It was a bucket list item for Olga and as it was her 40th birthday back in October 2024, I asked her well in advance what she wanted for a birthday. Would she like a present? Would she like to go somewhere in the world? If so, where? Mauritius, Seychelles, Maldives, Hawaii? Nope, she asked for a trip to Lapland to take the children to see Father Christmas himself before Christmas 2024. Ok, so that is what she wanted. I started looking and booking up the trip in January 2023, I never booked up a trip that well in advance! After a lot of research, I went with the guys who package vacations like this and that was Santa Claus Trips who are based in Scotland.
Our package with Santa Claus Trips
I am going to explain what I got in the package. The flight was a charter from London Gatwick airport to Kittila airport in Lapland, Finland which included coach transfers to our hotel in Äkäslompolo, a small town about forty-five minute drive from the airport. At Lapland Hotels Äkäshotelli, I got four nights accommodation in a two bedroom apartment with its own mini-kitchen, lounge, sauna, and an electronic drying cupboard in the main entrance to dry off gloves, hats, etc. We actually got a lot of space in the apartment and couldn’t have asked for more.
The actual package came as a half-board, so we got our breakfast and dinner included with some soft drinks. However, anything alcoholic has to be paid for. The food was ok, a great range of food, the usual international breakfast and dinners included however we preferred the local foods especially the berry smoothies. There were children's clubs also in the building, a nightclub for adults later on in the evening, sledges for the children to pull them around the resort (and into town, just make sure you bring them back!), and a luggage storage room if needed. The reps from Inghams (who were the main tourist vacation makers in this package who organised the trips, transfers to and from airport etc), were always on hand near the restaurant and were always friendly and available. I had to speak to them a few times and I always came away very satisfied.
The trip and our experience
So, this is how our trip went. Jet2 was the airline providing a charter flight & from the moment we checked in, the children getting offered chocolates & a cheery hello from staff, we were through the airport in no time (and grabbing a cheeky Wetherspoons meal at the Flying Horse in the process). However the only downside about departing Gatwick is that charter flights don’t usually get priority and the aircraft is flung at the back of the airport near Horley! It is a long bus ride but apart from that, we boarded the plane, greeted by cheerful staff and we were off flying over the beautiful sights of South-East London, Thurrock, Southend, The North Sea before entering Norway, Sweden and finally landing in Lapland, Finland. On the way after the food sales (Olga and I got tipsy on prosecco en route) and duty free sales, the cabin crew entertained the flight full of children with sing-songs and playing games. The transfer from the airport to the hotel was swift and simple and before we knew it, we were pulling out of the airport on our way. The views along the road (despite it being dark) was wonderful, as we could still see the white snow in between the trees. Before we checked into the hotel, we were taken to Destination Lapland to collect our winter clothing and boots for the trip which were included in our price.
After checking in the hotel this is how the itineraries planned out during our trip. We woke up early on our first morning and after our buffet breakfast, we were on a coach to the middle of nowhere I called it, to see big Saint Nick himself. We were greeted by elves and had a blast around the elves' house. We were treated to sausages by the open fire, we had fun sledging, making small snowmen and running around the forestry setting. Eventually we were led to the house where Santa Claus lives and I tell ya, my youngest was in her element. She was ever so happy to see the jolly old chap. Amelie was just cool, calm and collective. Olga and I just sat in the background and just kept looking at our two girls. It was a beautiful moment. A happy moment. Afterwards the girls were doing arts and crafts and baking cookies at the elves house and had some time in the snow.
The second morning we woke up, it was time for the reindeer and husky safari which commenced after breakfast. A short coach transfer to another part of the forest about 12km north from the hotel and we were met by local Sami people who owned the reindeers and huskies. The reindeer safari was first and we were taking on a ride which lasted a few minutes in a sleigh. They are fast, don’t get me wrong and it was a nice experience. Our musher knew how to control the deer and it was a very comfortable ride. The girls certainly enjoyed it. We were also treated to hot berry juice, there were two open fires going, one outside and there was one inside a tent which was very much welcomed and we got to walk around and see some more reindeers in their pens.
We then walked a few minutes through the forest to where the huskies were kept and into an opening where all the husky teams were ready to pull their sledges. I got nominated as the musher and I have done this before on my trip to Utsjoki several years earlier. By now it was bloody freezing, around the -27 mark in temperature. I did two things wrong when I did this, earlier in the day I forgot to bring my scarf to cover my nose and well, basically, the rest of my face. The guy giving me instructions did warn me about frostbite but after I found out it was a 5-10 minute course again (depending on speed), I took my chances. I had the right gloves on also, however a year ago I was diagnosed with arthritis and I have it in my small fingers on both hands. I really should have double layered. After departing within two minutes, my hands were killing me and I could feel pain in all my fingers. This was not a good sign. I tried to get my nose under the zip on the top of my coat to no joy. The metal on my glasses had the feeling that they were sticking to my head. I was mumbling away. I just wanted to get round the course. I slowed the speed down and managed to get the huskies and sleigh in a comfortable and safe manner.
When we got to the finish, the man met me again, by this point my head was spinning. He told me to get Isabella off the sleigh who was sitting right at the front and was exposed to the cold winds. She was crying. As soon as I got her up, Olga and Amelie (who were fine) dealt with Isabella and a member of the Inghams team got me into a hut nearby with a fire where I just crashed on a bench covered in reindeer skin and got given hand warmers. I nearly passed out but didn’t. Luckily my glasses didn't stick to my skin. I layed there for fifteen minutes, got lots of hot berry juice (it does the job!) and I was up eventually. Isabella was also with me, got given hand warmers and she had no interest in going back outside the wind. Whilst lying down, I could hear a few other children to which I found out were sitting right up the front, exposed to the winds. So I am going to give a warning here to anyone reading this and wanting to do this trip with children, lots of layers but if it is under -15, christ sake, don’t take children under the age of eight out there. It is not fun for them. And for mushers like me, prepare. Don’t make mistakes. I give full credit to the Inghams staff on the first aid administered and the staff at the husky farm, they knew what they were doing and what the conditions were like. Listen to them!
Our third excursion we canceled because of what happened with the huskies. It was meant to be driving a snowmobile but because of the temperatures, I was advised not to do it and Olga wasn’t comfortable with driving one and letting Isabella out in the cold again. Also with this, you must have a driving license.
Now the question is, with that third excursion cancelled (and we did get a full refund which I was surprised about, but Inghams were absolutely fantastic with their customer service, I didn’t even ask for a full refund, I was expecting a little bit back but that was all as it was my fault that my body and mind was buggered at the husky farm), what is there to do. Ok, at our hotels, for two afternoons in a row, we got the girls on the sledges which were lying about and walked one kilometer into the centre of the small town. There is a cycle track alongside the main road so everyone uses that. (Also at the hotel, there is a ski track in the winter, but a lot of children use one part of it to sledge downhill, it's behind apartment blocks A and B, remember, the cross-country skiers have priority over everyone else!). First afternoon we checked out Public House Selva Pyy which is a pub at a very small shopping centre, Jounin Kauppa, which you can’t miss. Here it was great for children as they loved the chicken baskets with chips and hot chocolate with all the trimmings. I did try the reindeer burger which I found very tasty but guilty at the same time eating it as I love the animals (I had the same feeling in Newfoundland, Canada with a Moose burger). This pub had the best beers for me as they had some craft beers going on and a lot of spirits to choose from (and also the staff here are totally awesome).
Behind this shopping centre is the supermarket, K-Market, which is awesome. OK, we spent a heck of alot of money on gifts and alcohol to take home and the staff thought we were going to have a party with them that very evening. The cashier was surprised about the €50 worth of Tupla’s chocolate bars with brought as we love them. Everytime we go to Finland, Estonia and Latvia, we always load up and take home these bars. The next afternoon was similar but instead of the pub in that shopping centre, we went to a pizzeria called Pizzeria Via Tribunali which did very nice pizzas and drinks and had great customer service. Highly recommended (again, had the reindeer meat on the pizza).
Now to note, beside the shopping centre and K-Market there is a road (leading from the main road and passing the gas station), there is a huge reindeer statue. Check that out. It is quite nice to look at. Then there is a reindeer farm nearby and the owner is sitting in front of the main gate. If you want to get near the reindeer and feed them, it can be quite expensive so we decided not to do this. They also had an open fire and juice for sale there as well. Follow the signs to the lake, that’s what we did, and we came to Lake Äkäslompolo. With the freezing temperatures for the last few days, we were able to walk on the frozen lake. Isabella didn’t want to do this so stayed on land with Olga, but I took Amelie out a fair distance, checked out a half-built igloo which we added a few more blocks on and I got to teach her about lake safety and what to do if she fell in the water by herself or if there was a group of them and one person fell in, then I explained that scenario as well. If my girls are going to be travellers in the future, they need to know safety because in the depths of Stevenage, England, we don’t get -30 temperatures and frozen lakes at Fairlands Valley. It was also a nice experience to see the sun set above us (the sun was up for about three-four hours where we were).
The last activity we were taken to was to a restaurant called Taiga in the nearby Yllas Ski Resort (southern side) where we were treated to a Christmas buffet dinner (had to pay for beer and wine here guys), had the Inghams staff treated the children to dance, singsongs, conga lines, disco and then there was a Christmas themed quiz. It was very well organised and it was great to have on our last evening here.
After the whole trip (and for someone who has done a package vacation in years!) I give my hat to everyone involved making this trip run very smoothly and hassle free. We had a total blast. However, we were gutted not to see the Northern Lights because of the full moon (so check the full moon calendar before booking everyone!), but we will be back in the region again soon. Olga enjoyed her 40th birthday present and I seriously hope my children really enjoyed this experience and remember their visit to Santa Claus for years to come.
Essential Information on Finland
How to get there: Flying is the best and quickest way to reach this region especially in the winter months. I would recommend using Skyscanner to find flights as that is my first point of call. Then if necessary use the airlines directly to find a good deal. I sometimes use Momondo as well to compare prices before booking. However we did this as a package and our charter flight with Jet2 flew from London Gatwick to Kittila in Finnish lapland on this occasion and was included in the price of what we paid.
Car Rentals - as I do a lot of road trips around the world, I use Rentalcars.com which is very reliable for booking car hire in advance. I also use Turo (the airbnb of car rentals) and never had a problem with them. The cars are insured, owners vetted and never had an issue.
Need insurance? Safety Wing offers coverage for a lot of adventure activities as well as emergency medical, lost luggage, trip cancellation and so forth. I never travel without travel insurance. I highly recommend them for those who need travel insurance.
Currency: Finland uses the Euro and is the currency for most countries in the European Union (and is accepted as well in Monaco, Andorra, San Marino, and the Vatican City).
Language: English is widely spoken in Finland and is taught in most schools with children. Finnish people speak Finnish. Sámi also is spoken. Sami and Saami, are a group of Uralic languages spoken by the Indigenous Sámi people in Northern Europe (in parts of northern Finland, Norway, Sweden, and extreme northwestern Russia).
Watch out for: getting yourself drunk after a great time in the bars and finding out the next morning your wallet or purse has no more money in it. Also Moose, Elk and Reindeer in the road whilst driving. Freezing cold temperatures and please use common sense when walking about in the snow, ice, cold winds, especially at night.
If you would like to share my blog post via Pinterest, please share the pin below.
Please note that I did not work with any of the companies involved in this post and I paid for everything out of my own pocket, my review and experiences written about in this post are 100% genuine. I value my readers too much to lie to you. My blog would be nothing without you and your continued support! There maybe some links above which are affiliate and are at no additional cost to you. If my readers use them, I earn a commission to buy their products and remember, I only mentioned products and companies I use. The income from this keeps this website going. Thank you.
Comments