Scroll Top

Lapland was the most amazing trip and the best Christmas we could have experienced as a family.

Thanks for organising such a wonderful trip. It was unbelievably beautiful and action packed. I wanted to thank you. I thought the trip to Lapland was the most amazing trip and the best Christmas we could have experienced as a family.  There was a lot of action and not a moment of boredom.  I didn’t even have enough time to open my book!

Arrival day)  We had our luggage dropped to our cabin while we walked there.  It’s around 500 metres away up a steep hill and then over a small bridge.  The cabin is located with around 20 other cabins, and is inside the national forest while the main hotel building is across the road from the national forest.  It was a slightly hard walk for the littlest one who is 4 years old.  (They only had 2 push sleds, and some other children needed it more than ours.

On the 2nd day, Sean was struggling so we talked to the front desk, who ended up attaching a long rope to a toboggan and we just dragged Sean behind us.  He loved it.  We got our gear in the afternoon, and the people were really patient and had excellent service for our group of 7.

The cabin is quite gorgeous and well built.  It was so warm that we wore singlets and shorts at home.  The cabin we had was big with 2 rooms and a large loft.  All the large and small cabins each had a sauna inbuilt past the shower room which was a real treat.  There was also a kitchen which we used for cooking up snacks and it was also well equipped.  I recommend bringing in small amounts of food and tea, etc. as the main mess was 500 metres away.  From the outside, the cabin looked like out of a story book, very sweet, and loaded with snow.

23/12)  We had a husky ride which was amazing as we got to control the dogs, rather than just sit in the sled which is what we had expected.  This was for around 40 minutes.  After this we saw some puppies and then went to the ice hotel for lunch.

24/12) looking for Santa Claus (saw the northern lights), making cookies, reindeer sled ride, Santa visits the children at the hotel after dinner.  The visit was great.  We sat in a sled pulled by a snowmobile and crossed the lake where there were “elves” waiting for us, to walk up a pathway lit up with candles to have our private family visit with Santa Claus.  We spent 15 minutes with him, and even then I think we rushed unnecessarily as they were so laid back and happy to answer the children’s questions and chat to them.  He got prepped with the kids names before we arrived, so he greeted the kids by name when they came in.  It was a very sweet touch.  On the way back, we were treated to an impromptu northern lights show as we crossed the open lake. Stunning!  Santa came around after dinner, and met the kids again (same Santa Claus, phew!! Sasha was really checking carefully!). Northern lights were on again in the evening.

25/12) Arts & Crafts, Snowmobiling on the lake and through some forests.  The kids made elves from bits of wood, and sticky velvet and stickers.  They also made stockings.  This was surprisingly good, and they really got into it.  The parents also got to make some key-rings out of reindeer antlers. The reindeer slide was quite long, around 3 minutes, but a little boring.  We also got a talk about reindeer and the indigenous people which was interesting.  The Santa visit after dinner was pretty cool.  At the bar area, you can actually watch through the windows as Santa rocks up on a sled, though there was only 1 reindeer (as he wasn’t travelling further till later).  He took some more photos and passed presents out to the kids, and to the adults too!  Soft toys for kids, and reindeer carved corks, as well as reindeer carved cheese knives.  I was asleep, but John said that there was northern lights again!

26/12) Cross Country Skiing, Children’s snowmobiling, sauna and then dip in the ice pool.  The cross country skiing was good, but our group was mixed with another, and ended up being too large.  They didn’t have enough gear and our daughter ended missing out for the first part and got quite teary, watching her friends skiing without her.  I wish they hadn’t mixed our groups up as it got really unwieldy waiting for turns etc.  The children also got to go snowmobiling on a smaller snowmobile which they loved.  Only Sasha went as the boys were not so interested.  She went in 3 loops and had the time of her life!  After this, a few of our tour group organised to meet at the Sauna/Ice Lake Cabin to go for a dip in the lake.  They had broken the ice in that area so people could go in.  There was a couple of Finnish people in the Sauna who already had gone for a couple of dips.  They coached us how to do it, and in the end around 6 of us did it.  Perhaps it would have been nice, if this was an organised optional activity.  After dinner, the whole of our tour group met up at the bar and had drinks and swapped details.   Everyone had lots of fun.  Kids as young as 3 and as old as 14 also enjoyed it.  All the adults loved it.

27/12) Departure. The whole trip was stunning.  The daily walks too and from the mess area to the cabins were just jaw-droppingly beautiful.  The area was pristine with lots of snow on the ground.  It snowed 3 of the days while we were there.  John conceded it was the best holiday we could have done with our kids, despite him really being worried about the cold.  In fact, with the gear the hotel gave us, not once did we worry about the cold.  Only our feet got a bit cold during long rides, but I put some self heating sand packs in everyones shoes every day from the 2nd day onward and this seemed to solve the problem.

The trip was 10 out of 10 Ella, and a great success.  It was a lot of planning, but so so so worth it.  I recommend it to everybody, children or no children.  But, of course if there are young children in the groups, there is a bit more magic to the whole trip…

Some other families took the glamping option, and another family went to the ski fields of Levi on the departure day, for 3 more days of skiing.  This would be a good option for any skiiers.

Thanks for helping us to plan the whole thing.  We loved Hotel Jeris, and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend them to anyone.

What an amazing experience… different from a regular beach holiday at another resort.

Cheers,
Joanne

 

The beautiful fun-loving family!

 

Dog Sled in Lapland

 

The light show of Lapland

 

So much fun!

 

Dogs & sleds

 

On the sled we go!

 

Minus 6-degree savvy

 

Sasha on the snow mobile

 

Nothing like a refreshing dip

 

The real santa

 

The trip was 10 out 10!