First time vacation in Iceland

A few thoughts:)

We have rented with Blue many times and they were all great until our last trip this past September. It was horrendous and I will not use them again until they get their act together. You may look at Lotus, which is also a local company and highly regarded.

Hvammsvik is my favorite commercial hot spring from all of our trips. You do want water shoes or sandals as the paths to get from pool to pool are rough on the feet. You can rent them there.

As for parking in Reykjavik, do you have an Airbnb already reserved? If not, I would suggest one of the hotels that has free parking. A few that we have stayed at that have this include Hotel Fron, Center Hotel Laugavegur and Center Hotel Midgardur. Otherwise you will need to use one of the parking apps and really pay attention to the time limits etc or there are parking garages.

I would not stay in Reykjavik that 2nd night a it is backtracking. Stay somewhere around Reykholt.

You say the south coast and Westmann, so I assume you mean just a few of the waterfalls and then take the ferry over? A night at Heimaey is great. I would depart in the morning though vs midday. That will give you more time to go up the south coast.

After this, I would head up to Vik and stay the night in that general area. Reynisfjara is the famous black sand beach, but there are others. At Reynisfjara there are many sneaker waves so you have to be super careful there and never turn your back on the ocean. There is a sign as you walk down and it has green, yellow and red lights to let you know the current danger level. Do NOT go into the cave under the basalt columns. Waves come in and can take you out to sea if you do that. Many lives have been lost from not being cautious here, but as long as you pay attention it is a safe and beautiful area to visit. The black sand beach extends to Vik and there are access points there that you can walk to.

You should have been able to see all of the Golden Circle on that 2nd day, so I would not stop there again. Instead I would head to the Reykjanes Peninsula and see the sights there and then head to your hotel for the night. The closest hotel is the Aurora Hotel, which is just across a parking lot from the terminal, so less than a 5 minute walk. The rates skyrocket in the summer though and they fill up far in advance. Another possible option, depending on what the volcanic eruption status is, is the Northern Light Inn in Grindavik. It is basically right next to the Blue Lagoon, about a 2 minute drive on the same road. It is about 20 minutes from KEF, so is still good for an early morning flight.

Hello mikliz97, thank you ever so much for your extensive, thoughtful response. All your suggestions make sense and I will review and rearrange my itinerary as needed. One of the apprehensions on my side is not knowing how quickly one can get from point A to point B given the topography, speed limits, traffic and other unknowns such as weather conditions that is much talked about. I am just trying to play it a bit safe and give myself extra time. At Reykjavik, I have budgeted for about USD 25-30 per day for parking and even with that the AirBnB budget is attractive, comparable to a downtown hotel. Most of my bookings are flexible/ cancelable as of now. Thanks again.

mikliz97 has given great advice as always. I'd only suggest that you confirm the check in time for your Air BnB apartment. Most flights from US arrive in the early morning and you may be faced with driving to town jet lagged (45 minute drive), searching for parking, making sure your luggage is stowed out of sight, then trying to keep yourself awake until you can check in to your unit. IMHO Reykjavik deserves a bit more than a jet lagged afternoon, but that's my personal preference. Just be careful driving even the second day, jet lag hits me hardest then. Have a great trip!

nara--I understand with speed limits, roads etc. Definitely add more time for drives than what Google tells you. The speed limits are generally low, and 90 kph is the fastest allowed but there are so many little towns that the speed limit changes often so you really have to pay attention. There are speed cameras as well, and tickets can run close to $1000, so definitely keep an eye on how fast you are going. One thing we never do is let the gas tank get below half. Fill up at pretty much every opportunity. CL brings up a good point with the Airbnb and your timing. We have always left our luggage in our vehicles there with no issues, and yes visible, even in Reykjavik. We paid for overnight parking once, but my husband paid so I don't remember the cost, but parking in general is inexpensive there. That said, you may feel more comfortable with a hotel where you can park and drop your bags and then head out on foot for the day. Two things to do on arrival day to help keep you awake are the Citywalk "free" walking tour (tip at the end) and the food tour. The walking tour books a week in advance and fills up very fast, so if this is of interest mark it on your calendar. We have done this a few times and really enjoy it. We have also done the food tour a couple of times and loved it. You get enough food for both lunch and dinner, so if you look at it that way, it is actually cost effective;) Both of these are great ways to learn about the city/country.