Were currently wrapping up an awesome trip to Iceland. While I’ll of course have a full review upon returning home, I’m sharing a few ”live” highlights. I already wrote about our experience at the Reykjavik EDITION, which is a solid Marriott hotel.
Continue reading: The Retreat At Blue Lagoon: One Of My Favorite Hotel Stays Ever!
Share your questions, experiences, and thoughts below.
Did you get a chance to try the white mud? I've always wanted to try it for its therapeutic benefits, or so they say.
Is there any benefit to booking thru Virtuoso or another program for this hotel or no?
For me, this was the best part of Iceland (surprisingly). We stayed at the Lagoon suite and you get your own private lagoon which is amazing. You can book floating massage which they will come to your lagoon and float you on a mat while give you a massage. All the other rooms facing blue water is not heated so you can’t jump in and expect to swim in it. Only the Lagoon Suite gets warm volcano water.
Maybe make a list about this: "But instead, I kind of feel like this was easily among my 10 favorite hotel stays ever, even though we weren’t even there for 24 hours."
Like what are your best hotel experiences of all time?
Reading between the lines, Lucky missed out on Northern Lights this trip (not too surprising given clouds/snowfall that he already shared). The photo is stock photo from the hotel
While in theory a geothermal spa, it is just excess heat and water from the near by geothermal powerplant. It is an artificially created water park. A nice one though, I did enjoy my visit and I could imagine myself going again.
Has anyone ever been able to book directky through Hyatt either with cash or points ?
You're comparison to Disney is spot on.
An overpriced playground.
Amazing experience.
Every visitor knows they got scammed into overpaying but still go.
Few visitors will splurge even more money on a marketing trick which you get the same product but makes you believe it's exclusive.
A lot of people will say it's worth it. A cognitive bias that happens often when you're trying to justify your spend.
Many will feel buyers remorse because it's just too scammy to justify.
And being locked in at the middle of nowhere, F&B is also a scam.
It's always crowded with first time visitor.
Phones everywhere. Probably a few at the bottom of the lagoon to this day.
The whole thing is man-made.
The only thing unlike, Disney. This man-made lagoon is technically a powerplant waste.
You will still have a good time and memorable experience.
There is also another cheaper but still overpriced hotel on-site.
If only someone can discover a way to monetize landfills into spas.
Did I say kids running around everywhere?
Did I say it's an overpriced playground?
I visited the Blue Lagoon once about a decade ago in the winter. We enjoyed our time, except for some tourists who were really rude. Won’t name where they were from, but a group of young 20-something were ordering wine from the ship-up bar, took a sip, and for whatever reason, poured it into the lagoon. Really bizarre behavior.
I think lots of people don't realize this. It's a (nifty) outdoor swimming pool that uses geothermal heating for its energy source. That's all.
“ I kind of feel like this was easily among my 10 favorite hotel stays ever”
What were your other nine? I would love to know.
Looks amazing. FYI - according to their website pricing, the day pass price is per changing room for 1 or 2 people so a couple could share 1 day pass. Still really expensive.
Thank you so much for pointing that out.
That prompted me to get more details from wikipedia.
I see that lava destroyed the carpark in November 2024, so it has some natural elements ...
I was just looking on their website to check prices (seems 1-person rooms are not cheaper..) and noticed that at least for the dates I checked you need to book it for two nights. Ho did you manage to book it only for one night?
You think pouring wine into the lagoon was bad, wait till you ask them where did they go pee.
That's the saddest and skimpiest looking afternoon tea I've ever seen in my life. And for that money, the breakfast buffet fruit should have been artistically carved and presented, not just piled up in a bowl.
The Retreat is one of the my favorite stays as well... and the Best In-Room Shower in the world.
Is that… a bathtub wedged into the corner of the bedroom? For a luxury hotel, that’s a hard pass from me. I love a bathroom with a view as much as anyone, but it really needs to be an actual room—with a door—rather than a tub plunked down beside the pillows. Otherwise, the vibe shifts from “high-end retreat” to “theme-night motel,” and that’s not quite the aesthetic I’m after.
If you are into geothermal spas, for a more authentic experience I suggest going to Japan where such retreats date back to the 6th centaury, and where there are traditions and history. Somehow bathing in a runoff of a thermal power plant does not excite me even if I write it off as a business expense.
Seems amazing and looks beautiful. If you can swing it, it seems worth it. Thank you for the Icelandic insights.
My understanding is that the "lagoon" is actually the hot water reservoir fed by the thermal generating station and not an actual lagoon as such. Still hot water though.
A lot of miserable people in these comments. Who cares if it's manmade? The Retreat is an incredibly relaxing spa experience. I've never been as relaxed as I was during my stay. It's an incredible property for those who value complete relaxation and disconnecting from the outside world for a day or two.