Returned from our 4 day break, with First Choice. Kids loved it and so did we. Flight over was good and staff entertained with songs etc..
Hotel was best place to be in Rovaniemi as the city looked a bit sad with little snow to speak of. All activities were either on sight or just 15 min coach journey away. All quite well organised. But we booked all our trips the minute we got there with rep and it was a good job cos some people were left without places, which seemed a bit rough.
Huskies bit of a rip off, nice setting, people etc.. but journey short, Reindeer much the same, Snowmobiles very good, Elf fun day good for kids (and us). But even though some of the trips were costly, overall it was worth it as we will prob never get the chance again. Santa park and village - could have lived without, shops for the kids to spend money, (although Elf school was worth the queue). Would have preferred to spend the morning sledging at the hotel and taking in the senery.
Hotel was good, rather busy but food generally good and plenty of it. Staff were friendly. Quiet at night (which suited us) cos everyone was so knackered I think and being in almost constant darkness had a strange effect. Overall loved it and have some special memories and photos to hang on to. Took spare clothing but did not need to, First Choice stuff was very good and no one really dressed up in the evening. Santa visited the hotel on the last night, everyone got good chance to spend time with him (so waited quite long time for our table to be called) but seemed better choice than seeing him at santa park etc.. And to top it all the Northern Lights were visible that night too. Magic!!!!
Def recommend it, oh and the Elfs were good too!!
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Glad you had a good trip .
We also returned from our trip to Rovaniemi on the 23rd of Dec ( also with First Choice )but we stayed in the city at the Santa Claus Hotel and i have to say that in our case we were glad we weren%26#39;t further out . In our case with a teenager in tow there was always something to do , plenty of places to eat , lots of shops and the hotel couldn%26#39;t be better situated . The place looked really pretty with Christmas trees and lights lining the main street , the Christmas market stalls and the huge snow man in Lordi Square .
There%26#39;s an outdoor ice skating rink where christmas music was played while people skated and the back drop was two fantastic igloos that were lit inside with purple lights or green lights and you could walk inside where there were some fantastic ice sculptures . Even though there was no snow in the streets the park had quite a bit so people were having fun with the sleighs ( given freely by the hotels ). From the hotel it took less than a minute to walk to the park and 2 seconds the main shopping area so we had no complaints on that score . The people in the city were really friendly and we had no trouble being understood . We were able to walk about late at night without feeling threatened in any way and for a woman alone with a teenage son i couldn%26#39;t say that about home .
We had out taster sessions at a reindeer farm which was lovely and there were snowy forests that we walked about in when we weren%26#39;t taking a ride . Various camp fires were lit and juice and biscuits were freely available , all in all a lovely experience and half a day playing in a winter wonderland .
We paid to have a reindeer ride on another day and we then went to another reindeer farm which was equally as pretty if not more so and once again had plenty of snow . It was expensive for the ride and it didn%26#39;t last that long but hey it%26#39;s one of those things you just have to do and it was beautiful . Both of these farms were only a 15 minute journey from the city so really everything was close by .
I agree about the snow suits being ample but we did use thermals underneath and were glad of those and again i agree that First Choice did a fantastic job as everything was really well organised and the reps very helpful .
For our Gala Dinner we were taken to a place in the middle of nowhere ( although u%26#39;ve probably guessed it was only 15 mins journey ) and it was lovely . This huge wooden house where we were all served a three course meal ( i heard that some people who were staying further out had cheese burgers in their hotel but i can%26#39;t confirm this ), proper turkey and all the trimmings . Outside there were pine trees and snow lit by the moon and we watched as fireworks were let off and then Santa arrived accompanied by a man in full lappish costume and the reindeer , that really was a sight to behold !
As for Santa Parc , i could have done without it . It was ok but nothing to write home about . Very dark and opressive and one lady i talked to had been told that too many people had been admitted for the amount of people they were going to let in to see santa or take the elf ride . Again i can%26#39;t confirm this but she was none too pleased as her kids had had to go without . We were only there for one and half hours though so it could have been worse . Then we went on to Santa Claus Village . It was interesting to see Santa%26#39;s office where a lady was sorting out letters sent by children from all over the world but the rest of it was mainly gift shops . The hour and a half we had there was enough for us .
So all in all i can recommend whole heartedly the trip we had . Our Elf was great , the hotel was great and we just felt that we%26#39;d had a bit of both on this trip ..time in the snow out in the open spaces and time to %26quot;do%26quot; in the city which my 14 year old told me he was really glad of . We didn%26#39;t make it to the museum in Rovaniemi city but those we talked to that had been said it was very good .
Would i do it all again ? ...In a flash and twice as fast !!
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Glad to hear the city was good, had been given different impression from others that we%26#39;re staying there. Everyone has there opinion I suppose. Our kids are small 8 and 6, so where we stayed was perfect for them. We have the teenage years to come (and all the joys of it !), so at the moment they%26#39;re easily pleased.
Our gala meal was good, all the trimmings and presented well. Would have been a bit miffed with a burger!!
Can%26#39;t get out of the habit of checking the web cam etc.. about the weather out there! Happy New Year!!
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Yep me too re a burger at the gala dinner . It wouldn%26#39;t have been quite the same but glad yours was good .
It%26#39;s true about people having differing opinions and one thing won%26#39;t suit everyone of course . That%26#39;s not to say i wouldn%26#39;t like to stay further out of the city one day if i get the chance as i%26#39;m sure it%26#39;s beautiful and it would be great to experience both .
I haven%26#39;t looked at the cams for a couple of days but i do still check from time to time ....probably will again when i%26#39;ve written this ! I just wish i was back there having fun and enjoying the atmosphere . I%26#39;m grateful that we had the chance to go and if we can%26#39;t make another trip then we%26#39;ve at least made some wonderful memories ...Happy New Year !!
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It has been great to read about your trip - we are planning to travel with first choice next december but really don%26#39;t know where to stay and as it%26#39;s likely to be a trip done just the once, we want to get it right!
When we travel next december, our children will also be 8 %26amp; 6. I was wondering whether we ought to opt for Yllas rather than Rovanaemi, as I had heard that there%26#39;s more snow in Yllas (generally) and that the Santa Park near Rovaenami is very commercialised, which is something we definitely wouldn%26#39;t want on our trip.
However, the pics of the Winter Wonderland look fantastic, much better than the look of the Hotel Santa Claus.
What was the food like generally?
What did you do in the evenings?
Many thanks,
Leanne
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