One Night At The Silica Hotel

I’m a “plan ahead” girl because it’s cheaper.

I’m a budget-friendly woman because I don’t have a lot of money.

I’m not usually a “when in Rome” type individual but I love unique experiences.

However you want to slice it, I just don’t typically splurge or make large purchases without intense internal pro & con lists.

Despite all of this, on my recent trip to Iceland, I spent the most amount of money I have ever spent on accommodations and it was absolutely, unbelievably and truly WORTH IT. I spent weeks (probably months) justifying the large cost of a night at Silica Hotel of the Blue Lagoon. The breakdown of all it included seemed worth it but it took experiencing it to really feel that it was the best decision I made.

Back in October, my friend Michael asked me to go on a trip for his birthday. He was torn between San Francisco or London. I will always vote for a trip outside the U.S. and while there’s SO much here in America, there’s something about Europe that always pulls me. We found out Dua Lipa was performing in London that week and our decision was solidified. Our trip was originally just going to be London but we found out it was cheapest to fly via Iceland Air to get there with their stopover program. Basically, if you fly via Iceland Air you have the opportunity to add up to 7-days of a layover in Iceland, at no extra cost of flying. It’s such a cool program! I highly suggest looking into it if you’re ever traveling to Europe. Our round trip tickets from Newark, New Jersey to London Heathrow with a 2-day stopover in Iceland were only $397. A total steal.

After we booked our tickets, I started researching Iceland and my stomach dropped a little. It’s seriously expensive. People are not kidding about how much it costs to spend any amount of time there. I read blog after blog about trips to Iceland and budget tips while there, especially with food. Another thing that ate a huge amount of my budget was public transportation. There are ample buses from the airport to Reykjavik or to the Blue Lagoon and vice versa… but they are pricey as hell. We knew we wanted to see the city and do the Blue Lagoon so we had to figure it out.

The Blue Lagoon is a non-negotiable activity in Iceland. Yes, it is wicked expensive and yes, there are cheaper or even free hot springs all over the country. But it’s the Blue freaking Lagoon. It’s a bucket list item. It’s a natural phenomenon. It’s a must do experience while being there – if only once. We figured if we were going to do this and possibly only do it once in our lives, we might as well go big or go home. I began researching which entrance ticket would be the best and I stumbled upon the accommodations section. Now hear this – I am not a hotel girl and I’ve never been a hotel girl (unless someone else is paying). I’ve stayed at hotels for family vacations or weddings but never on my own travels before. But, the pictures of this hotel BLUE me away (lol sorry had to). My brain starting turning, figuring out how we could afford to do a night here. Unlike my usual self and with the help of Michael’s “yes man” mentality, we said YOLO and we booked it.

A night at the Silica Hotel ran the two of us $650. Full stop.

And yes, you read that correctly. 
We spent $650 for a one-night stay at this hotel and let me tell you, it was worth it.

The wheels in my head started turning, knowing I was going to owe $325 for a night at this hotel. I knew what it included after reading through the Blue Lagoon website but would all of that be worth it? It was hard to tell.

Here’s my breakdown of what was included.

Premium Admission to the Blue Lagoon

My whole thought process started with the Premium admission to the Blue Lagoon. The premium ticket alone is roughly 100 American dollars. With the Premium ticket you receive entry, mud and algae masks, use of towel, robe, and flip-flops, first drink of your choice, reservations at Lava if desired and free sparkling wine if dining. Regular me would have gotten the comfort ticket (~$70), which comes with less but the “I’ve now experienced opulence and a robe is life changing” version of me is grateful we had the premium ticket included in our stay. This added incredible value to staying at the hotel because after all, we were there to see the Blue Lagoon.

We were able to check in to Silica early so we got changed and spent about four hours at the Blue Lagoon before walking back to the hotel and napping (me). Like I exhausted at the beginning of this post, I don’t spend a ton of money so I’m not used to luxury but the lagoon is truly a luxurious experience. It’s a spa through and through and although we didn’t even do any of the spa treatments, it was so relaxing. Both comfort and premium ticket holders get their first drink free – we opted for Somersby ciders. They were so fruity and sweet! Such a delicious addition to our soak. They had a cafe separate from Lava, their high-end restaurant. They had sandwiches, fruit, ciders, ice cream, small desserts and things of that nature. It wasn’t a sit-down and order cafe – more like a cooler of different snacks, similar to Starbucks. I wouldn’t say it was affordable but it was definitely cheaper than dining at the restaurant. We splurged on ciders and Magnum bars to bring back to the hotel because yum!

 Complimentary Breakfast

The food in Iceland is wicked expensive. I read about it beforehand but was still somehow surprised at a lot of the prices once I got there. One of the reasons is that its a small island and so much has to be imported – which I understand completely. Because of this, I had no idea what to expect from a continental breakfast at Silica. It was either going to be cereal, toasts/jams, coffee, and tea or a full buffet. On average, a decent breakfast at a cafe or restaurant could cost anywhere between $15-35. Once I actually saw the spread that came out in the morning, I was stunned. It was a beautiful buffet with deli meats, cheeses, so many varieties of bread, a yogurt bar, a cereal bar, eggs, bacon, sausage, potatoes, waffles, and smoothies. I was blown away. This breakfast could easily run someone $50-60 anywhere else. That’s a huge added value!

Something else I really enjoyed as a coffee lover was the access to their espresso machine all day every day. A latte whenever I want? Opulence. They also had unlimited tea and glass pitchers of water with oranges, lemons, limes or mint out at all times. It seems like a small detail but it’s such a nice addition to our 24 hours fo luxury.

** A note about food options. In the Silica Hotel lobby, they have a small cooler of foods exactly like the Blue Cafe of the Blue Lagoon. The only other options to eat are the Lava restaurant at the Blue Lagoon or the one take out option the hotel has. We didn’t dine at Lava and decided to do take out, which had a minimum of $50. We got decent burgers, fries, and bbq wings. It was expensive but compared to dinner at Lava, it was much more affordable. Keep the limited food options in mind when booking!

Silica Lagoon

Another perk to a night at Silica is the entirely private lagoon within the hotel. Coined the Silica Lagoon, it was small but spacious and had at most 6-7 people in it at any given time. Granted, we stayed Monday into Tuesday and it was shoulder season so it’s definitely less crowded than usual but with 35 rooms, I’d imagine it will never be swarming with people. We had white robes and flip-flops provided in our rooms and I’m telling you, the whole robe thing is necessary. It seems silly but it adds to the experience plus it’s chilly outside. This lagoon alone could easily have cost $50-60 for an entry fee if it was not part of the hotel. It was so nice to go to the Blue Lagoon for a handful of hours, go back to the hotel, rest and then watch the sunset in the private lagoon. We floated around on pool noodles soaking until almost 11 pm. It was beyond luxurious.

The total price also includes:

• all taxes and service charges

• complimentary Wi-Fi

• complimentary access to gym facilities

You can find more information on the Blue Lagoon website.

Final Thoughts

If you add up the three top amenities,

• $100 premium entry to Blue Lagoon

• value of ~$60 for the complimentary breakfast

• value of ~$50-70 for use of Silica Lagoon

This is a grand total of about ~$220. Again, we split the room so I paid $325. This means the actual hotel room and accommodation was $105, which isn’t bad at all. Overall, the amount doesn’t seem so much after breaking down all that’s included. I highly recommend a stay at the Silica for a special occasion or a luxury stopover. It was one of the best 24 hours of my life so far and I can’t wait to go back to stay at the brand new, even more expensive, retreat.

* Cover photo and photo of the dining room taken from the Blue Lagoon website.
** Not a paid endorsement, just actual opinion. We aren’t *that* cool.

Note: This is a republishing from my original travel blog. Back date September 2018.