Lapland Educational 2022

Although it was during school term time, the flight was full of families as you would expect in December.

The flight had minimal Christmas decorations but it was comfortable, there were no in flight meals included but there was a drinks service.

We landed at Kittila airport, collected our luggage and hopped on the transfer bus to the Yllasarinne Cabins, the journey took approx 35 minutes.

We had 2 log cabins between 6 of us, they had 2 bedrooms and a mezzanine floor with step steeps. The cabins sleep 6 but with 2 on the mezzanine, it is a small space up there so this wouldn't suit everyone.

The lounge was lovely with a full kitchen, TV, dining table and a corner sofa which is also a bed (so 2 could sleep here instead of the mezzanine). The bathroom had a walk in shower and this is where the sauna was too. Unfortunately we didnt have time to use the sauna as we had a jammed packed itinerary.

The cabins are lovely, cosy and modern and being in a log cabin in the middle of a winter wonderland is a magical way to experience Lapland.

We were on a half board basis in the hotel, which was a 5 minute walk from our cabin. The buffet food was basic but there was enough food to keep you going. You would need to get lunch out if you needed more food during the day but some of the Inghams excursions included food, such as sausages in the fire, biscuits, hot berry drinks and a few extras.

Upon arrival at the hotel we collected our thermal suits and boots and headed out to a nearby town which has a lovely bar called Taiga, this is right by the floodlit ski slope. There are not many ski slopes you can ski on into the evening and this one closes at 7pm. The town is small with a couple of shops and excursion centre plus the ski lift.

In the evening we relaxed in the hotel bar and the following morning we went for a hotel visit at the Akas Hotel and Apartments, then walked to the Yllas Frozen Lake. From here you can rent scooters, take an ice dip, ski on the lake, grab a picture on the swing and eat in the restaurants.

The Lake is the favoured spot to catch the Northern Lights if they make an appearance, sadly we didnt see them during our 3 nights.

In the afternoon we did a 1km Snowmobile ride, where you get the chance to swap drivers half way round. They provide you with balaclavas and helmets and the drive takes around 20 minutes.

Afterwards you can do some ice fishing, where you drill your own hole in the ice and drop the fishing rod in to see what you can catch. Included in this twin excursion are doughnuts and hot chocolate at the on-site cafe, both of which were delicious.

December daylight hours were from around 10am-2.30pm, the rest of the time you are in darkness apart from the street lights.

For our 2nd full day, it was the Santa Experience excursion, you are taken to a Santa Village, there you can try snow shoes, sledge in the small square, see the Reindeers, play some traditional games plus go into the main house where an Elf is baking gingerbread biscuits and children get the opportunity to draw, play and warm up.

A little tip is to bring your own marshmallows to cook over the open fire pit in the outside teepee. There is another teepee where you can cook the supplied sausages and drink some hot berry juice.

The location as you can imagine is full of snow, snow covered trees and you can see the huskies at a distance going out on their rides which is exciting to see.

Then it was time to meet the Big Man himself, you travel on a sleigh driven by a snowmobile into the Magical Forest to see Father Christmas. He has already read your childrens letters, so he knows what they have been up to and they get a gift from him. As we were all adults, he was very kind in doing some video messages for our loved ones back home.

He was excellent, very patient and we didn't feel rushed, I guess we had 10 minutes with him and finished with a fabulous group picture.

After spending a few hours at the Santa Village (which includes a packed lunch), we were then taken to the Reindeer and Husky Safari. This is where you queue up for your Reindeer Ride, have more biscuits and a hot drink by the open fire.

After your reindeer ride, you make your way over to the Huskies to receive tuition on how to 'mush' your huskies. You need to decide who is the driver as there is no swapping of drivers on this short run. You are out with the dogs around a loop for about 10 minutes.

For both of these excursions you were not rushed in any way. You have plenty of time to sit by the fire, grab a snack and warm up in between.

From there we went straight to the Festive Feast evening, you can wear your Christmas jumpers, hats, etc and enjoy a buffet meal. There is a lot of food on offer, I am a pescatarian and there wasn't the greatest choice, a cold salmon option for the main and I would say if you have allergies or a Vegan, you may just have to eat what you can and I generally find this to be the case in these areas of Finland. |Although some properties offer more choice than others.

At the Festive Feast there is a quiz, a childrens disco and some games. The venue is festively decorated and the buses arrive staggered so there are no massive queues for the food.

Where we stayed, in Yllas, is not as commercial as some Lapland resorts, it has a few shops, rsstaurants, bars. Different resorts will suit different parties so its important to know the difference and get the right one for your party.

Yllas is an area with a lot of log cabins, whereas other resorts can be more hotel based, so it depends what you are after really.

If you have never been to Lapland, it is an incredible holiday. This was my 4th visit and I still had loads of fun and its just as magical - not just for children, its an adult playground too and you can still visit Lapland in school term so there would be minimal children around and no Santa experience, it certainly wont be my last visit.