easyJet EZY6655 · OutboundTue 15 Dec
BHX
Birmingham
KEF
Keflavík
Departs07:05
Lands10:10
Flight time3h 05
Seats1A · 1B
Getting there
Birmingham to Keflavík, before most people are awake
easyJet · HomeSat 19 Dec
KEF
Keflavík
BHX
Birmingham
Departs11:00
Lands~13:45
Car back by08:30
Landing time home is approximate; check the booking. Pack light enough for one bag each.
Outbound, straight from the booking
Front row, both of us
- Mr David Crocker
- 1A
- Ms Megan You Min Lee
- 1B
- Bag drop opens
- 04:05
- Bag drop closes
- 06:05
- Check-in closes
- 60 mins before
- Each of us gets
- 1 under-seat bag
45 × 36 × 20 cm - Plus
- 1 large cabin bag
56 × 45 × 25 cm
★ Dave's choice
Our wheels
A Tesla Model Y. Obviously.
Collected at Keflavík at 10:30 on Tuesday and handed back at 08:30 on Saturday. Dual-motor all-wheel drive, winter tyres, and the heater switched on from a phone before every frozen morning. Quiet enough to hear the aurora. (You can't hear the aurora.)
AWDPre-heated seatsNo petrol stopsHeated steering wheel
Day by day
The plan
Mid-December daylight runs from about 11:15 to 15:30, so the days are slow and the nights do the work.
Tuesday15December
Land, then disappear
The hideaway, night 1Sauna 1
- Wheels up from Birmingham
- Land at Keflavík. Duty free on the way out
- Pick up the Tesla
- Lunch near the airport and a supermarket run for snacks
- Check in somewhere secret on the Reykjanes peninsula
- Warm blue water in the dark, eyes up for the aurora
Wednesday16December
A whole day of doing nothing
The hideaway, night 2Sauna 2
- Breakfast, yoga if we feel virtuous, back to bed if we don't
- The spa ritual: silica, algae, steam, lava-walled rooms
- Lagoon at sunset, which in December is mid-afternoon
- A long dinner To book
Thursday17December
Into Reykjavík
The city suite, night 1Sauna 3
- A last swim, then 45 minutes up the coast to the city
- Megan's pick: choose the afternoon below
- Check in to the suite with its own sauna on the balcony
- Megan's pick again: Sky Lagoon, a northern lights boat, or a long dinner To book
Friday18December
Ski-doo Friday
The city suite, night 2Sauna 4Glacier
- Out of the city in the dark, in the Tesla or a super jeep
- Snowmobiles across Langjökull, Iceland's second-biggest glacier. Three ways to do it To book
- Thaw out in the balcony sauna, then Megan's pick for the night
Saturday19December
Home for Christmas
Fly home
- Out of the city in the dark, with winter time to spare
- Hand back the car at Keflavík
- Fly home to Birmingham
TueThe hideaway spa
WedThe hideaway spa
ThuOur balcony, maybe Sky Lagoon too
FriOur balcony, after the glacier
Where we sleep
Two stays. Both stay secret.
Reykjanes peninsula · southwest Iceland · 25 minutes from the plane
The hideaway
The name stays secret until we pull up. What you can know: it is built into an 800-year-old lava field, moss on every rock, with milky blue water running between them that only guests get into.
- A private lagoon, steaming in the snow
- A spa carved down into the lava
- Breakfast, the minibar and the spa are all included
- No light pollution, so the best aurora odds of the trip
Name:
The Hideaway
Somewhere on the main street · central Reykjavík
A suite with its own sauna
Right on Reykjavík's main street, so dinner, bars and Christmas lights are a few steps away. The Junior Suite comes with a 17 square metre balcony, and on that balcony is our own glass-fronted sauna looking out over the rooftops.
- Private sauna on the balcony
- Complimentary minibar and Nespresso
- B&O speaker for the sauna playlist
- Two nights, Thursday and Friday
Your scores, out of 10
Built around what you rated
Your top picks are in. The far-flung ones are saved for a summer trip, when the days are long enough to reach them.
Friday
8/10
Snowmobiling on a glacierThursday night
7.5/10
Sky LagoonEvery night
10/10
A sauna, every nightNext trip
9/10
Snæfellsnes road tripNext trip
7/10
Diamond BeachNext trip
6/10
Blue ice cavesMegan's turn · multiple choice
The first two days are a secret. The rest is yours.
Tuesday and Wednesday are sorted and staying under wraps. Thursday and Friday in and around Reykjavík are up for grabs: tap one card in each round, then send the answers to Dave.
Status
Sorted, and still to sort
- Flights both ways (1A and 1B out)Booked
- The secret hideaway, Tue and WedBooked
- The city suite, Thu and FriBooked
- Tesla Model YBooked
- Dinner at the hideaway, WedTo book
- Thursday afternoon and nightMegan picks
- Ski-doo FridayPick by 18 Oct
- Friday nightMegan picks
Also in Reykjavík
Things to wander into
- TjörninThe city pond, half frozen, with the swans
- The Yule LadsIceland has 13 mischievous Santas, one arriving each night from 12 December
- Harpa at ChristmasCheck what's on in the glass concert hall
- Grótta lighthouseThe nearest dark sky, ten minutes from the hotel
Pack
What goes in the bag
- Swimwear, two setsOne is always drying
- Hair conditionerLagoon water and long hair do not mix; leave it in before swimming
- Slip-on shoesFor the walk between sauna and bed
- Hat, gloves, a proper coatAround zero, with wind off the sea
- Warm layers and bootsThe glacier is the coldest part of the trip
- Driving licenceNeeded to drive a snowmobile