At a time when finding genuinely odd places to go on holiday is becoming ever more of a challenge, it’s reassuring to know that one of the world’s most unusual and frankly peculiar destinations lies only an hour’s flying time from Britain’s northernmost tip. It has Europe’s largest waterfalls, glaciers and, yes, deserts, and a population the size of Ealing’s who grow taller, read more and shop harder than any other. And who, in 53 per cent of cases, believe in elves.
You have come to Iceland.
The road to Reykjavik from the airport traverses a moonscape of spiky black lava, reminding me why Nasa sent the Apollo astronauts here to acclimatise, and is distantly flanked by the steaming chromed towers of the Blue Lagoon, where bathers wallow in the outflow pools of a geothermal power station.
Reykjavik itself is a small city, with a population of just over 100,000 people. This makes it very easy to navigate by foot, though there is also a comprehensive bus service if you don’t fancy walking. Reykjavik looks and feels like a frontier town, appropriate perhaps for an island pitched geographically between Scandinavian Europe and the US. Reykjavik, the World’s most northern capital city, and the self-proclaimed “Capital of Cool” is enjoying a mini tourism renaissance, thanks to Iceland’s financial crisis which began in October 2008. With prices 30% cheaper than in January 2008, now is the time to visit this charming city.
Gudlaug Dadadottir is the owner of Alaborg Apartments vacation rental agency. She says that visitors to Iceland get great value for their money when they stay in their Reykjavik apartments in Iceland. “Vacation rentals provide an exclusive and inexpensive accommodation alternative for families or small groups opposed to hotel rooms, which often are unsuitable for family vacations and can be prohibitively expensive,” says Dadadottir.
Usual options for accommodation such as hotels and guesthouses can prove too costly for families and small groups. Foreign tourists looking for less expensive options for accommodation while on holiday in Iceland get great value for money when staying in vacation rentals. Alaborg Apartments is a vacation rental agency that provides an exclusive but inexpensive booking service on behalf of privately owned apratments in Reykjavik and surrounding areas.
The popularity of using Reykjavik vacation rentals continues to increase both by the local population as well as tourists from abroad. Most of the vacation rentals in the country are privately owned, but some belong to companies specializing in renting apartments to both Icelanders and foreign visitors.
Each year, the Northern Lights attract thousands of people to Iceland, mostly from Europe, America and Asia. The Japanese are especially keen on seeing the Northern Lights. Iceland’s location is ideally suited for gazing at the Northern Lights because of its geographical location as well as the fact that they country is easily accessible in winter.
About 80 percent of Alaborg’s customers spend their holidays in Iceland in the summer, but there are good reasons for visiting in winter too, such as watching the Northern Lights. The vacation rentals are great in the winter too, all of them heated using geothermal hot water. Many also use geothermal water
to heat an outside hot-tub, from which it is possible to gaze at the Northern Lights.
Alaborg.is is an online reservation/booking service founded in 2007 by Mrs. Gudlaug Dadadottir. Alaborg represents the owners of a few exclusive privately owned apartments, located in Reykjavik and surrounding areas, who make their apartments available for rent to foreign tourists visiting Iceland.
All apartments available for rent include a fully equipped kitchens with all necessary appliances together with one or more bedrooms. The apartments also include a shower or a bath, a laundry room, TV, DVD, CD and a wireless computer connection.
Information about Iceland vacation rentals is available on Alaborg’s website: www.alaborg.is, in English, Spanish and Italian.