Lapland, Finland
GO. You might say that we were sucked in by the advertising, however Lapland in the winter is something as a family we all wanted to do for a while, and it made sense to do this whilst the magic of Santa still existed for our little one. It is not cheap by any means, although with Ryanair now flying into Rovaniemi you can sometimes do this a lot cheaper than before. However, we booked this through a travel agent to make sure everything was set up for a stress free trip. Flights with Finnair for this one, via Helsinki where we had a few hours layover in the airport. Landing and taking off in the Arctic circle surrounded by snow is an amazing experience - and nothing really prepares you for that first blast of icy air as you get off the plane! It is like the summer holiday step-off the plane in absolute reverse.
STAY. We stayed at the Northern Lights Village in Saariselka - about a 20 minute taxi ride from the airport. Being in a taxi driving at 50mph on a completely snow covered road and not skidding takes some getting used to - but quite quickly you settle into the fact that the people that live here are used to this and they and their lives have adapted to it. Northern Lights Village itself could not have been any better - it is really difficult to work out where is good to stay - however a lot of the activities take place at this location so it was great to be colocated for this.
EAT. The Northern Lights hotel is full board - so we had all our meals here. The lounge and eating area are fantastically decorated and a very relaxing place to spend mealtimes and evenings. Set against the snowy exterior, the area has the feel of a warm, inviting country lodge. You can find a quiet corner or socialise with other visitors. Food was good - with plenty of choice for kids and the serve yourself buffet meaning you could make sure you were full.
DO. There’s a whole range of activities to do here - either as a guest of the hotel or as a day visitor - so if you are getting a flight in you can just book the activities. A number of hotels do this in the area to cater for all visitors - however if you are a guest of the hotel it all feels a bit smoother as you have your snow suit and all the equipment for your stay given to you when you arrive. We did a reindeer sleigh ride; snowmobiles, husky sleigh driving, some sledging and even hired one of the hot tubs which was the coldest speedo walk ever to get to! There is the option to visit Santa - an experience which was well organised and worthwhile if you have kids of the right age. Everything we did was really well put on, with knowledgable and attentive guides who made the activities feel like a once in a lifetime experience even if for them it was just another winter season. This is definitely a bucket list trip - and although these do not come cheap, it felt like it was worth every penny.
