ICELANDIC TOURIST BOARD                                                                           DATELINE OCTOBER 2007

 

The holiday season is fast approaching, and that means it’s party season. We’d like to give you a few options to explore to make the end of this year your most memorable, from destinations to one special gift idea that is sure to put a smile on that certain someone’s face. We’ll even tell you how to get something for (almost) nothing. Read on for fall’s deals from Iceland...

Iceland: Home of the Natural Spa

Iceland is a lucky place. Warm currents of air keep the winters mild and create a shield against pollution, some of the richest fisheries in the world bump right against the shores, and after a hard day of work Icelanders can soak in any of the several thousand hot springs scattered across the island. The Icelanders have for centuries taken advantage of this wonderful bounty of resources, and today there are 125 geothermal swimming pools in Iceland, with 12 located in the greater Reykjavik area alone. Nearly three million people visit the pools each year.


Pools are credited for longevity, regarded as preventive medicine, and swimming is a mandatory course in Icelandic grammar schools. General admission is about $4 around Iceland, while seniors and children get to swim for free.

 

Geothermal water and its health benefits, the Sanus Per Aquum, that gives us the name “spa,” is a big part of the Icelandic mindset. Full-service, first class spas are in full evidence around the country alongside the geothermal pools. Check in with our friends at SpaCity (http://spacity.is/) for more information.

Blue Lagoon to Open New Reykjavik Spa

 And speaking of spas, The Blue Lagoon and Hreyfing, health and fitness center, announced plans to open a joint fitness center and spa, the first of its kind in Iceland, in a new building in Glaesibaer, Reykjavík, at the end of this year.


Until now, the Blue Lagoon has only offered spa treatments at the lagoon itself, using algae from the water in the lagoon. The Blue Lagoon is now expanding its operations, and the opening of the Reykjavík-based spa is part of its future plans to open Blue Lagoon spas in other cities.


During all treatments Blue Lagoon skin care products will be used, whose healing effects on skin have been proven, especially against psoriasis. Recent studies have shown that silica and algae in the Blue Lagoon diminish signs of aging.

Various new features and treatments that have not previously been offered in Iceland will be available at the new health center, including float-tank relaxation. Fifty minutes of the
treatment is considered equal to eight hours of sleep. Who knew? Think of all the time you’ve been wasting between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m.

Imagine Iceland: John Lennon Memorialized in Reykjavik


This month Yoko Ono will unveil the Imagine Peace Tower in Reykjavik, on what would have been husband John Lennon''s 67th birthday. The Tower is a stories-tall beam of light that will emanate from a wishing well bearing the words "Imagine Peace" in 24 languages and will be lit each year from Oct. 9 to Dec. 8, "so it has the feeling of the shortness of life, but the light is eternal," said Lennon’s widow.


"This is something that we spoke about 40 years ago," Ono said. "Our dream is finally coming true."


When she turned 70, Ono decided she needed a place to keep the thousands of wishes she had collected through the "wish trees" she had set up at gallery shows around the world. Engineers from Iceland and Japan worked from her design to build a 55-foot platform beneath a 6-1/2-foot-tall wishing well that houses nine spotlights.


The tower sits on the coast of the Island of Vioey.


Ono said she chose Iceland "because it is a very eco-friendly country"
that relies on geothermal energy.

"It''s so beautiful," she said. "There''s a certain strangeness to it. I
would like to say it''s magical."

The wishes Ono has collected — about 495,000 so far — will be buried in "capsules" around the tower, each topped with a tree. "Eventually it will be like a forest," she said.
Wishes can be submitted by mail or through the Imagine Peace Web site (www.a-i-u.net).

Leave the Driving to Us


From time to time, the Dateline staff gets unshackled from our keyboards and is allowed to actually get out and see the countryside. If Ralph Cramden of “The Honeymooners” liked buses, we figured they’re good enough for us as well. A recent day tour of the “Wonders of Snæfellsnes” combined 16 strangers with a love of adventure on an all-day trip around Snæfellsnes glacier, Jules Verne’s fabled portal into the center of the earth. While we didn’t travel downwards any distance, we did manage to see black sand beaches, waterfalls, scenic coastlines, seals, and even stopped for a lunch at a quaint inn along the way. There was even time for napping between stops in our comfortable luxury van driven by our soft-spoken, incredibly knowledgeable driver.


Day tours are conducted year-round and range in price from $61 to $253 including pick-up and drop-off at your hotel. Tours are available of the Blue Lagoon, the Golden Circle and its waterfalls and geysirs, fishing trips, whale watches, the southern coast, and more. Multi-day escorted tours are also available. For information on one tour bus operator, Reykjavik Excursions, log onto www.re.is.com).

They Said It

“It’s a mysterious odd land, isn’t it?”

– David Letterman speaking to two-time Academy Award winner Jodie Foster last month on the CBS-TV Late Show about her trip to Iceland this summer. Jodie says of Iceland, “It’s fantastic. If you like the Animal Planet, Discovery Channel kind of thing, this is the place.” See the segment for yourself at www.icelandtouristboard.com. We’ve posted it there for you.


“I had a wonderful summer. I actually got to go to Iceland. I don’t know if you’ve ever been there, but it is a beautiful place. It’s got great scenery. I went to Reykjavik and they have great nightlife there. I saw some geysirs and some hot springs, but the highlight of my trip was a first-ever visit to an animal penis museum.”


– Comedian Will Forte on Late Night with Conan O’Brien, Aug. 31, 2007


“It’s hard to look at the vista of Iceland… and not take a deep mental breath. The rich blue of the sky reflecting in pure waters inviting enough to drink and the black ash of the volcanic soil contrasting with the stark white of glacial ice somehow refresh, calm and reinvigorate all at the
same time.”



– Alice Park, Time Style & Design, Fall 2007


And now for a completely shameless plug …


“For many months now, I’ve been devouring every issue of Dateline Iceland … Maybe it’s the quirky Icelandic sense of humor in the writing, or maybe it’s the awe-inspiring photos of tourists boating among icebergs on glacial lagoons, dipping into therapeutic hot springs or horseback riding along jet-black lava trails. For whatever reason, I’m incredibly keen to visit Europe’s polar region. Start reading the free newsletter, and perhaps you’ll be hypnotized by this island at the top of the world, too.”


– Los Angeles Times Daily Travel Deal Blog, Summer 2007. (Editor’s note: It’s nice to know at least someone appreciates our sense of humor. Hey, when you’re located on an island in the North Atlantic, you can’t take yourself too seriously. You can see this posting at http://travel.latimes.com/daily-deal-blog/?p=438).
Deals of the Month

Freegans Unite: Visit Iceland for Free (Almost)

Freegans? Yes, we know who you are. Those of you who live for free stuff. What’s your favorite color: free. What size are you? Free. Nothing thrills you more than getting something for nothing. And we’re not just talking the free pens, sticky pads and ball caps you get at trade shows or doctor’s offices. No, we’re talking really free.


Are you the type who may not exactly dig commitment? Maybe you like to cruise by a place a few times before you decide to go inside? Like to keep your options open? Check out the Chill Out stopover: with any flight or package to Icelandair European destinations beyond Iceland, you can stopover for up to three nights at no additional airfare – and your stay is only $99 per person per night double occupancy. You do what you want while you’re here, then jump back on a plane to your destination.

Take a taste, we think you’ll like it. (Ok, maybe it’ll cost $99 per night, but without additional airfare, it’ll free like free).


Valid from: Nov. 1, 2007 – Apr. 30, 2008. (For more information, click here.

Thanksgiving a la Iceland

Whether you’re feeling your Thanksgiving plans are stuck in a rut or you just don’t feel like cooking this year, we have an excellent Plan B. Go out for dinner, to Iceland. Iceland’s just five hours from America – and a perfect place to have a great time while you’re counting your blessings. Spend three nights in a double room at Hotel Loftleidir in Reykjavik with Scandinavian buffet breakfast daily except arrival day, Blue Lagoon Express tour on arrival, and Thanksgiving Dinner Buffet at Lonid Restaurant in Hotel Loftleidir.

From $789* per person based on double occupancy. For more information, click here.



New Year''s Eve on Top of the World

The end of the year celebrations in Iceland are the stuff of legend. Or “saga” if you want to be technical. You can celebrate in style with a gala dinner, roaring bonfires, fireworks everywhere you turn and dancing ’til dawn. Afterwards, you can soak your way into the new year in the geothermal waters of the Blue Lagoon. Spend three nights in a double room at a hotel in Reykjavik with breakfast daily except arrival day, Reykjavik city and Golden Circle tours, transportation to the Pearl Restaurant, "Brenna Brenna" (bonfire) bus tour, and a trip to the Blue Lagoon. Departures: Dec 28 and 29, 2007. From $1,369* per person based on double occupancy. (For more information, click here.



The Perfect Gift

Sometimes you don’t know what to get someone you care about. It happens. You know what’s better than a gift certificate to that place on the corner? A gift trip to a new world, one still being created by volcanoes and doused by geysers. This gift certificate is valid for two years from the original date of purchase, and it can be ordered decorated with art including the Blue Lagoon, Geysir, horseback riders, an Icelandic Mountain, or your own custom image. For more information, click here.

*Prices quoted are exclusive of applicable taxes and official charges by destination of approximately $100-$180, per person including the Sept. 11th Security Fee of $2.50 per U.S. enplanement. Click here to view approximate taxes by destination. Click here to read the General Terms and Conditions of Icelandair Holidays Packages.

For information on other exciting activities in Iceland, be sure to visit: