Customer Review

I normally plan vacations so handing over 3 days to a travel agency was a little uncomfortable for me. It worked out great. We had a wonderful time. I think it was very well put together. No complaints.

We had the most fabulous time. Nagu Wilderness Hotel is beautiful. The staff are great. I really cannot fault it at all. The dog sledding was all of our favourite activity. It was wonderful to do it but also wonderful to see the dogs and how they live, and how well looked after they are.

All activities were superb - great guides and good duration.

Where to start? The huskies were incredible, the snowmobiles exhilarating, the reindeer fun, the ice hotel a great novelty. All of it was fantastic. Myself and my family were thrilled with the whole adventure. My only disappointment was that it wasn't long enough for me... I could have easily stayed for several more days, with more than one safari on the animals and snowmobile.

My eight days in Lapland, Finland were utterly wonderful.  I have long wanted to experience the Aurora, the Northern Lights and explore Lapland, and this particular holiday was unquestionably the best way for me to do it.  All background information required (travel insurance, clothing requirements, detailed itinerary) was provided well in advance and even though I had lots of questions they answered every single one of them.  Furthermore, they kept me abreast of any changes and additional information.  The trip itself was amazing.  I flew from Helsinki to Ivalo and was greeted at the airport by a lovely team from Nellim who then bussed us to the lodge where I checked in, was given a quick overview of how things worked and outfitted with my temporary sub-zero clothing gear before a fantastic dinner.  The activities were all beautifully paced, expertly led and not only highly informative but lots of fun.  In addition, the activities were carefully managed so everybody was safe, supported, and were great for total beginners like myself.  I had never participated in any of the snow activities and particularly enjoyed the Snow Shoe Wilderness Hike (invigorating, incredibly beautiful) the Husky Sled Ride-Drive (exhilarating) and actually witnessing two extraordinary displays of the Aurora, The Northern Lights.  One display was particularly striking and is something I shall never forget.  All personnel at Nellim Lodge were so accommodating, friendly, hard-working and went above and beyond to help.  Furthermore, the meals were superb.  Really, outstanding.  I loved having the traditional Finnish Christmas dinner, too, and after a day hiking in the snow, it was lovely to return to order a hot Vodka Glogi from the bar.  Really, I could write much more, but I highly recommend this special snow holiday.  All the email assistance from The Aurora Zone personnel were super friendly, helpful, and supportive.  I highly recommend checking them out.

We didn't meet the local rep, but all the hotel staff and the aurora workshop presenter were excellent, very well informed and helpful. All the activity guides were charming, knowledgeable and very friendly. The birthday cake was delicious - thank you. And the decorations, including chocolates and sparkling wine, were lovely, all very thoughtful.

Everyone was friendly, helpful and obviously cared that you were looked after. The hotel, rooms and overall location were second to none.

Excellent log cabin accommodation and wonderful activities. Our guide Axelse was wonderful. Overall a really excellent holiday, worth the price tag. Excellent guides and equipment and beautiful location

A lovely holiday. Great family activity for families with older children (we had teenagers).

I had never participated in any of the snow activates and particularly enjoy the Snow Shoe Wilderness Hike (invigorating, incredibly beautiful) the Husky Sled Ride-Drive (exhilarating), and actually witnessing two extraordinary displays of the Aurora, The Northern Lights. One display was particularly striking and is something I shall never forget.

We loved this holiday- in fact, it was probably in my top 3 of all time. The dog sledding was brilliant - just amazing but we also loved the snowshoeing. Everyone was delightful. The guides were first class and made all the outings such fun. Jocco ( spelling may be wrong ) was just great. The hotel staff were lovely and the food was really good.

It was all so wonderful but I think the peace and quiet of Pine Lodge were the most memorable. The holiday was so well organised and I would like to thank Goran and Ann.

The activities were excellent and the staff amazing.

Thank you so much for finding this alternative trip for us which allowed my ageing mother to go for what will probably be her last overseas trip. A shame we didn’t see the Aurora’s but we both had a wonderful time.

The Aurora over Muotka, with a full moon bathing us in beautiful light, one day before the spring equinox.

It was by far the best holiday experience that I have had! Everything was perfect! Thank you very much. It was a fantastic holiday and could only suggest Brandon Lodge providing an aurora alert if the lights were to appear during the night.

It really was a great holiday

Two of our guides (Kirsten and Jukka) were especially lovely and really patient when we struggled with the aurora snowshoeing. Visiting a reindeer farm was especially interesting as we got to have berry juice and chat with the reindeer farmer, who was Sami, and really informative about his experiences as both a reindeer farmer and Sami in Finland.

We loved the husky safari! It was just amazing

Snowmobiling was just great fun, and the husky sled ride was also great; we had simply expected to be driven around, so to be standing on the back of the sled and (almost) in control was very exhilarating... Overall a great holiday, the staff were all excellent, very helpful, setting up the camera for night photography was brilliant, Hannah Bella and Jonny in particular seemed wonderful to us!

The guides were superb and nothing was too much trouble, always there to lend an extra hand. Safety/instruction prior to activities excellent.

My wife and I signed up for Husky Sledding, Fells Snowmobiling, Snowmobile to Reindeer farm, Snowmobiling to Aurora Camp and thought all were so incredibly well organised. The Reindeer Snowmobile was a little slow for my taste having already done the Fells 4 hour trip as the group size was large and slow going. I like to think of myself as well travelled and fairly objective. When I looked at this question reading the least enjoyable part of the holiday, nothing jumped to mind. I’m going to use that as a measure of how much I enjoyed this short break away and if pushed, the least enjoyable part of the holiday was the having to get up early to get the first pick of breakfast instead of getting the dregs towards the end of the sitting. I think you can take from this that there were no deal breakers and I thoroughly enjoyed myself.

Mina the owner/manager of Abisko Mountain Lodge was outstanding Very friendly and always helpful. The food was excellent.

From our initial enquiry to getting on our flight home the service we got could not have been better. Both the staff at Stannington and the staff at the hotel were friendly and accommodating. Nothing was too much trouble for the hotel staff and you were always greeted with a smile. The bonus was that on our last night the clouds disappeared, and we got to see “The Northern Lights”. We will be returning.

I had never thought of going to Finnish Lapland before and it wouldn’t have been on any bucket list so I feel incredibly lucky that I won the AuroraZone/Wanderlust competition. We went to Inari Wilderness Hotel for five wonderful days. What a fantastic place. The people, the hotel, the food and activities all surpassed our expectations. Unfortunately, the Aurora was a bit elusive as cloudy but we did have one good sighting. Still, that just means we have to go back! Lake Inari is stunning and with the late autumn light led to some beautiful pictures. We visited the husky farm and had a ride on a sled on wheels as not enough snow but this was great fun and very noisy! The dogs are all happy and keen and the puppies adorable. We have found a five-day sled adventure so will definitely be returning for that! It seems that whatever time of year you go there is something special about Inari. We shall be back!

The crystal lavvo overnight. Francisco is an interesting and communicative host. It is a great experience sleeping under the night sky but still having the comfort of a real bed.

The hotel staff were fantastic and we had to ask if they had confused us with being British royalty as we were treated to so well! It was a special occasion trip and they really made it with exceptional hospitality and special touches. Minka the Hotel Manager was absolutely incredible and went above and beyond to make our trip magical.

The accommodation was perfect! So cosy and spacious. Would have stayed forever both in the Aurora cabin and the standard room. Really amazing location. Everything was lovely, the staff of the hotel has been super sweet! The manager also got me a birthday present!

Where do I begin? This was a once-in-a-lifetime experience for my wife and I to see the Northern lights. The Auroras Zone and all the staff at the hotel have done everything they can to ensure this was a holiday we would never forget. Our 'once-in-a-lifetime trip' has turned into an 'I am definitely going back' trip. We were there to experience the aurora and did so 3 of the 4 evenings. It was simply astounding and the help from Matty with my camera really got the most out of my experience. But the cultural and natural history excursions just added to the enjoyment. The day we travelled home was my wife's birthday. The surprise and delight for her to be presented with a bottle of bubbly on our last night is beyond description. Thank you so much The Aurora Zone.

I enjoyed the nature hike - It was great being outside and eating lunch off the fire. The Aurora camps were great as well! I loved being outdoors. A great warm and welcoming team at the hotel. All staff went out of their way to make you feel at home. On the last day, I was leaving super early so no Breakfast, but Nora made me a packed lunch to take with me which was excellent. The sauna was lovely. Eetu was my main guide for the trip and was excellent.