I cannot recommend a holiday to Iceland enough, and in particular a stay in Paradise Cottage is a must!! The cottage has absolutely stunning views, is so peaceful, relaxing, cosy, very comfortable beds, log fire, hot tub, wifi… everything you need for a lovely stay in Iceland. Hot tub was just perfect! I should also comment on the outdoor shower (as everyone else has!), and would say it wasn’t even an issue even though at home it would sound a bit odd but in the peace and tranquillity of Paradise Cottage it seems natural and is a great way to start the day :) If you go in the Spring/ Summer keep an eye out for the resident Maríuerla (Wagtail), so cute. Gestur was very helpful to us and changed over the gas canister that had run out within a couple of hours of us contacting him whilst we were at the Blue Lagoon, so it didn’t cause any disruption to our holiday. One other thing to mention is that the smoke alarm is very sensitive and will also activate the house alarm, would advise to have both windows open when cooking and if the alarm does go off I would contact Gestur or Arnar once you have reset it to make sure a quick phone call to Securitas is made… or you will receive a visit from Securitas (Securitas are very friendly, but it will just save them having to come out for a non emergency).
Iceland itself is truly amazing - hire a car and explore… in particular Jökulsárlón (glacial lagoon) will take your breath away and make sure you stop off at Seljalandfoss and Skogafoss on the way. Blue Lagoon, a typical tourist attraction, but just incredible (take your own towel and flip flops to save money) and also the many local heated outdoor pools are fab to visit as you explore the country… with hot tubs, steam rooms, big slides and all very clean and cheap at about 550 kr per adult, we particularly enjoyed the swimming pool in Borganes as it was very quiet and set in a good location with views of the mountains.
I could go on and on about Iceland and Paradise Cottage and how amazing it is, really did not want to come home.
Thank you very much to Gestur for the rental of your lovely home for a week :)
Gemma & Nick