Silica, the Blue Lagoon’ s 35-room hotel, is a 10-minute walk.( It is closing in April and will reopen later this year as a 60-room luxury hotel with a new restaurant.)
Jessica and I spent hours walking on the lagoon’ s smooth rock floor. We eventually relaxed, although we had to dodge tourists who splashed through the water in search of the perfect selfie backdrop.
One of the lagoon’ s best features is its swim-up bar, where you can buy smoothies and water. We also tried the in-water massage( about $ 80 for 30 minutes, but you can skip it unless you like the sensation of sinking), had lunch at Lava( some of the best food in Iceland) and returned to the lagoon for several more hours.
The warm water is addictive, so we were glad to have allotted an entire day for the visit.
Hvalfjardarlaug
A 42-minute drive north of Reykjavik took us through lush green valleys, across bridges over rocky streams and down a pothole-riddled dirt road to one of the most magical spots I have ever visited.
We were sure we were in the wrong place, so we parked our car to avoid blocking the road, then made our way down a dirty path.
When we reached the pebble-lined shore
of the Hvalfjordur fiord, we turned left and walked about eight minutes( our hotel concierge had provided us with instructions) until we came to a tiny man-made pool surrounded by rocks. The hot water is piped in from a nearby spring.
The fiord’ s deep blue water and green mountains are the backdrop for the small hot tub, which fits two people comfortably. Birdsong and the sound of water lapping lazily at the shoreline provided the soundtrack for the afternoon.
As we sat alone in the warm pool, we felt as though we had dropped into someone’ s“ Wish you were here” postcard. We alone enjoyed the solitude; we hadn’ t seen another human being in miles.
But isolation isn’ t guaranteed. If someone happens to be in the pool when you arrive, you’ ll have to wait your turn.
Secret Lagoon
The name may stem from the difficulty in finding this place. After our map app failed us, we had to stop at a gas station for directions.
The Secret Lagoon, created in 1891, is one of the oldest swimming pools in Iceland. It’ s in the small town of Fludir, a little more than an hour’ s drive east of Reykjavik.
It’ s a popular stop on the 186-mile Golden Circle tour, which also includes the Geysir geyser, the Gullfoss waterfall and the Kerid Crater Lake.
We arrived in the morning, which was smart because access is limited to control crowding.( The website lists designated times for tour groups, so plan to arrive before or after them.)
The lagoon is behind a small building, where you check in and pay about $ 25 to enter.
The Secret Lagoon is about the size of a large backyard swimming pool and is surrounded by dense forest in one direction and rolling green hills in the other.
Steam rose from the ground, creating a dense fog over the water. A walking path allowed us to explore the spurting, bubbling hot springs without getting too close. We spent a couple of hours in the lagoon, which was ample time to relax and work up an appetite for lunch.
Laugarvatn Fontana
Laugarvatn Fontana looks more like a heated public swimming pool than a hot spring, with shallow geothermal baths with tile walls and floors.
Not only is geothermal heat used to warm the baths, but it’ s also used to bake bread underground. The rye created in its geothermal bakery is delicious. You may want to stop for lunch rather than a soak in the pool
www. society. qa 59