My bucket list Lapland holiday – with glass-domed Northern Lights huts, Elf School and husky safaris
THERE aren’t many places that offer a more magical night’s stay than a glass pyramid positioned just above the Arctic Circle.
Topped off with a motorised bed and panoramic roof that ensured we were in the perfect position for the ultimate view of the mystical polar skies, this was sure to be a trip to remember.
When compiling a bucket list for my 40th birthday, Lapland with the family was top of the agenda and The Aurora Pyramids, really is something magical.
The hotel, in the Tonttula Village in Kongas, is only a ten-minute drive from the centre of Levi and 20 minutes from Kittila airport, yet it feels like we’re in the middle of Narnia.
Unfortunately the Northern lights can be elusive and we sadly didn’t get to witness this natural phenomenon during our stay, but on a clear night away from the main town there is no better place to watch the lights dancing in the sky.
The only thing to disturb the peace and quiet which surrounded us were the excited squeals coming from my kids (aged eight and four) who knew an “Elves Hideway” lay down the snowy path.
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It’s one of the big attractions at Tonttula Village and is an absolute must for anyone visiting with little ones.
Here we made Christmas decorations at Elf school, baked the most delicious gingerbread biscuits and listened to folk tales from the Wise Elf while crafting paper snowflakes.
And that’s before we got stuck into the outdoor activities like petting Santa’s reindeers, tobogganing and snow tubing, plus there are private meetings with Father Christmas in his enchanting wood cabin.
It doesn’t have to be all festive overload, though, and with so much to see and do in Finland we’d opted for a twin centre holiday so we could spend the second half of our trip soaking up the slopes in Levi.
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This charming spot is so compact it has everything you’d need within walking distance, including delicious restaurants, a supermarket, pharmacy and places to purchase or rent winter clothing — important if you want to save on baggage allowance.
We’d hired our snow gear from Winterent, in the centre of Levi, which allowed us to pre-order our sizes in advance so that the clothing could be delivered to our accommodation ahead of our arrival.
After chucking on our winter coats, we were eager to explore.
If you’re a guest at Hotel Panorama, that’s made even easier with free scenic gondola rides that will take you to the centre within minutes — a much more appealing mode of transport than climbing down the 766 slippery steps.
In fact, there are plenty better modes of transport in these parts than walking, especially when sleds and all manner of winter equipment can be hired from the Zero Point store.
Sledding is a speedier way to get from the top to the bottom.
The kids spent hours whizzing down snow-covered slopes, then warming themselves up with s’mores and sausages from the Campfire Barista stall.
Make sure to try a Glogi while you’re here too.
It’s a Finnish mulled wine which is the perfect winter warmer for parents.
For a more traditional Finnish meal, Hotel Panorama has an excellent a la carte menu serving authentic dishes like arctic char and sauteed reindeer.
Winter warmer
When you fancy a break from the snow, take a look around Samiland, a UNESCO exhibition exploring the indigenous people of the North.
It was fascinating learning about Sami history and cultural traditions.
My personal highlight of Levi, though, was something a little more thrilling . . . racing through the forest and across a frozen lake on a husky safari.
There are several tours which vary in length, some allowing you to take control and steer, but we left it to the professional musher (our ride costs from €110pp or €340 per family of four at levi.fi/en).
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Whizzing along the icy ground, we all marvelled at the excitable dogs as they pulled us through white landscapes and past snow-drenched trees.
I can honestly say, bucket-list birthdays don’t get much better than this.
GO: Lapland, Finland
GETTING THERE: Finnair flies directly from Heathrow, Manchester and Edinburgh to Helsinki and from Helsinki to Kittilä.
Return fares from London to Kittilä start from £236.
See finnair.com.
STAYING THERE: Hotel Levi Panorama has rooms from €85 (around £74) per night.
See levipanorama.fi/en.
The Aurora Pyramids has rooms from €587 (around £511) per night, based on two sharing.
See elvesvillage.fi/majoitus/aurora-pyramidit.
For more info, see visitfinland.com.