Iceland review - 2015, Page 79

ICELAND REVIEW 77
Wondrous Vestmannaeyjar
SPeCiAL PromotioN
the second floor, while the ground floor facilitates a book store, café and
tourist information center. hoteleyjar.is
The Herjólfur ferry terminal is only 250 meters (820 feet) away from
friendly family-run Guesthouse Hamar in the heart of Vestmannaeyjar.
The view from the rooms is outstanding and all rooms have a new TV,
free Wi-Fi, tea/coffee, a private bathroom with a shower and hairdryer.
A daily breakfast buffet is available and on sunny days, guest can enjoy
their meals on the terrace. guesthousehamar.com
Nearby is Hotel Vestmannaeyjar with 43 rooms, 24 of which are in the
new wing which opened in summer 2014 and are more spacious. All
rooms have a flat-screen TV, telephone, Wi-Fi, comfortable beds and a
bathroom with a shower. The hotel’s restaurant is popular for its sea food
dishes and the hotel also has a spa with a massage parlor and beauty
salon, hot tub and sauna. hotelvestmannaeyjar.is
iSlandS WitHin reacH
Visiting Vestmannaeyjar usually begins with a boat trip. At a distance
of 8 km (5 miles) from the South Iceland mainland, Heimaey can be
reached by ferry Herjólfur, run by Eimskip, in only 30 minutes from
Landeyjahöfn, a two-and-a-half hour drive from Reykjavík.
Herjólfur has three main indoor areas for passengers, a cafeteria, TV
room and a lounge. In the cafeteria, which seats 130 people, hot meals
can be purchased, as well as other snacks. The ferry also has a children’s
area with toys and a television and there are benches on the deck for
those who want to enjoy the fresh sea breeze and ocean view. For fur-
ther information and ferry schedules, go to herjolfur.is.
Flights are also offered to Vestmannaeyjar from Reykjavík by Eagle Air. visitvestmannaeyjar.is
the eldheimar - Pompeii of the north visitor center. a puffling being nursed at Sæheimar, the only aquarium in iceland.
Above: the ferry Herjólfur, which connects vestmannaeyjar
with the mainland. Below: accommodation with a view
of the volcanoes eldfell and Helgafell.