The Arctic Snow Hotel and Glass Igloos is a hotel like no other. Unique in both style and experience, this is a stay that will tick off a bucket list experience.
You might have already seen pictures of the awesome snow hotel on social media, well since that isn’t open until December, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t visit outside of that time. Bradley and I visited in the Autumn season, and it was awesome. The best reason to visit in Autumn? A higher chance of seeing the Northern Lights...and this hotel is going to help with just that.
Located at around 26 km from Rovaniemi’s city centre on the shores of Lake Lehotjarvi, let me take you through what a stay at the Arctic Snow Hotel and Igloos looks like.
When staying at this property, we found ourselves in a unique Glass Igloo. If you’ve ever dreamed of staying in an igloo, then now is your chance. The rooms are glass igloos and they’re amazing. Small, yet more than big enough for two, a traditional glass igloo has everything you need for a unique and amazing stay.
The room is super warm and cosy thanks to the heated glass igloo windows, the beds are motorised so you can move yourself up and down with the touch of a button. But the best feature of the igloos at the Arctic Snow Hotel?
Of course the chance to see the Northern Lights from your bed thanks to that amazing 360 panorama glass igloo design. Switch all the lights off and you can see the stars from your bed- how awesome is that.
And, your igloo is even equipped with an aurora alarm which will let you know if the Northern Lights are out and dancing when you’re asleep.
Sometimes the Northern Lights won’t appear until the early hours of the morning when the sky has cleared up so rather than waiting outside in the cold, you can sleep in the comfort of your cosy glass igloo and wait for that alarm!
I’d say that’s pretty awesome.
The room also comes with a fridge, coffee/tea making facilities and toiletries.
Brad and I had the opportunity to sample both the dinner and breakfast at the hotel and both were excellent.
Let me start with the dinner. Dinner is served in a set 3 course meal at two times, the first sitting is at 6.30pm and the second is at 8.30pm. I recommend the second seating as you’ll want to stay up late to see the Northern Lights.
Also, as a special treat we were given a voucher for a welcome drink (which you can receive if you book one of the packages on offer). If you do, I suggest you head to the bar and enjoy your drink before dinner, it was absolutely delicious!
Dinner started with a delicious root vegetable soup which was served with cream and it was oozing with flavour. Brad, who doesn’t really like soup actually loved it and insisted the chef showed me how to make it for him! Haha.
The main course was a fire roasted salmon for Brad (which is the traditional Finnish way of cooking) with potato and vegetables, and for me I had a wonderful vegetarian dish that was packed with flavour. You could also opt for reindeer.
Unfortunately I don’t eat any other meat than chicken, pork and beef, and I don’t eat fish or seafood. The fact that in Finland, everything seems to be either salmon or reindeer I was worried I would struggle, but my meal was just as delicious!
Dessert was a cloudberry pancake delight and it was cooked at the fire beside us. It was super delicious and everything was well portioned. Tea/coffee and water comes with the meal or you can order alcoholic beverages. Brad and I didn’t opt for alcohol as we were driving early the next day.
After the meal we had a chat with the chef about the dishes he created and he told us lots of interesting information, including how expensive cloudberries are! He was a super friendly man and it was a pleasure chatting to him.
The room in which dinner is served is amazing. It’s got a roaring fire and everything feels so relaxed and cosy. The staff were also super friendly and a credit to the hotel.
Breakfast is served in a buffet style but with everything you can imagine. There was tea, coffee, lattes, cappuccinos, water, juices etc then a wide selection of cereals, yogurt, fruit, cakes, hot food including sausages, hash browns, eggs, bacon, a selection of cheeses, a wide range of breads and much more. I had to exercise self control to not want to just eat everything on offer!
And it all tasted as good as it looked. Also the breakfast staff were super friendly, which is always a nice way to start the day.
A visit to the Arctic snow hotel and Igloos will also give you the chance to experience a Finnish Sauna. If you don’t know, the Finnish LOVE their saunas and this was my first experience of a Finnish Sauna. There are specific sauna times for men and women or you can book a private sauna experience (which I recommend).
The Sauna is super clean and relaxed and warm, which is want you want.
You can even order drinks from the bar to enjoy with your sauna experience. After you’ve sweated out all you possibly can, then you can head upstairs onto the decking area and hop in the Jacuzzi. If the sky is clear you’ll see amazing stars above you.
We had our sauna and Jacuzzi experience at around 10pm to 11pm and it was amazing. I think it’s a really great and romantic experience for couples to just simply relax and enjoy the outdoors.
Did you know some crazy finns like to roll in the snow then go into the sauna ...they love an adrenaline rush! :P
Thanks to the fact you’re located 25km outside Rovaniemi, the Arctic Snow Hotel and Igloos puts you in a great position to see the Northern Lights.
One of the first things you need to see the Northern Lights in Finland is no light pollution, and a few other things…
The fact that you’ve got a glass igloo with a motorised bed gives a whole new level of relaxation to your northern lights experience.
And don't worry if it snows, your panoramic glass igloo window is heated, so it will actually melt the snow away so you can be ready for those clear skies and the Northern Lights!
For anyone in search of unique accommodation in a unique setting, of course from December you also have the added benefit of seeing the awesome snow hotel! PS in the snow hotel they have an ice church where you can get married ...how awesome and unique is that!
But this is the perfect property for couples looking to experience a romantic getaway with a unique touch. Whether you stay for 1 or 2 nights (or more), you’ll never experience a dull moment at the Arctic Snow Hotel.
I highly recommend a stay here, especially if you’re staying in Rovaniemi. You’ll have a higher chance of seeing the Northern Lights here thanks to the reduced light pollution and you’re not too far from the city to visit Santa Park and other awesome destinations.
Oh, and the Arctic Snow Hotel can also arrange excursions and activities for you too, such as a trip to BearHill Husky for the husky experience of a lifetime!
Sold on the idea of staying in an igloo at the Arctic snow hotel? Then you can book direct on the website, or you can book with Booking.Com.
Glass Igloos are open from Sep 20 - Mar 31 & Arctic SnowHotel: Dec 20 - Mar 31.
Overall, we highly enjoyed our stay here and found the staff to be wonderful, adding to the experience.
If you have any more questions about our stay, then just pop a comment below and I will be happy to help where I can!
Once again, here are their links:
**Thank you to Arctic snow hotel and Igloos for hosting us during our stay. As always, all views expressed here are our own.**
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