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.
After arriving at the Ikea-inspired Keflavik airport, the 50-kilometre transfer to the capital Reykjavik provides an insight into the country’s volcanic origins. With the bracing Atlantic Ocean on the left-hand side, the road cuts through a barren, rocky landscape dotted with natural fissures and hot pools.
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.
Foreign tourists looking for affordable accommodation in Iceland without compromising on exclusivity and convenience get great value for their money while staying in vacation rentals, rather than in a hotel or a guesthouse. Traditional options for accommodation while on holiday in Iceland sometimes prove too costly for families and small groups. Owners of apartments have taken advantage of Alaborg’s convenient booking service. These privately owned apartments are available in Reykjavik and surrounding areas.
Most of the Reykjavik vacation rentals in Iceland are privately owned. However, companies specializing in renting apartments own some of the vacation rentals on the market.
The Northern Lights attract thousands of people to Iceland each winter, mostly from Europe, America and Asia. The Japanese are especially keen on seeing the Northern Lights. There are two reasons for visiting Iceland rather any other place for gazing at the Northern Lights. First, the country is located in a place geographically well suited to see the Northern Lights, and second, it is 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.
In 2007 Mrs. Gudlaug Dadadottir founded Alaborg Apartments, the vacation rental reservation/booking service. The company represents the owners of a few selected privately owned apartments which are located in Reykjavik and surrounding areas. The apartments are available for rent to foreign tourists visiting the country.
Although each apartment is furnished and decorated differently, they all 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.
Further information on Iceland vacation rentals is available in English, Italian and Spanish on Alaborg’s website: www.alaborg.is.