occupancy.
This deal has been such a hit that we’ve extended it again. Take advantage of the great exchange rate and hop on up to the top of the world this fall for just $469. Enjoy early Christmas shopping, delicious gourmet Icelandic cuisine (including Icelandic game, popular during November), invigorating outdoor adventure, highland wilderness beauty, soothing spas and more.
Iceland’s Blue Lagoon was named the tenth best spa in the world by the readers of Conde Nast Traveller, the U.K. version of the top-flight American magazine. (Which is spelled “Traveler,” lest anyone get confused.) The readers were asked to choose the world’s best spas and rate their choices according to various criteria such as ambience/decor, body treatments, cuisine and service. The Blue Lagoon received a score of 94.44 – the highest possible score is 100. The Blue Lagoon was ranked alongside spas in Spain, Oman and the U.S., but we’re betting ours is the only spa doing it with clean, geothermal power. Read all about it 
It takes a hardy soul to enjoy the sauna at the Riverside Spa at the Hotel Selfoss, about 36 miles from Reykjavik. Riverside Spa is designed to reflect a sense of Icelandic nature with the theme of fire and ice. It’s a richly equipped area that features a steam room, sauna, hot pool, rainwater showers, relaxation room, lounge and bar. There are candles everywhere – so much for the “fire” part. But what sent chills down our spine was the spa’s ice machine that creates a mound of fresh ice to roll in after your sauna. So if you’ve ever wondered what it feels like to be a red-tinted human Slurpee, the slushy drink sold by 7-Eleven, this is the place. (
This extravagant escape provides pampering galore: stay in Reykjavik’s elegant Hilton Reykjavik Nordica Hotel and Spa and indulge in luxury treatments with mineral salt baths, Icelandic lava therapy, a relaxing Fire and Ice massage and more. You’ll return home refreshed in body and spirit.
It’s time to slow down and get back into balance. Revive yourself with a visit to Reykjavik, with its clean and crisp air, geothermal pools and dynamic people. Relax and recharge your body and soul and at the same time allow yourself to enjoy the spectacular nature Iceland has to offer. Stay at the Hotel Loftleidir, which offers access to an indoor swimming pool, Jacuzzi and sauna. The Loftleidir is also the only hotel in Iceland offering traditional Chinese foot massages. Guests of the hotel receive 10% discount off of treatments.