Iceland Trip Review: 13-Night Tour of Þingvellir National Park, Geysir, Gullfoss,

Review by traveler

Susan L.

10.15.2021

General Info

Traveler Review

Which Country (Countries) did you visit on this trip?

Iceland

Your overall comments on the trip and the travel company:

We had a wonderful self-guided trip on Iceland's Ring Road. Andres, our travel representative, did a wonderful job reserving our transportation and booking our lodgings. In addition, he recommended where we should go and how long travel would take between sites, which was very helpful for our daily planning. There were glitches along the way, but Andres was very quick to respond to our needs when we reached out to him with questions or assistance.

What were the most enjoyable or memorable parts of your trip?

The scenery is extraordinary. We were in Iceland during the off season so there were no crowds anywhere which added to our pleasure. Andres set up several prepaid experiences for us that were well selected. We very much enjoyed the five restaurant "taste of Iceland" food tour, and the geothermal pool experience was wonderful. (A third trip had to be cancelled due to weather and our money was refunded immediately.)

If you could take your trip again, what would you do differently?

This being our third trip through Zicasso, we were expecting a more personal experience, that is, an itinerary tailored to us. The itinerary we received was a "cut and paste" from easily accessed travel guides, and, indeed, we were able to identify the source of the information by reading our own guides (i.e. we are two seniors traveling together. We did not need to know where to find local playgrounds.) In the past, Zicasso has sent us 2-3 travel agencies from which to choose based on how well we think they understand what it is we are looking for. This time, only one agency contacted us. The agent was very nice and very responsive, but not particularly detail oriented. (One hotel in our itinerary did not have us booked when we arrived and it turned out that our agent forgot to tell us we were staying elsewhere; a recommended restaurant was closed for the season. Details really are important!) Next time, I will make sure that we talk to at least two agencies to get a better feel for our upcoming trip.

Travel Company Comments:

Dear Susan and Thomas
I first want to thank you for all the kind words and I'm very happy to know that you had a wonderful time in Iceland. My company strives to make the best trip and experiences for all travellers that visit the island and with your review in mind I truly feel that it is necessary to explain and answer the negatives left behind from this beautiful trip that you did have.
I put great emphasis on personal and quality services for all my customers, but sometimes when the traveller wants to plan a last-minute trip, then the personal experiences become less. With only a month of planning this 14-day self-drive tour around the island, finding and booking all the quality accommodations and other services requested that were still available, can become complicated at times and sadly the one accommodation that had not booked my request correctly had to find another option in the same village. I assure you that I have already talked to the owners of this accommodation and they promised me that this will not happen again.
Living and working on the island of Fire and Ice the locals are highly dependent on weather and the power of nature, it is always very important to put as much information out there as possible. This may of course look to the traveller, like the itinerary becomes general and not as personal, but better safe than sorry. Especially when travelling on your own I have learned from years of experience in the field, that it is very important to have more information (even playgrounds) than less for the traveller, because truthfully with even more time to plan the perfect tour in Iceland, one actually never knows about the all of travellers interests.
I'm sure the next time you plan a trip through Zicasso, that you will have more time to plan your next adventure and that you will have more than one agent to work with and choose from.
Kind Regards,
Andres