Hi Daina!
Yes it was a fantastic experience and all that I wanted and expected!!
Where to begin?
Day 1 - Flight out from the UK. All links went as planned Except that when you reach Edinburgh your Hold bag goes land side and you have to follow. Unfortunately Atlantic air only set up check in around two and a half hours before the flight and there were nearly 5 hours to "waste". That means I was trapped land side. It would not be so bad if there were shops or something to do but the shops are ALL out of action for refurbishment! Very boring couple of hours until I could go airside to the shops and Lounge.
The arrangement worked perfectly on return because BA run check in all day.
On arrival at Vagar walked to the Hotel. basic but clean and Ok for overnight. Food and breakfast all good.
Incidentally the directions and map to the Hotel are "over complicated" It only needs to say "come out of the terminal, turn left, walk up the hill to the main road, turn left and look out for the single story wood boarded black building with "Hotel Vagar on the side".
Day 2 - taxi driven by Dagfinn Berg arrived on time. Very knowledgeable and helpful driver. Took me to Mulafossur Waterfall and gave me a bit of a guided tour of a few other Waterfalls. great guy. I was very pleased to see Mulafossur because this trip was built around locations whereas other trips have been built around activities - Huskies - Ice Fishing etc. Very happy to visit one of my primary location "wishes" and everything else that day was a bonus. The driver dropped me at Hotel Hafnia.
Good check in. All was well until I saw the room. On first floor - the Restaurant floor - and with only a single door between me and the landing. Wetroom dark and a few missing mosaic tiles cemented. I didn't think it was a good room for a 4 Star. The rest of the Hotel was fine. I went to Reception and asked for an upgrade. I ended up moving out of the Hotel and living on my own in the Hotel owners personal cottage at 900 Kroner a night supplement. Three bedrooms, a Kitchen, a living room, seating for 8 people a Piano and a Guitar. No Wi Fi (separate Saga below) Went to Supermarket and bought Salad. Stocked the Fridge.
Day 3 - Picked up by the same Taxi driver on time, he kindly gave me another private tour and dropped me to the Ferry. Brilliant tour of the Bird Cliffs I totally recommend it. Meal at Barbaras Fish Restaurant next to the Hotel in the evening. Nice people, meal ok but not that special.
Day 4 - Sandoy day Trip. The voucher said pickup 8.30, be in Reception at 8.15. I was in Reception at that time. Tour bus arrived at 8.45. Tour was good and informative. Meal provided was good. long day. made myself a Salad and ate in my Cottage.
Day 5 my free day - I had booked myself onto the helicopter via the Torshavn information centre prior to leaving. The Helicopter tour runs Monday and Wednesday afternoons. Its expensive - as all Helicopters are - about £170 for 15 minutes. The day was clear and the weather was bright. Unfortunately the tour was a disappointment because we might just as well have been sacks of potatoes. We got on board and not one word was said from start to finish. We went up, flew across to the nearest Island, back to Torshavn (we spent more time over there than the Island) flew over the town twice turned around and landed. Exactly 15 mins. Not a word said. Great if you have never flown on a Helicopter before ( I have, several times - and the Pilots talked to us) but absolutely awful PR by Atlantic Airways - I don't know why they bother . .Meal at Aarstova in the evening - it was ok.
Day 6 - Fuglov, Svinoy Tour. The previous day whilst walking up to the Helicopter I felt AWFUL. I thought at the time "if I didn't know better I would say that I had the Flu". Overnight I felt much worse. Woke up with a world class headache. At 7.45 I fell out of bed, staggered over to Reception, met a lady who had gone on the Sandoy trip and asked her to explain that I would not be going. I couldn't face 8.00am to 7.00pm on the tour bus. When I saw her the next day she said it nearly flattened her. I went back to bed and stayed there till the afternoon. Couldn't face food. Hotel gave me a free Fish buffet in the evening because of Wi Fi problems at the cottage.
Day 7 - The big one. Mykines. Unless I am going mad the Voucher and the initial schedule showed different times. I recall 8.30 on the voucher. I was in Reception at 8.15. By 8.55 we were ringing Make Travel and Tora Tours. As we rang the Coach turned up. They said they had been "picking people up in the mountains". We got on board and the Coach went to the Tour office. It stopped there and only at that point were we asked if we had a guide for Mykines. Apparently without a guide we were not allowed off the landing stage. The guide cost 490 Kroner per person. A good 30 minutes was wasted arguing. I elected to pay - we had already been taken away from our Hotels and the clock was ticking. What were we going to do, walk back or miss the Ferry. Eventually everyone paid up - some with considerable reluctance. We set off and overall it was a good day but nothing to do with the Tour company. Great Island and I got to break free from the guided group and go up to the Lighthouse because other guides were going that way - albeit I was not in their groups. Tora Tours said "all the Tour companies had been warned that the owners of the Island were insisting on guides".
On the return Ferry we were warned it would be a wet crossing but I can get seasick below deck and chose - with about 10 others to stay up and rely on my adverse weather kit. I got soaked and a bit frozen. When we landed it was raining and quite cold. Every other group was picked up immediately. Our driver was 5- 10 mins late. Nice enough guy but really inexcusable. When we got back it took me an hour to thaw out at my cottage when I had the heating on and every item of dry winter wear I could find including gloves - indoors.
Day 8 - Departure. The Hotel gave me a 100 Kroner a night discount on the upgrade rate because of the Wi-Fi problems. Dagfinn the Taxi driver picked me up and it was a surprisingly emotional departure from Reception and the Taxi man. Straight flight back apart from hiccups at Edinburgh and BA fiasco but the landside - airside - lounge went like clockwork.
Surprisingly my luggage did not get lost at any stage!
Wi-Fi Saga . On moving into the cottage I attempted to use the Wi-Fi. My phone "read" the Wi Fi and connected. It simply failed to work. The Hotel thought it was me (another Idiot tourist) but when they tried it they found the same. Sunevar the Manageress (with whom I will eventually start an IT communications business) came over and between the two of us and two IPhones and a contact in the Faroe telephone company we re set the Router - and it still would not work. Apparently the owner had not paid the bill. The bill was then paid by the Hotel and it still would not work. it was then after 6.00 on a Friday night and that's the weekend. End of.
Monday morning the Owner turned up. he showed me a picture of himself with his friend Cliff Richard and told me he owned the apartment, the Hotel, the Ferry (and probably half the Island). he had a new Router. It was fitted and re set - and still would not work.
I went to breakfast, came back and the owners PA Annika was in the cottage on the phone to the telephone company. It was clearly much more than "me". The owner wanted HIS communications working. I went for a walk.
Whilst I was out they also fixed the Hot water which had packed up. Cold showers are good for you so they say - I don't agree.
I spent half my holiday camped in the Kafe in the Hotel where the Wi Fi did work. They knew it - and that's why I got the extra discount at the end.
So overall:
Good things. Fabulous scenery, your organisation and planning worked 90% of the time, lovely friendly people. I got to see in reality what was previously just a dream on the Internet.
Steve K