June 2018

A group of 9 travelers

Travelers:

Orlando, Emily, Orlando’s parents, Emily’s mom and the children drove around Iceland and the ring of Kerry in Ireland.

How did we pay for this trip:

Miles, miles, miles. Emily and I had about 120,000 miles each through Delta. Emily also had the equivalent to $600 dollars worth of points through Chase. We started looking up destinations in Europe where we could use 60,000 to 70,000 miles. Our options were Rome, Iceland or Paris. We ended up paying for 2 tickets (kids). We also used WOW airlines from Iceland to Dublin, tickets were about$170 round trip.

What Airline(s) did we fly on:

We flew economy on Delta Arlines to Iceland, and WOW airlines from Iceland to Dublin. We usually like Delta the best out of the three major airlines, but from our last experience we can no longer recommend the airline.

Comfort: 7/10 – For basic economy, seats were fine for everyone.

Food: 7/10 – Food and drinks were reasonable.

Service: 4/10 – Worst customer service from ORD to JFK as they didn’t allow us to board with all the kiddos when they called for passengers with small children.

Kid Friendly: 1/10 – I have to give them a 1 because they didn’t let all the kids board at the same time.

Entertainment: 9/10 – Plenty of movies to make the time pass by.

We flew economy on WOW Airlines from Iceland to Dublin. 

Comfort: 7/10 – Decent space for a low budget airline.

Food: 7/10 – Food was OK, but you have to pay for it.

Service: 10/10 – Friendly faces everywhere.

Kid Friendly: 8/10 – No complaints.

Entertainment: 0/10 – No entertainment available.

Where did we stay:

There is one thing you have to know about Iceland… well maybe two. #1, hotels are really expensive! #2 you get what you pay for.

Hotel Grásteinn

The area looks kind of sketchy at first, but the hotel is nice, quiet and staff is really friendly.  This hotel is a great value if you are staying the night close to the airport. Kids loved the breakfast and the uniqueness of the hotel.

Acco Luxury Apartments

We really loved the Akureyri area and this condo was in a prime area of town. We really enjoyed the good selection of coffee houses, restaurants, the port and the parking options. The price is a bit higher than what we normally pay for hotels, but for the amount of people and the location, this condo is worth every single penny.

Stracta Hotel

We absolutely loved this hotel! When you think of Iceland, this is exactly the type of hotel you think of. The entire family was fascinated by the rooms, the sauna, hot tubs and the surroundings.

BB Hotel Keflavik Airport

This was the first hotel we stayed in Iceland and we had an instant shock as to how small the rooms are in Iceland! Rooms were clean and would recommend anyone staying there.

The Wild Atlantic Lodge

We highly recommend staying at this hotel. The hotel is really charming, the staff is really nice and attentive and the area is really pretty. It is close to the cliffs of Moher.

Hotel Isaacs Cork

If you have little kids this hotel is not for you. The hotel itself is clean, unique and the staff is really friendly. However, the hotel is in the middle of the pub area. We would recommend this hotel and the area to couples, but stay in a different area if you have children.

Lessons learned:

We loved Iceland and Ireland. The children complained that we drove for most of the vacation and they may be right. We recommend spending at least 7 days in Iceland or 10 days if you are planning on driving around the country. We recommend the same amount of time for Ireland. Both beautiful countries with lots to see.