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Finnish Sauna, ice hotels and Northern Lights

A trip to Lapland for many people can only mean two things, skiing or Santa Clause. I can’t ski and I am a bit old for Santa Clause.

So what is there to do to keep me occupied for two weeks? Factor in that just days before our visit in January the Finnish government introduced more stringent COVID regulations. All bars and restaurants would close by 6 pm 😩. These restrictions have now been relaxed.

Temperatures of well below zero and only a few hours of daylight, had I made a massive mistake? Travelling in winter in the midst of new covid restrictions.

I needn’t have worried. This beautiful Arctic location has plenty to keep the visitor engaged. Surprisingly, to me, Lapland has a well-developed tourist infrastructure with lots to engage the visitor.

In my first blog, we visit an ice hotel which is rebuilt every year with a different theme. We experience a Finnish Sauna individually tailored with your very own personal hot tub and stay in a glass igloo in the mountains above Levi, where we were fortunate enough to witness the Northern Lights through the glass roof

We visited more traditional accommodations used by the indigenous Sami people. This can be seen in the Samiland museum dedicated to the life and struggles of the Sami community.

Stay in a snow hotel

Sleeping, drinking, dining and exploring the snow hotel. The snow village Lapland resort is just a short drive from Levi.

The first one was built-in Sweden 30 years ago. Usually, a temporary hotel is built every year constructed of ice blocks and snow, which is dependent on the sub-zero temperatures.

The snow village is located about 30 minutes drive from Levi. It’s Lapland’s premier snow hotel. With ever-changing themed themes which pre covid included Game of Thrones, which was so popular it was used two years running.

The Ice Bar

We arrived earlier than we planned as the bar shuts at 5 pm due to new covid restrictions. It would usually be open till 10 pm, as we wanted to get the full experience of what the snow village had to offer.

After ordering our drinks at the ice bar we thought we would soak up the atmosphere and marvel at the ice sculptures. This is certainly a bar where we were able to chill out 🤣

An ice bar is certainly a beautiful place with some very ornate ice architecture. Although some people may complain that the atmosphere there may leave you feeling a bit cold 🥶🤣

Drinks are served in these rather unique shot glasses made from wait for it ….. ice. No need for ice in your drink at this establishment, it certainly cuts down on washing up.

Ice restaurant

I have been to a few ice bars on my travels, however, an ice restaurant at the snow village was a whole new experience for us. Reservations must be made prior to visiting the snow village.

This is one restaurant where they will not take your coat off you, in fact, if you are feeling a bit chilly they have extra clothing for you to wear.

I must admit this was a unique dining experience. The menu at the ice restaurant highlights all the best food Lapland had to offer. Expect to order fresh fish, reindeer locally produced bread and cheeses. The restaurant was cold but not unbearably so, having said that you wouldn’t want leisurely service.

The hotel is open to the public and is a very popular destination for day tours. We weren’t allowed access to our room till 10 pm as there are still visitors at the hotel complex. Although in reality, it’s pretty quiet after 8 pm.

You will find an ice chapel at the ice hotel and it is a surprisingly popular venue for weddings. It’s decorated with ice sculptures, complete with ice benches and an ice altar. One thing for sure is the groom won’t be feeling hot under the collar.

The hotel opened its doors for the 20th time. This year’s theme for the ice hotel is future and travel to outer space.

The ice sculptures are certainly something to behold. With ice sculptures coming from Finland, other Nordic countries and the Baltic countries.

Lighting and colour certainly give the sculpture a striking appearance.

This very large ice sculpture is very futuristic, totally meeting the design brief. Taking us on a journey through time, the lighting on the sculpture gives it a 3D effect

The ice sculptures at the snow village highlights the magic of ice and snow. This is a place where ice sculptors left their creativity and skills run wild in a spectacular design brief.

Located at the ice hotel you will find the traditional finish teepee. They are everywhere in Finland in varying forms and sizes. Inside you will find an open fire situated in the middle of the teepee surrounded by circle adventures often adored with reindeer skins to sit on. These teepees are deeply ingrained into the Finnish psyche.

This is the entrance to the hotel warm room will you prepare for your evening stay at the ice hotel. If the ice hotel is getting a bit cold you can also come here to warm up.

We are already to settle down for the night in the out of town. To experience this unique Artic experience firsthand for ouselves. The temperature within the room stays between 0 to -5 degrees Celsius, no matter how cold it gets outside the room

We were provided with double layered sleeping bags which keep you warm at two temperatures as low as -20°C.

Another tip with your clothing is the wear thin layers of synthetic materials rather than thick wool or cotton, which are seemingly warmer and will hold the moisture, wear a hat that stops heat from leaving your body.

Just need to settle down for the night. Although the bed was made from ice, there was a mattress and cover, so it’s surprisingly comfortable and I felt very snug wrapped up in my sleeping bag.

We had our early morning call at 8 am. I have to say I had a reasonably good night sleep and only my face felt cold. The room is very light and this was more of a problem than feeling cold. Deafly experience I would repeat again.

Experience a traditional Finnish sauna at Levi Foxfires.

Another uniquely finish custom. We visited Levi Foxfire spa situated just outside of Levi in the beautiful arctic countryside, to get a more personalised experience of this traditional sauna.

We were picked up by the proprietor at our hotel in Levi, a short scenic drive through the beautiful Finnish forest, we arrive at this idyllic picturesque setting inside the forest.

The sauna is deeply ingrained into Finnish culture, so much so that it was inscribed onto the UNESCO intangible cultural heritage list on December 17, 2020. They are located everywhere in cities, lakes and there isone at the Parliament house. There was even a sauna erected for Finnish peacekeepers in Eritrea.

The sauna was a traditional wood-fired stove sauna which is the most popular in the countryside, where you have a natural supply of word fuel to the stove, Traditionally this is Birch do you do it quality, smell and longer and time.

After we enjoyed our sauna we decided to cool down in front of the but, on the chairs enjoying an alfresco drink beneath clear the sky.

After the sauna, it was time for a dip in the heated wooden hot tub situated outside of our hut, which gave us a very serene feeling as we did some chilling.

The hot tub was certainly very different to other hot tubs I have been in. The warm soothing water is in stark contrast to the frigid air directly above you.

The hot tub gives you an excellent view of of the surrounding arctic forest and you feel very relaxed and rejuvenated.

This being a rather classy establishment, we were given some rather intelligent sweet treats for us to enjoy with our non-alcoholic sparkling wine. A far cry from the post sauna snack of beer and sausages.

After our sauna experience, we showered, dressed and could relax in a teepee. As I have mentioned previously these are everywhere in Finland and come in various designs and sizes. All have a woodburning fire as it’s the focal point in the middle of the teepee surrounded by benches with reindeer hides adorning them.

This one had a griddle over the fire where we were treated to some homemade doughnuts made by our host, which was delicious and finished off a fantastic afternoon before returning to our hotel in Levi.

Staying in a glass igloo

Another first time experience for us, spending the night in the Levin Iglut igloos, complete with glass ceilings.

This boutique hotel is very much on our must do list during our visit to Lapland. This very unique hotel first opened in 2008 on the Mountain top close to Levi. It has become one of the best igloo experiences in Lapland.

On the hotel site there are 27 separate igloos. Spending the night here was another special experience on our visit to Lapland. They are strategically situated on the end of a slope where will you will get some unforgettable views.

To call these igloos really does do them a disservice. The glass igloos are surprisingly spacious and are fitted to a very high standard, with all the amenities you need at your disposal

The focal point of the igloo for me was luxurious warm bed complete with electric recliner, we can fall asleep marvelling at the clear Artic sky through the glass ceiling. We booked a premium superior igloo which was one of the front row properties and gives you are funny and restricted view.

The night we stayed at the igloo we very fortunate that the night sky was very clear. There was heightened Northern Lights activity at the hotel in the evening and in the early hours of the morning.

The glass igloo’s are certainly not cheap experience by any standards. However we were very fortunate to have all the northern light activity and the experience was magical, the effect was of them was like a river of green flowing freely in the dark sky above.

This view of the Northern Lights from our bed looking at them through the glass ceiling. This was just after midnight and experience was very humbling to view this natural phenomenon.

My only surprise was the Northern Lights are relatively dim to the naked eye. I was able to pick up creature activity with my camera. I managed to capture some reasonably decent pictures without the need of expensive cameras.

The restaurant at the hotel continues the glass igloo theme. It is a rather impressive building. Which gives fantastic panoramic views from the inside. We were fortunate to dine there in the evening and have a breakfast there the following morning.

After breakfast we went for a walk around the hotel locality. They have a teepee on the property and the view of the Sunrising behind it was too good a picture opportunity to pass upon.

That morning was definitely the most fitted Sunrise I witnessed during my time in Lapland.

Traditional Sami accomadation

Lapland is the cultural home of the Sami community. There are less than 140,000 of them remaining, which includes an estimated 10,000 in Finland. This is a museum that celebrates the Sami people.

The museum is a UNESCO project, this thoughtful exhibition gives you multilingual information on the Sami, which gives you an insight about the traditional beliefs and her reindeers play a big role in the history and culture.

The main attraction for me was its outside exhibits on top of the hillside next to the ski slope. A collection of traditional Kota huts and storage platforms.

These exhibits are like a living history of Sami dwellings. Explaining how the traditional buildings were formed on the basis of various needs, natural conditions and availability of construction materials.

The museums outside exhibition, highlights various designs of these traditional buildings which were used by the Sami across Scandinavia.

You will find a small paddock for reindeer that is used during the winter from November to April. No Sami exhibition would be complete without reindeer.

The Sami people would not exist without reindeer. The reindeer has provided it’s meat as a source of livelihood, it is also serves as a pack animal carrying luggage in the summer and pulling a sleigh in the winter.

For me this was a very interesting visit which tells the history of this indigenous people, their way of life and struggles within modern Finland. Finally getting some recognition for the language, culture and the important role that they had and continue to have in Lapland.