|
Rovaniemi,
the capital of Lapland, is more commercialised and offers
a greater selection of shops, restaurants and entertainment
than the other resorts. Most of our featured hotels in Rovaniemi
are on bed and breakfast basis and are conveniently located
in the town centre. The exception to this is the Winter Wonderland
hotel, which is located a short taxi ride from the town centre
on the shores of a beautiful frozen lake, surrounded by snow-laden
pine forest.
On the outskirts of town you will find
Santa Park (an indoor Christmas theme park with a selection
of rides and attractions) and Santa Claus Village, a great
spot to pick up some unique Christmas presents and souvenirs.
Don't miss the opportunity to visit Arctikum, the museum of
the Arctic regions and the Lappish people and learn more of
the fascinating history and culture of the area. Rovaniemi
is located directly on the Arctic Circle and is one of the
most southerly of the resorts on offer. This resort is ideal
for families and couples who want the convenience and facilities
of a medium size town within easy reach of their hotel.
Yllas and Levi are located
further North, well inside the Arctic Circle. They are much
smaller than Rovaniemi, more traditional and 'Lappish' in
nature and located in more natural and undeveloped countryside.
Most of the the hotels we feature in these two resorts are
on full board basis; opportunities for eating outside of your
hotel are much more limited here than in Rovaniemi. Evening
entertainment in both resorts tends to be hotel based although
Levi does offer the popular 'Crazy Reindeer' bar and a small
nightclub/ entertainment venue. Both these resorts are best
suited for families and couples who want a more traditional
'Lappish' experience, in a rural setting and who will enjoy
the hotel based dining, activities and entertainment on offer.
Luosto. Lying some 90 minutes
north of Rovaniemi, one finds the ski resort of Luosto, comprising
a hotel, a small cluster of beautiful log cabins nestling
amongst the fir trees and adjacent to the ski slopes and an
attractive log cabin restaurant. One can truly imagine this
to be close to the home of the real Santa Claus. For clients
arriving at Kittila Airport, transfer time to Luosto is 100
minutes. To find a prettier setting in the whole of Lapland
would indeed be a challenge. It's an area where peace and
tranquility prevails, where you will feel at one with nature
in the most beautiful surroundings, yet where a very high
level of creature comforts are assured.
Luosto is so special that our tours in
search of Santa can almost commence from the very doorstep,
for it is quite possible to believe that Father Christmas
lives behind Luosto Fell, so majestic is the setting. It's
for this reason Luosto has been selected. Its superb natural
beauty will ensure that you return home firm in the belief
that at last you have found the home of the real Santa Claus.
Salla is
an ideal location for our Search for Santa tours. A small
and pretty ski resort in splendid isolation, here one finds
a series of quality cabins and a small hotel with swimming
pool. Located a 2 hour drive from Rovaniemi the setting is
peaceful and tranquil whilst the resort offers the creature
comforts that one might expect. Here one finds cross country
tracts at your very door and a beautiful slalom ski slope
running into the very centre of activities so it is little
wonder that Santa has chosen this area to have one of his
many homes in Lapland.
Olos: Some
60 minutes from Kittila Airport in the direction of Muonio,
lies the ski resort of Olos, truly another hidden Lappish
gem. There are but only a few places in Lapland where one
can imagine the location to be the home of Santa Claus and
it is no wonder why Santa has chosen Olos as one of his special
homes in Lapland. The setting is peaceful and tranquil and
yet it provides all the creature comforts one may require.
Here one finds cross country tracts at your very door and
slalom ski slopes running into the centre of activities.
In the main restaurant building there is
also a heated swimming pool. Other resort facilities include
a Kota, a ski pub/restaurant providing a traditional setting
for an evening of merriment. Should you wish to you may also
avail yourself of the sports facilities of the hotel including
squash courts and a gym for your added enjoyment.
Suomu: One
of the last hidden gems of Lapland, Suomu is an ideal resort
location for our series of 1 night tours in ‘Search
of Santa Claus’. Suomu follows our traditional path
of being located in the wilderness away from main roads, being
a totally non commercialised setting. For season 2005 we are
pleased to advise that Lapland Experience holds the total
allocations for log cabins available for rental and an allocation
of rooms in the new Arctic Circle Hotel in this resort. Previously
we were only able to offer tourist category accommodation
here but with the opening of the Arctic Circle Hotel it is
possible to provide better standards in terms of hotel accommodation
(probably classification superior tourist) which offer family
rooms suitable for up to 4 persons. Being totally new this
accommodation offers excellent value for money and whilst
the standards will not be as high as Salla or Olos (which
is naturally reflected in the price charged) we nevertheless
believe that the location beauty and charm of the resort when
combined with the level of services provided offers super
value for money.
Saariselkä:
At the very edge of the vast wilderness of snow-clad forest
and moors, extending far across the nearby border of Russia,
it may be some 250 kilometres north of the Arctic Circle,
but this very attractive resort's hotel and tourist facilities
offer a warm hospitality that is in marked contrast to the
frozen landscapes. Saariselkä is located in the municipality
of Inari, which has about 7,700 inhabitants. There are approximately
2,200 Sámi Lapps living in Inari.
To find out more
about Lapland, click here.
Click here for our quick glance guide comparing all our trips.
|
