Mary M. | Iceland | October, 2022

Mary traveled with us at Crystal Travel & Tours to Iceland in October of 2022, a trip that had been 3 years in the making.

Here’s what she had to say about the trip:

How would you rate your trip?

5/5

Who was your travel expert?

Joe

How were your accommodations?

Okay

Tell us more?

We did not dislike any of the properties, but realized that amenities are not the same as what we are used to in the US, and that is understandable. One property had a broken shower that could not be fixed, other bathrooms had no shower curtains so water covered the floors no matter how careful we were. The room temperatures could not be controlled independently, and maintenance was not available in the evenings when we arrived, and did not start their work day until after we left the room for our daily excursions. It’s simply different expectations that were learning curves for us. Every accommodation had very friendly staff members and overall we felt safe, which was most important.

Did everything go smoothly with your transportation?

No

Tell us more?

Our first rental car stopped in the middle of a roundabout approximately 3 hours after we picked it up. Hertz brought a replacement to us about 2 hours later. When we returned the second car at the end of our reservation we were asked if we switched cars, and were surprised they did not have record of what happened. We were questioned repeatedly if we put the wrong gas in the car or hit something, waited while the situation was being investigated, then told we were “good to go.” I asked for a receipt and was told it would be emailed, but we never received the emailed receipt. We were left feeling unsettled with the situation. We spoke with Joe and he is checking in with Hertz for us.

What tours, attractions, or activities did you particularly enjoy?

We loved the many waterfalls, hiking volcanoes, visiting Heimaey Island via the ferry, the glaciers, trekking to the crashed DC Navy plane, visiting Thingsvellir National Park, Snaefellsnes National Park, Skaftafell National Park, seeing the Atlantic Tectonic Plates, climbing down lava tubes, seeing the basalt rock formations, visiting the Blue Lagoon, touring Perlan Museum, and seeing the many geothermal areas in Reykholt – we loved everything we experienced even though we did not actually see the Northern Lights. Iceland is a must-see for everyone!

What was your favorite part of the trip?

Everything – taking in the wonderment of how wild and beautiful the landscape is. There is not one single thing that stands out because every aspect of our trip was breathtaking!

Would you travel with us again?

Yes

How can we improve for next time?

Nothing comes to mind. No trip is ever perfect, things happen, and you just have to go with the flow. Knowing that assistance from Crystal Tour and Travel is a mere phone call away is very reassuring, and making all the accommodations, car rental, insurances, and excursion bookings in advance takes the stress out of planning, and we appreciate it very much. This trip was 3 years in the making due to Covid, and Joe did a wonderful job juggling all the changes, meeting with us over Zoom to review things with us, and helping us discover what we could do and experience in Iceland.

Any other questions or comments?

Thank you for guiding us through a wonderful Iceland vacation!