24 HOURS IN ICELAND- WHAT NOT TO MISS

Hi Mommas,

If you’ve been following along on my Instagram, you know the Dekel family has been hit with the travel bug once again. The past week has been a whirlwind of new experiences and I can’t wait to share them with you all!

We visit Israel pretty often to see our friends and family abroad, so Noam and I thought this trip would be an opportunity to stop somewhere new along the way. It’s a great way to break up the long flight to Tel Aviv which is great when you have three restless children. Our choice? Iceland!

When you first land at the airport you feel the Scandinavian style and aesthetic right off the bat. Everything is styled for convenience and made for families traveling with kids - strollers are available to those who traveled without, the aisles are bright and spacious and there are amazing sites just minutes away from the airport. We decided to rent a car to make travel from the airport to go-to Icelandic hotspots even more convenient, but there are options to take buses and taxis for those who would prefer different forms of transport.

Getting through the airport and renting the car was easy enough, but the weather was not on our side this day. The wind was blowing at 50 mph! So we decided not to go to Iceland’s major city Reykjavik and instead explore Keflavik which had plenty to see as well.

First stop: Hotel Berg! We dropped our bags off at the beautiful room which was just 9 minutes away from the airport and enjoyed the luxurious showers - just what we needed after a flight and some time in the cold Icelandic air. The hotel also had an outdoor jacuzzi which was calling my name, but unfortunately the weather was not cooperating. We are planning to come back to that exact spot so we can one day see the Northern Lights from the hot tub - how dreamy does that sound?

After we showered, breakfast and changed we were off to the Blue Lagoon - one of the Wonders of the World. It certainly lives up to the reputation. If you only have a short time in Iceland this is definitely at the top of your list. The water was warm despite the outside weather being wintry. We dipped into the amazingly blue water while hail fell over our heads! The kids swam around for around two hours and then we wandered nearby to see the famous glaciers along the road. This new terrain was like a science experiment for Yuli. He was so curious about Iceland’s dark black soil and huge icy glaciers. He also loved checking out the Viking Museum where the kids got to try on their own Viking costumes complete with hats and shields while checking out an authentic war ship.

After a long day of new sites, smells and tastes (the food was great - we loved the traditional fish stew you can find at almost every restaurant!), cuddling with a movie at the hotel was just what we wanted in the evening.

Our day was jam-packed, so we didn’t get to see everything on my list like the Whale Watching Tours, but if you have just 24 hours in this amazing country I highly recommend hitting up the below: