We are just back from yet another trip. Here are a few short comments about places we stayed, ate, etc.
Blue Rental Car in Reykjavik (not KEF)--Car was as it should be, was easy to find, and the lady at the desk was friendly and helpful. This is our 6th rental with Blue, and the last one (at KEF) was abysmal so I was apprehensive to use them but wanted to try one more time. We have used the city location before as well and IME they have better customer service than at KEF. We paid $441 for one day rental. This allowed us to avoid a taxi back to the airport in the morning though, so was more cost effective for us.
EuropeCar/Holdur Car Rental in Akureyri--We had the same car as in Reykjavik, a Dacia Duster. This one had the cargo cover in it though, which is a big plus. The man at the counter explained all about the Iceland roads, etc, which we already knew, but he was great at being thorough. We paid $409 with full insurance for 3 days.
Icelandair--The flights themselves were great. My husband's bag was left in KEF though and did not make it to Greenland for 5 more days. Icelandair was not great at handling the situation, but we lived. We will be making a claim this week and then will follow up with our trip insurance. The last flight of the trip was the best as there were 18 empty rows! We have not seen that in decades but thoroughly enjoyed having an entire row to spread out.
Center Hotel Plaza--We have stayed here before as well as a number of their other hotels. This one is smack in the heart of downtown right in the main plaza. Our room was spacious and well kept. We faced the back so noise was not an issue. The only drawback of the CH's is that the door from the shower/toilet to the sink area is one of those frosted glass swing doors, so not a lot of privacy. We paid $286 for one night. This was the night before Culture Night in Reykjavik, so a big event for them. The rate did not include breakfast. We would stay there again.
Kidagil Guesthouse an hour from Akureyri--We stayed 3 nights and paid $541 total. We had a room with a private bath and breakfast was included. They have laundry service for 2500KR per load, so roughly $20. They have a restaurant on site that is open from noon until 10pm. They also have a small area of hand knit items for purchase. This guesthouse is down a narrow 20km dirt road, so an AWD vehicle is best. Our room had 3 large windows that opened which was nice to get fresh air. They also had blackout blinds as well as curtains.
Northern Light Inn in Grindavik--We have stayed here several times and love it. We paid $409 for the one night. The rooms are very spacious and well appointed. The restaurant on site is excellent! They have float pods which we love, but did not use this time. Breakfast is included in the rate. It is only about 20 minutes to KEF, so a great place for the last night if you have an early flight.
Gentle Giants whale watching in Akureyri--We opted for the rib boat ride, which was 2 hours long. We were provided with a heavy warm suit as well as a raincoat to go over it. We saw so many whales! The guide made sure that the boat was positioned so that people on both sides of the boat got to see the action. He also had some very good information about the whales. We paid $309 for the two of us.
Gamli Baukur in Akureyri--Dinner here for two of us plus a shared dessert and a drink each was $107. The food was very good!
Bessa Biti--Burger food truck at Forest Lagoon. Two burgers, fries and drinks ran us $42. Fantastic burgers!
Harbor House Cafe in Siglufjordur--Cod and fish soup, a coffee and a soda was $68. It was good, but nothing to go out of your way for.