Iceland: The Blue Lagoon and lunch at Lava

The Blue Lagoon is one of Iceland's most well-known "must-dos" and one that a lot of people include on their bucket lists. A geothermal spa which is set in a volcanic black lava field about a 15-minute drive from Keflavik airport and 45 minutes from central Reykjavik, it's also one of Iceland's pricier attractions.

The basic package for the Blue Lagoon is the comfort package, which costs from 6990ISK (£45), but note the "from". We booked a good few months in advance - advance bookings are recommended rather than just showing up - and we paid 11990ISK each (£79). If you go an hour before it closes then you'll probably get tickets for 6990ISK, but the likelihood is you'll be paying a bit more to tick the lagoon off your list (to be fair, you can spend the entire day there, if you wish).

The comfort package gets you your entrance to the Blue Lagoon, a drink of your choice, a silica face mask, plus a towel to use. Premium and luxury packages are also available but we felt that the comfort package was sufficient. If I was planning Iceland again, I'm not sure we would visit. Whilst it's fun and relaxing to loll around in a giant bath, our four hours there cost an eye-watering £350 (which includes the cost of getting there and back, leaving our suitcases in the luggage storage, entry, plus lunch). It was easily the most expensive thing we did in Iceland.

If you do decide to splurge, because of its location it's recommended that you either visit when you first land in Iceland, or head there before you fly home. We opted for the latter, booking a transfer from Reykjavik to the Blue Lagoon, and one from the Blue Lagoon to the airport - this cost 5500ISK each for this return ticket (£35). We then paid 550ISK each (£3.50) to leave our suitcases in the luggage storage which is located at the entrance of the lagoon - the lockers in the changing rooms are large enough to hold a decent-sized backpack and your clothes. Take a GoPro or waterproof phone case to take photos.

          

Of course you don't have to indulge on an expensive meal at the Blue Lagoon - there's a cafe with typical Icelandic fast food pricing - but if you want to eat some epic food, book a table at Lava. We didn't order from their set menu but went a la carte, though they charged us the same as if we had picked a set menu (6600ISK for two courses). With a glass of prosecco for me, and a beer for Olly, lunch cost 17000ISK (£107, in total).

The food was absolutely beautiful though, as was the bread basket they kept replenishing which came with the most amazing whipped butter topped with lava salt. I thoroughly enjoyed my langoustine soup, whilst Olly went for the smoked haddock starter. We both went for the super yummy lamb fillet and shoulder of lamb main, which was served with rutabaga, carrots, spring onion and mustard. It was a very delicious meal to end our Icelandic adventure on - and a meal that made our decision to visit the Blue Lagoon absolutely worth it.

Is the Blue Lagoon on your bucket list? x