A Magical Search for Father Christmas
- Details
Details
A long-standing family favourite with real integrity, this holiday provides a magical Christmas experience in a winter wonderland. During this fun-filled itinerary, you will enjoy a very special meeting with Father Christmas alongside plenty of festive activities and winter favourites such as a husky safari and reindeer encounter. This holiday has been delighting our families for many a year.
Kuusamo is a firm favourite with families and we think weve designed an absolute gem of a holiday here. At Kuusamo, you will find a holiday with real integrity throughout, including the informal and magical Father Christmas experience. This is no mass market experience and you will spend time with Father Christmas at his house, baking, telling stories and being looked after by the wonderful elves.
The area around Kuusamo is known for its natural beauty and is characterised by fells, forests, lakes and rivers, all of which are laden with snow during the winter. The views from the top of the fells stretch across the winter wonderland, as far as the eye can see.
Your base will be a modern, semi-detached cottage at the delightful Kuusamon Tropiikki Hotel which is very family-friendly. It has a superb swimming pool and soft play area which can be enjoyed in between your activities and adventures.
This holiday includes some of the most well-loved activities which have been tailored to suit young children. The unforgettable experiences include a dog sledding trip and a reindeer-pulled sleigh ride, as well as the chance to enjoy magical, traditional meals deep in the wintery wilderness.
This holiday is sure to provide wonderful memories for children and parents alike and we do all we can to make this a magical and genuine experience for all.
Please note: the order of the agenda is subject to change, as larger groups will be split into two. In this situation, the special dinners and activities may be re-ordered for each group, in order to ensure that the experience remains intimate and just as magical.
Please note: the order of the agenda is subject to change, as larger groups will be split into two. In this situation, the special dinners and activities may be re-ordered for each group, in order to ensure that the experience remains intimate and just as magical.
Itinerary
You will be welcomed at the airport by a driver before being transferred directly to your accommodation in Kuusamo which is only a short drive away.
Depending on your arrival time, you will either be served a welcome meal at the hotel, or you will receive a welcome basket with sandwiches, fruit, snacks and drinks in your cottage.
Please note that the order and start times of the activities and meals are subject to change and this agenda should be read as a guide only.
Included Meals: Dinner
This morning, you will receive your cold weather clothing and then your holiday gets off to a fabulous start as you encounter some of Lapland’s most well-known residents – huskies and reindeer.
The huskies will greet you with eager anticipation but they’ll soon calm down once you are sitting comfortably in the sled and they are leading you on this short but memorable husky safari (approximately 5km and takes around 30 minutes). This is a lovely experience for the family and is always one of the highlights of the trip. You will also have plenty of time for cuddles and photographs with the huskies afterwards. Adults will drive the sled, with a chance to swap drivers during the safari.
Next, you will meet the reindeer, the most magical of Christmas creatures and, of course, Father Christmas’s most important animals. Wrapped up warmly under blankets, you will sit in the sleigh and enjoy a wonderful reindeer-pulled sleigh ride. Your ride will be short (approximately 300-400 metres) but you’ll have the chance to go around again if you wish to do so.
Lunch will be enjoyed at a local restaurant and back at the hotel you will have time to relax and take advantage of the pool facilities.
This afternoon, at approximately 4:30 pm, you will be picked up by your guide and taken on a magical journey deep into the wilderness where you will enjoy an evening of fun and games and traditional Lappish food. The journey will take around 45 minutes, driving through snow-laden forests and past beautiful rolling fells while your guide will provide entertainment for the children along the way.
Upon arrival, your guide will take you for a spot of snow sculpting, so that each family can get creative before you head off on a very important mission. The elves need your help in providing the forest animals with some Christmas dinner, so you will travel in a snowmobile-pulled sled into the forest and deliver some seeds and nuts for the local birds and some carrots for the rabbits.
After you’ve enjoyed your time in the forest, you will sit down for a cosy, traditional Lappish meal in a beautiful hidden restaurant. You will then be transferred back to the hotel, arriving at approximately 9pm.
Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
After breakfast, your guide will take you out for some fun and games in the snow with toboggans, kick sledges and snowshoes.
Your guide will be able to tell if Father Christmas has passed this way recently so you will head off on your snowshoes to see if he’s still around. You will look for signs of him and his campfire but as he will be getting ready to deliver all of his presents, he is unlikely to be spotted today.
Father Christmas will have left some cookies and juice to enjoy around his fire though and he will be sure to have issued an invitation for everyone to meet him tomorrow and have lunch at his secret house. How very exciting!
You will have the afternoon free to relax or maybe enjoy the hotel’s pool or soft play area. Dinner tonight will be served at the hotel’s restaurant
Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Today is the main event and absolute highlight of the trip for both children and adults alike.
An elf will come to the hotel to collect you so you can all go to Father Christmas’ beautiful lakeside house where Mr and Mrs Claus are waiting to welcome you to their home.
There will be fun and games for everybody young and old along with stories by the fire. You’ll then head out onto the slope next to the house and down to the frozen lake. This is the perfect place for a sledging race – watch out for those elves, they are pretty speedy!
Mrs Claus will have made everyone a delicious lunch and Father Christmas will teach everyone his favourite song. You’ll also help Mrs Claus with some baking and you’ll make greetings cards for friends back home which Father Christmas will sign. You will spend a total of around five hours at Father Christmas’ house enjoying this wonderfully genuine and unhurried day, creating memories to treasure for many years.
After such a magical afternoon you will head back to the hotel for dinner. Everyone should sleep very well tonight after so much excitement.
Please note: Depending on the size of the group, you may visit Father Christmas for either lunch or dinner. The activities and inclusions will remain exactly the same, however. Depending on your mealtime with Father Christmas, you will have either lunch or dinner back at the hotel.
Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Sadly it’s time to say goodbye to Finland today but everyone will be waiting to welcome you again on your next visit to this wonderful place.
Included Meals: Breakfast
What's included?
- London Heathrow to Kuusamo (via Helsinki). Flight routes are subject to change
- Return airport transfers
- 4 nights' accommodation in a two-bedroom semi-detached cottage
- Husky safari
- Meeting the reindeer
- Snowmobile-pulled sled ride and snow sculpting
- Feeding the winter animals with the elves
- Snow fun with snowshoeing and kick sledging
- Angry Birds Activity Park entrance for one day
- Snowshoe search for Father Christmas
- Meeting with Father Christmas
- Cold weather clothing for the duration of your stay
- Fully qualified wilderness guides and instructors (and elves!)
- 4 breakfasts, 3 lunches, 4 dinners
- Access to the pool area
Accommodation
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| The Kuusamon Tropiikki Hotel is situated on the outskirts of the town of Kuusamo, ensuring a warming oasis nestled amidst magnificent landscapes in Finnish Lapland. The hotel is an ideal family base with plenty to enjoy both inside and outside the hotel.
One of the main attractions for families is the wonderful pool area. The pool complex includes a 45-metre water slide, a pool for young children, a waterfall, water jet massage stations, two hot tubs and a resistance current river. There is also a wonderful sauna complex to enjoy The hotel is connected to the Angry Birds Activity Park, which is a huge hit with families Breakfast is served at the hotel and usually consist of a buffet of international cuisine with some Finnish options for guests to try The hotel has three restaurants and so if you want something outside of your inclusive meals you can try Café Piazza, the Mango Restaurant or the Sports Bar which offer a variety of snacks and food There is a small shop in the main reception area which sells tea and coffee, as well as other snacks and drinks |
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