It’s been over 2 years since we last travelled, since our flights to Italy in 2019 we’ve had a couple of holidays, a week away in a cottage in Petersfield, another in Romney Sands, but none of those had the flavour of a different culture.

We are also now a family of 4, with an almost two year old, our youngest boy Forrest would be holidaying with us too. We’d joked that in his first year he’d been to as many people’s houses as his brother had been to countries by the time he was one.

For March 2022 we would travel again, we earmarked two weeks at the end of March and set about deciding where to go. Looking for a careful balance of cost, ease of travel, culture, food and wildlife, we began our search. But laced through this hunt were the covid considerations – covid policy, conditions of entry, pre-flight tests, mask travel rules – and then covid rules in society. The Caribbean was too expensive, and Thailand, recently opened up, would ask that a 2 and 4yr old wear masks all the time, inside and outside. We’re pro-masks, but asking them to wear masks in 30C temperatures outside, or for a 14hr flight, not going to happen. Nowhere in Europe seemed warm enough for a “do nothing by the pool” kind of holiday.

Eventually we sacrificed our requirement for warmth, and settled on balmy Iceland. So just as England started to leap into spring, flowers coming out, lawns being cut again, we took a deep dive back into winter.

Flying to Iceland

We flew from Gatwick to Reykjavik. We announced to our kids that we were going on holiday – Forrest screamed with excitement, Conway got upset, “I don’t want to go on a plane”. As it turned out, he was afraid it would go too fast. We reasoned with him and decided to write a letter to our pilot, “please fly slowly”, it said, accompanying a picture of a plane.

After a few hours waiting at Gatwick, where our favourite eateries had long since closed, and not been replaced, we boarded. Conway gave his card to the pilots, they were very surprised by the request, but they loved it.

Towards the end of the flight the pilot gave Conway a special mention, announcing to the passengers his request, and that we’d been taking it slow, at a mere 435mph with a strong head wind. Then followed an invitation to see the cockpit – Conway and mummy were treated to a seat in the pilot’s chair after we landed, not a bad start to the holiday.

We ordered pizza at the airport and picked up our rental, a red 4x4 Toyota RAV4, with not only snow tyres, but nail studded tyres. Forrest found it hilarious to run away from me while I tried to read and sign the rental paperwork.

In the dark, in heavy rain, we drove north from Keflavik to Reykjavik, where we’d be staying for 4 days. It was 9pm, and the boys were falling asleep in the car, they’d been amazing though – travelling quietly and happily for the most part, excited by the journey.

Reykjavik Residences Hotel

Trying to find a hotel that accommodates 2 adults and 2 kids for the first time, we settled on a room that would give us some agency over our food choices – a mini kitchen with induction hob, and a bedroom separated from a living space – once the kids were asleep we could relax with music, perhaps.

It’s a chic room, all greys, whites and blacks. Conway was disappointed with its lack of toys. I used my phone as a smart key for entry, and it was a good location for exploring the city on foot.

The boys loved running up and down, flying their planes and driving their cars, and giggling to each other.

Whale watching →