Lapland – A magical holiday for all ages
As a family of five this was the perfect accommodation; we had an apartment with a lounge/kitchenette, two bedrooms, bathroom and our own private sauna. The hotel also has its own pool. We stayed on a half board basis and the choice of food for breakfast and evening meal was excellent, something for all tastes. On the final night we had a gala dinner, which was a great family evening with entertainment and the children singing Christmas carols.
When we arrived at Ivalo airport there were lots of cheeky elves running around making faces at the children and generally causing mischief! We were taken to get kitted out in our thermal clothes and our holiday began!
The resort has free toboggans and we soon found the longest toboggan run in Finland at 1.2km long. It’s a fair walk to the top but it’s well worth the thrill coming down!
Our trip included a lot of activities but we paid extra to go on a longer husky sledding trip. This was an experience not to be missed. We had our own team of huskies which we “mushed” through the sparkling snow in the forests; the children were warmly wrapped in reindeer skin blankets and were amazed at the speed they went.
The highlight of the trip was looking for the main man himself! This was an action packed day from start to finish. We were collected early morning and taken deep into the forest where we did some more husky sledding, ice fishing, mini skidoo trips, ice sculpturing, skiing and much more. Lunch was also included on this day. Around the woodland there were tents with fires in them for warming up hands on and warm fruit drinks were on offer in these as well.
We waited for a local Sami guide and then went on our own reindeer sleigh ride through the forest. This was one of my favourite activities especially when my Daughter looked at me and whispered “Mummy are we really going to fly?” It brought tears to my eyes.
Each family had their own private meeting with Santa. We were taken on a snowmobile sled through the forest until we came across a log cabin, inside the fire was blazing away and there he was....FATHER CHRISTMAS. He had the letters which the children had written before we left home and he sat and talked to them, had photos taken and gave them a gift each.
The looks on my children’s faces will stay with me forever and I would recommend everyone with a family to do this trip, whether you go on a day trip or for a longer stay like we did, the magic will last forever.