Customer Review

The hotel was well-equipped, warm and comfortable. Staff were delightful, friendly and helpful. Ella in particular - a 'Jill of all trades' flitting from receptionist to waitress to bartender to chambermaid (wouldn't have been surprised if she drove the snow plough but we weren't up early enough to see that!). I would describe the ambience as homely and relaxed. Rooms were functional - well heated (a bit too much for us - can't believe we slept with the window open at such extreme sub-zero temperatures!). Comfortable beds and spotless bathrooms with an individual sauna. Food - quality was excellent. It exceeded our expectations (especially the reindeer sirloin). On most evenings we were tempted to lick our plates ;-). The young reindeer farmer who spoke after the reindeer safari was excellent. He spoke with such feeling about his work and his life in Lapland. The equipment provided was top-notch. It made the holiday so much easier because we didn't have the worry (or expense) of ensuring we were properly kitted out. A particular bonus was that when our overalls and gloves got wet after a sweaty day's snowshoeing, we were able to swap them for fresh, dry kit to enable us to go out aurora-hunting in the evening. Without a doubt, the most enjoyable activity was the husky safari. We didn't originally plan to do it - neither of us being 'doggy' people, and also a little bit concerned about driving the sled ourselves. However, it was an absolutely amazing experience! The dogs were so eager to get going, jumping around and barking like crazy. When they were finally set free they went like the wind. My initial surge of terror was soon replaced by a feeling of awe, dashing through the snowy forest by this age-old method of transport. Magical! We had such a fabulous time and are already planning a further trip with the company next year. By the way, we would like to give a special mention to our rep Greta who was so helpful and went out of her way to make sure we had a great time. Thank you!

Favourite activity: Dog sledding - just amazing to hear their excitement at the start, and then the silence once you get underway. Brilliant fun! :-)

Overall, our holiday experience was exactly what we hoped it would be, and despite the relatively low level of solar activity while we were in Nellim, we were still able to witness the magnificent spectacle of the Aurora Borealis on all but two nights when it was cloudy. The most enjoyable activities were the dog sleigh ride and the snowmobiling, particularly the extended snowmobile trip. The dog sleigh ride was challenging at first as it took a bit of concentration to make sure that you didn't slip off the runners, and also to impose your will over the dogs who were intent on galloping away! It was minus 27 degrees Centigrade that day so it was a bracing activity but highly enjoyable, and I have some lovely photographs of my wife with icicles on her eyelashes. The snowmobiles were equally enjoyable and there was a great impression of speed when we opened them up to the maximum speed, unfortunately limited to ~45 kph. All of the local guides that we had were excellent, and Tony in particular was particularly interesting and told us lots about Finnish customs and how he spends the rest of the year when he is not working as a guide. Emmie, who took us out snowshoeing and Nordic skiing was also very entertaining, pointing out reindeer traps in the forest which were equally effective at trapping Russian soldiers during the war, from where the Finnish resistance fighters would despatch them with a POM, POM, POM from their guns! The camp fires that were lit on every trip were also very enjoyable. The food cooked over the fire was very tasty and just what we needed on a cold day, as was the ubiquitous hot berry juice that we had several times a day. Sitting around the camp fire also provided an excellent opportunity to get to know the other members of or group a little better.

A special thanks to both Toni and Anthony for their care, attention and expertise that made the activities fun and memorable. The husky safari was amazing despite temperature being minus 27C! Unique opportunity to experience something unforgettable.

I can't recommend our holiday enough it was amazing! Our room exceeded our expectations, we had our own sauna and the room was in a log cabin which smelt wonderful. Most enjoyable was the incredible Aurora on our arrival at Nellim. You can't buy that! Otherwise we loved the huskies (we crashed!) and the long snowmobiling trip best. Also the relaxed and cheerful attitude of the guides - nothing was a hassle and the pace seemed to be tailored to suit everyone. The staff and guides at Nellim were all lovely. The atmosphere is very relaxed. We wanted a holiday that was different and we got it. We also had some extremely cold weather -28 quite an experience. We usually travel independently and only booked a package because of time constraints, distance and the activities available. We were worried about being shepherded around but it was fine - it exceeded our expectations in fact.

After talking my requirements through with the team, I took all the recommendations offered by Andy. I treated my Father to this trip as a surprise for his 70th Birthday. The whole experience was faultless and amazing. We were lucky enough to see the Northern Lights too! The accommodation and food at the Santa Hotel were totally idyllic. Some of the best hotel food we have ever had. The excursions were very well organised and brilliant. We did snowmobiling and the 5-hour husky ride. All the equipment provided was of top quality and not once we were we cold. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend The Aurora Zone for the first-class service received. Great job, experts in their field - thank you once again.

We had an absolutely amazing trip. It was everything we could have wished for. There was a snowstorm when we arrived and the road to the Lyngen Alps was blocked due to an avalanche hazard. Your local agent was very friendly and did his very best to rearrange our activity and accommodation schedule. A big thank you to him! We saw the spectacular Northern Lights and orca's on another trip, definitely something we will never forget. We enjoyed everything and were very happy to be able to do everything even though there was a snowstorm.

Hard to single out a favourite activity, the Husky ride probably just pipped the others, maybe because we are dog owners, the sound the dogs made as we were waiting to set off was fantastic. The Northern Light show on Jan 21st was breathtaking. A great trip to start the year, we are already planning to come back.

Nothing to add except "Excellent"! All the activities I participated in were really enjoyable and well led by knowledgeable and friendly guides. If I had to choose one, it would be the Aurora Camp simply because we were treated to an amazing 'light show'! All the staff, without exception, were great - friendly, helpful and extremely knowledgeable. The Lodge itself is fabulous too. I have just returned from the most magical, unforgettable holiday.

Activity guides were brilliant. Knowledgeable, helpful and friendly. Always worked with the group to ensure we got the most of the activity whilst taking into account mixed abilities and changes in weather. Their enthusiasm was infectious. Hotel staff were great and served really tasty rustic food. Most enjoyable activity: Seeing the magical Aurora and managing to get some good photographs of this phenomenon. Closely followed by the husky sleigh ride. Our trip was beyond expectation. From initial enquiry, airport arrival to departure, everything was well organised, by people who understand travellers. After a long day travelling, dinner first, then short helpful briefing, unpack, then let the holiday begin and wow what an experience!

Probably the best holiday we have been on - the staff at the hotel were very helpful and friendly - the range of activities were amazing - and all squeezed into 3 days. Difficult to pick a most enjoyable activity - huskies / reindeer / snowmobiling / 3 nights of Aurora action - all fantastic.

It gave sufficient time to relax and to do all the activities. The return trip was least enjoyable because we were leaving behind such an amazing place!

The whole holiday was really excellent, all transfer arrangements were seamless and the activities really informative with very knowledgeable guides. The Abisko Mountain Lodge staff were incredibly friendly and we felt very looked after. The husky sledding was really good fun. A perfect pace of activities and definitely good to have the ICEHOTEL on the last night to acclimatize first!

From the moment we arrived at Kittila to the time we were dropped back there a week later everyone we dealt with was excellent. Greta was friendly and efficient and did what she promised. All local staff great, as well as being very relaxed, so nothing was a hassle.

Everything about the holiday could not be faulted one of our best ever holidays. Your company was recommended to us by experienced travellers and our whole holiday was a first class experience and we have already recommended you to others.

I've come back feeling very humbled by the whole experience. I'm finding it very hard to think about the holiday without crying as it literally was magical and surreal. This was effectively a package holiday without the package holiday rubbish i.e. on the bus, off the bus, here's a tree, here's another. The itinerary was spot on, accurate and thoughtful. Our group were amazing, all like-minded, similar ages, with similar aged children (twenties). VERY, very well done and thank you. Northern lights on New Year’s eve in full flow, with champagne and fireworks, stood on a frozen lake - and as for the huskies!!!! I'm going to book a warm adventure now. Thank you so much.

Huskies! Loved it and have always wanted to do it. Lovely dogs and fantastic as got time to enjoy it (not a quick 10 mins like some other holidays advertised). I think we did about 17km. Great to get time to meet and play with the dogs afterwards :-)

Fantastic holiday at Torissieppi with excellent facilities and excursions giving a wonderful experience of Lapland. I would thoroughly recommend booking a cabin with log fire and excursions including husky and reindeer sleigh rides. Snowmobiles were great fun too. The 'warm weather clothing' that we were given for the duration of our holiday was ample to the task and we never found ourselves cold. I loved the gentle amble of the reindeer sleigh, but my husband preferred the husky sledding. Val was an exceptional excursion guide and Carly was a fantastic hostess in the restaurant. We saw the Northern Lights only on one night as the rest of the time it was too snowy and cloudy. This meant that it would be a waste of time going on a drive to look for clear skies, and we were offered a snowmobile ride instead if we would prefer that. Needless to say, we had such fun on the snowmobile ride that we felt this more than made up for our disappointment.

Katrina our guide was fantastic - when one of our activities was delayed by 45 mins, she left a bottle of wine behind the bar for us to have with dinner as a way of apologising. She was always around to offer tips and advice during our stay. The guides and hotel staff were also fantastic and helped make our trip very enjoyable. We got engaged on the first day there - and we were soon getting lots of congratulations from all of the staff whenever they saw us. Most enjoyable activity: "It's a husky day" - it was great to get to work closely with the dogs, harnessing them up and feeding them as well as getting to take them out with the sledge. Least enjoyable activity: Probably the ice fishing - as there were no fish and we got rather cold. Not the fault of The Aurora Zone or the guides - they made it as comfortable and enjoyable as they possibly could.

Husky Sledding and Snowmobiling. Guides were great and we had such a laugh. Loved everything.

I really enjoyed being able to land at the airport and everything was already planned out. I never had any issues with the accommodations, food, guides, or activities. I personally like cross country skiing, as I really enjoyed being out in the nature and being active. I really enjoyed getting to learn about the culture, reindeer activities food, and being able to book out the sauna instead of having to share it with multiple people.

We enjoyed everything we did, but I did like the husky ride - could have done that all day!

The Northern Lights Super jeep tour was cold, clear and beautiful - the guide, Clemmie, was great - friendly helpful and knowledgeable and the lights came out to play. We had a great time.

We most enjoyed watching the Aurora at the Muotka Lodge Aurora camp and roasting marshmallows there on New Year's Eve. Cross-country skiing - it was great to try something new with such supportive guides.

This was one of our best holidays ever - and we travel a lot! To be 56 and trying new things for the first time was amazing, and to see the Aurora every night was fantastic. It is an active holiday, but even though I am not very fit, I could keep up with the younger people. We loved the Aurora Camp. I particularly enjoyed the husky ride and my husband enjoyed the cross-country skiing. Neither of had skied before and to be honest I was scared even before I put on the skis, but with the encouragement of the guides I was able to participate. I would certainly do cross-country skiing again. The staff at Muotka, including the wonderful guides (especially the Finnish ladies who took us snowshoeing and skiing and Pim who also took us snowshoeing, were notably fantastic). Nina the manager did everything to make everybody’s stay perfect. The location is beautiful and you really feel part of the nature there. We will be back and this time with the grown up kids!

Having left it late to book anything for New Year, I expected the best stuff to have gone. We got a choice of holidays though and picked Inari. If this is what was left, I can't imagine what the others were like! It has to be said that we were very lucky with the weather. It was mild (for Northern Finland) in that I don't think it went below minus ten whereas minus twenty would be more typical. The accommodation was great but we were so busy being active that I only got to try the sauna once. Wouldn't advise missing the museum, though - a great guide to the area and people. The activities were superb. The basics were good but always had little extras like the picnics, drinks, snacks etc. Again, we had great weather with snow only when driving the huskies and a clear evening for the snowshoeing. Our guides were outstanding. As for the Aurora, that just got better and better. First night on the snowshoes was clear and gave us all time to sort out our cameras. The second night was thick cloud and we were giving up when the skies cleared and we had a display. Home by midnight! Finally, New Year's Eve was cloudy and an abortive bus safari was disappointing. Back at the hotel, between first and second courses it appeared and then reserved its best for a minute after midnight! The rest of the group were cosmopolitan to say the least, and great company. Fabulous holiday. Thanks for everything.

Hard to choose (a most enjoyable activity) - enjoyed them all. Probably found the husky driving the best overall but surprised at how much I liked the cross-country skiing.

Seeing the Northern Lights on each night of our visit....unforgettable...New Year's Eve Party Celebrations very, very good. Husky safari.......superb. You mustn’t under-estimate the input and contributions made by Anna and Timo, all the guides, the house staff and everyone....and the reindeer herder and the husky guides...and the dogs themselves?...these very good people (and dogs) make the holiday very special.

The honeymoon was a fantastic experience that is going to be very hard to beat! The hotel was super and the staff were so helpful and would go above and beyond to make sure that you were looked after. We didn't have a mirror in our room, as I think they had just been renovating it, so I asked if they happened to have a small one I could use while there and next thing there was mirror fitted on the wall within half an hour. My hubby is a right fussy one with food, but the buffet service and range of food always meant that there was enough for him to eat and he tried lots of different food. I thought it was brilliant how if you were out on a day trip the guides took food and drink to cook on a campfire and warm you up. We enjoyed the traditional Laplandish meal on New Year's Eve, followed by sparkly wine and fireworks - a purely magical way to see in 2017. The itinerary for the week was a great mixture of free time and varying length activities and we liked how there was a free day built in where we hired some skis and did our own thing and hired the sauna. I think my favourite activity was the husky dogs - even though they were naughty and decided they wanted to do their own thing when they smelled a campfire... it did end up with us being rescued by a guide haha. I loved going into the pen with the puppies at the farm at the end and holding some husky puppies. All the activities were brilliant and the Aurora camps on a night time were enjoyable. We managed to see the Northern Lights twice while we were there and the phone texting Aurora alert service is a brilliant idea. We spent a night in the Aurora Bubble too, which was magical. I'd recommend that to everyone who went. We couldn't fault the holiday! I've just been sharing your website details on a December Brides facebook page and I've had a few people asking me questions about it. Thank you also for arranging a gift for us in our room to mark our honeymoon. That was a really thoughtful thing to do. We drank the champagne on New Year's Eve and the chocolates were a treat with a cuppa after being out in the cold. Temperatures for us were between -2 and -16 but it was getting colder the last few days and I know they were expecting -20s after we had gone. Thank you for recommending such a wonderful place to go. We've already said that if children come along in the future we are going back and we will certainly be coming back to yourselves to arrange it.