Staff Educational: Santa's Lapland
Date Posted: 25/02/2020
Been thinking about enjoying Christmas in Lapland this year? It’s not everyone’s first thought to spend the annual celebration away from home, but it’s actually a lovely way to experience the festive period with your loved ones. Abigail Mitchell, from our Broadstone branch, recently visited Santa’s Lapland and is here to share everything about her time there… from snow sports to traditional Finnish food!
“I absolutely loved my trip to Lapland – I enjoyed every minute! We flew from London Gatwick to Ivalo and even this part was exciting for me because it was the first time I’d travelled alone!"
“I was given the opportunity to experience the Santa’s Magic trip, which was a two-night/three day duration, and it was just fabulous. This was my first time travelling to Scandinavia and Lapland itself, and I was so happy with the resort choice at Santa’s Lapland. Saariselka is a very small resort and I found that it had a very authentic feel.
I’d heard that there are some resorts that tend to be more commercialised but I found Saariselka to be the complete opposite of that. With it being so small and quaint I found it easy to find my bearings which made it feel like you’d been there forever! Before too long, our group actually got to know the locals too, which was so interesting."
“As far as the accommodation goes, The Holiday Club seemed to be very popular for families because it had a swimming pool. The Santa’s Tunturi was one of the first properties we were shown in the resort and another very popular option."
“During our time there we enjoyed a stay in the Christmas Cabins – I’d definitely stay there again! Perfect for families and groups; you also have the most amazing cabin host (also known as Santa’s Little Helpers). The young girl we had was working her first season in Lapland and I couldn’t fault her at all. She cooked us the most delicious meals and took time and effort to get to know our group to make the trip feel like a home-from-home experience.
Mealtimes were always a giggle with her and I found it really interesting to find out what goes on behind the scenes to make the experience so magical for everyone. We also got to try plenty of traditional dishes. At first I was really scared I’d end up eating reindeer or something… but we tried plenty of tasty food and the Lapland Arctic Activity Centre served the best Spaghetti Bolognese I’ve ever had! The hot berry drink was also really tasty and warming."
“My favourite part of the trip was definitely the day we spent at the Lapland Arctic Activity Centre trying out all kinds of snow activities. All of the activities were spread out and timed well; it really didn’t feel like we were there with another 300 people! Santa’s Little Helpers are always milling around to check everyone is ok too!"
“There were warming stations where you could grab a biscuit or a hot berry drink – a favourite in Finland. We took part in tobogganing, ice hook fishing, and more. I found that snowballing in Lapland is really hard because the snow there is just so fluffy! We also took the chance to enjoy husky sledding and reindeer sledding and played ice hockey, which was so much fun.
“I really can’t fault any part of the trip. The resort staff looked after us from start to finish and everything was just planned out so well. I had good expectations but they were totally surpassed! For me, this was a once-in-a-lifetime trip!”