This is a budget-friendly trip for families who want to pack in as much as they can in a short amount of time. Includes 3 nights in an apartment located in a great spot for seeing Iceland's highlights.
An Icelandic Family Adventure at Stracta Hotel
This family short break is designed to maximise your time, arriving early in the morning into Keflavik Airport and leaving in the afternoon/evening. You will have the opportunity to experience some of the famous Icelandic highlights and natural wonders on this well-paced adventure. Our team are always happy to adapt the itinerary to suit your requirements.
The apartment accommodation at Stracta Hotel is ideal for families who want to stay together, with the option of self-catering.
Overview
Highlights
- Perfect accommodation for the family in a prime location for exploring and aurora sightings
- Epic superjeep adventure
- On-hand advice to build an itinerary that suits your requirements
What’s included
- 3 nights at Stracta Hotel in a two-bedroom apartment with breakfast and northern lights call
- Kia Sportage or similar for two drivers
- Superjeep day trip
- Personally designed itinerary to suit your request
A note on flights
While flights are not included in the holiday price, our team will happily provide a quote and arrange them for you. Simply ask one of our Travel Experts for details of the available options.
Day by Day Itinerary
Arrive into Keflavik early morning and pick up your hire car before making your way to the Golden Circle for a day exploring some of Iceland’s most famous locations. Stop for lunch before heading to your accommodation, Stracta Hotel, which will be your home for the next three nights. Here, you will check into your two-bedroom apartment and take some time to relax, with the possibility of aurora sightings in the evening.
Today it is time to take a break from driving and head out with our trusted suppliers, Southcoast Adventure. Experience one of their most popular superjeep adventures, including a visit to Thorsmork – a nature reserve in the Icelandic highlands. This is a great opportunity to take in the incredible scenery and learn more about this fascinating country from your knowledgable driver/guide. In the afternoon, relax in the hotel’s sauna and hot tub.
After breakfast, take the car for a drive along the beautiful south coast of Iceland, where you will discover famous waterfalls and beaches, including the stunning black sand beaches of Vik. If you need a little warming up, there is a Lava Centre and Lava Show available, for the whole family to learn more about Iceland’s volcanic past and the power of nature.
Have a leisurely morning before heading to Reykjavik. If you have booked an evening flight, you can park the car for the day and explore the city before heading back to the airport in the late afternoon. If you want to extend your stay and spend the night in Reykjavik we can easily organise this for you, just ask our team. All of our packages are able to be adapted and tailored to your needs.
Where You'll Stay
Stracta Hotel
Stracta Hotel in the small town of Hella, South Iceland, is perfectly located just an hour drive from Reykjavik and close to the south coast’s major attractions.
Gullfoss Waterfall, the Great Geysir and Thingvellir National Park are all within easy reach.
There are a total of 166 rooms, and guests can choose from self-catering apartments or rooms with either private or shared bathroom facilities. Some options feature a private hot tub, but all guests are welcome to use the hotel saunas and hot tubs, located in the hotel garden. Enjoy the stunning views of Eyjafjallajökull and Hekla as you dine in the hotel restaurant, where all guests can enjoy complimentary buffet breakfast.
Stracta Hotel is stylish, minimalist accommodation in a highly convenient location which still offers the chance to see the northern lights – they offer wake up calls when they show up.
Enquire Now
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See what our clients say
Overall very good. Staff excellent and helpful. Accomodation basic but was what we expected. Tour guides very good (nature walks, snow mobiles, dog sleighs). Sky station disappointing as we never got to go up due to the weather and this seem to be a recurring feature.The alternative walk at night and meal was a let down as a result.Overall would recommend to others.
1. Gourmet Cabins was excellent and Johan was a friendly and knowledgeable host. The food, cabins, hot tub and sauna were brilliant.
2. Dog sledge was a fantastic experience and we were given the opportunity to drive our own sledge
3. Snow Mobile – really got off the beaten track and into the spectacular mountains
4. Saw the Northern Lights twice in two days. There is no description that can really do them justice
We did the aurora nights break and had a great time overall. Everything related to flights, hire car, and hotels ran smoothly. There were a few issues largely relating to the weather and driving conditions (we travelled in mid March), but what we did manage to do was amazing.
The blue lagoon was easy to access from the airport and was a brilliant experience. We booked the standard package and it came with a free drink and face mask. Facilities were clean and organised with free toiletries in the shower rooms, which helps if you’ve gone there straight from the airport.
The drive to Hotel Ranga afterwards was long but fine (check out the road on google streetview to know what to expect). The hotel and staff were great. We were limited to one option as vegetarians on the bar and a la carte menus, but the food was lovely and if you are a meat eater you will see options of unusual dishes like puffin and reindeer.
Our northern lights super jeep trip was cancelled on both nights due to a poor forecast, but we were lucky enough to get an aurora wake up call from Hotel Ranga the first night. We couldn’t use the hottubs as there are only a few and they were always taken in the limited time we spent at the hotel, so don’t go expecting to get lots of time in one and you won’t be disappointed. View them as an add on if you can time it right. We were travelling with an 11 year old, so we didn’t stay up really late. If you are a couple you probably have a better chance of getting one later on.
The glacier/volcano super jeep trip was outstanding. Our driver, Íbí was excellent. She went above and beyond and gave us such an awesome experience. We were also super lucky with the weather the first two days and had great views across Iceland.
The ice cave tour was also incredible and the guides running it were excellent. The group size was much bigger than expected (especially after the more exclusive volcano super jeep tour), but it was broken down into smaller groups that were managed well, with plenty of time factored in for photographs. There were several unexplained delays getting to the cave during the tour that meant we weren’t able to ‘mini tour’ the rest of the South Coast afterwards, so if you plan to do the ice cave don’t overplan for the afternoon as you may not have much time. Not a huge disappointment for us as we got to experience the cave, but I imagine someone who planned a full itinerary afterwards might be frustrated by the estamiated timings not always being right and subject to change with the weather (which was wicked that day).
Driving around Reykjavik was a horrible experience as we arrived around rush hour and weren’t prepared for all the traffic, having only experienced quiet roads along the south coast. It was difficult finding a parking space, so be prepared to drive around a little when you arrive. If you haven’t driven on the right before and are not a confident driver this could leave you feeling stressed. Again, check out the roads into Reykjavik on Google maps to get a sense of what awaits if you aren’t used to self-driving.
We didn’t get to tour the golden circle because of road conditions/ice/road closures, so we spent the day in Reykjavik instead. This turned out okay for us as we did some of the attractions (Lava Centre and Fly Over Iceland – both hughly recommended), but it ended up being an extra expense and we missed out on the golden attractions. Again, not a big issue if you are aware this could happen. The weather is so changeable that having a plan B is a good approach.
Weekend a la Carte sent us a text warning us about the bad weather conditions, which we’d already seen on the Safe Iceland app, but we were grateful for anyway. It was good to know they were looking out for us!
All in all, a remarkable trip, with some unique experiences. If you book this in the knowledge that nature will have her own way, and you may not see everything you want (especially in winter), you will have a great time. Ranga is definitely the best place to maximise your chances of seeing the lights.
A fantastic short break which fulfilled all expectations. Well organised with a polished delivery, we could not have asked for more. The accommodation was perfect for us and the guides knowledgeable and helpful. Every day was packed with adventure, each lasting longer than scheduled but we were never rushed; the guides took pride in showing and explaining their beautiful country. We would certainly use Weekend a la carte again and recommend them to others.
Fantastic service, with every detail taken care of and communicated to your agencies and hotels. Would definitely recommend and will be using again.
A well organised trip which was tailored to our specific requests. The arrangements all ran perfectly and any queries prior to the holiday were handled very quickly and professionally. The standard of accommodation and organised tours was very high. I would use this company again and recommend them.
Fantastic trip with great hosts & made even more special by seeing the Northern Lights twice!!
Brilliant short break. Hotel Ranga was lovely, excellent food. Managed to see the Northern Lights as well! Iceland on the whole was quite expensive but a lovely place to visit, the people were very friendly.