Iceland had been on our list for some time as well as Ponant so this itinerary was chosen and booked in Jan of 2020. The AXUS itinerary is here:  https://axustravelapp.com/shared/itinerary/65d74d1d-6e15-4e32-9986-1fba0d1e28e7  We had a great experience and would highly recommend Iceland!

The air and pre-cruise was booked with DLV – loved the Canopy Reykjavik City Centre hotel – excellent location – great service – rated 4 star by DLV.

The bike tour was a hoot. Our guide George was “super engaging, master story teller, funny and full of information”.  We asked specifically for him and were not disappointed.

The Langjokull Glacier & Ice Tunnel Private tour (Gunnthor guide) and the Golden Circle private tour (Oli guide) were both booked with Iceland Travel, a Signature Travel Network Destination Specialist supplier. They were excellent to work with in the booking process and the private guides were great fun.  Highly recommend using Iceland Travel.

Both the Tapas Barinn Restaurant and the Dill Restaurant in Reykjavik had excellent food and service and were great fun. The Dill was a little pricey but provided a unique, multi-course ‘set menu’ (with vegetarian option for Jani) and wine pairings (and dark beer for John). 

On the way back from the Golden Circle tour our guide recommended the ‘tomato restaurant’ https://www.fridheimar.is/en - well worth the stop – you actually dine in a real greenhouse!

Iceland is probably best experienced by a land tour, rather than by ship.  The towns are quaint.  It’s easy and safe to walk around.  There’s a lot of interesting history.  The bars and restaurants are unique and fun.  The McDonalds and Burger Kings haven’t invaded yet.  It was refreshing.   The people were friendly.  Our private tour guides made the trip with their stories and with the places they took us that one wouldn’t find on their own.

It was an ambitious trip and we have memories for a lifetime.