We desperately want to take our children to Lapland but are very concerned about it being %26#39;commercialised%26#39;. All the travel copanies seem to charge a huge amount of money, and we desperately want to get it right.
I%26#39;ve read that places like Yllas are better than Rovanaemi for %26#39;authentic Lapland%26#39; and there is likely to be more snow.
First Choice do trips to Yllas, but I can%26#39;t find anybody else.
Lots of companies also quote that thet include different activities like huskie sleigh rides, but they don%26#39;t stipulae how long they might be. I would be a bit jarred off if were just 5 minutes!
So, if anyone has any advice then I would be very grateful.
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Crystal ski are offering free child places at the moment - y0u can book trips when you get there.
Inghams also go to Lapland
You are best going for a week if possible.
I have been to levi this christmas for 2 weeks and i loved it and so did the kids - returning in Dec for another 2 weeks/
I cant comment on yylas as i havnt been yet - going in feb i think so will be able to comment then.
Most people say avoid Santa Land.
Shell
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Yes, there are many places in Lapland that get a lot of visitors around Christmas. Like Rovaniemi, Levi, Luosto, Ylläs and Saariselkä. So many people might feel those places %26quot;commercialised%26quot;. Well, and Rovaniemi is a town and actually the only place were the locals are among tourists. So even more people there.
But there are also some smaller places in wilderness, that don%26#39;t get that many visitors. You could check out what those places can offer. I have nothing to do with tourist companies so I don´t know about the activities.
I just give you one example of those smaller places:
For example Posio in eastern Lapland hardly gets 500 visitors around Christmas. Only one wilderness hotel and some cabins in middle of the forest.
www.santa-vacations.co.uk/posio_resort.asp
laplanddirect.com/html/_3_night_posio.html
So if you really are looking some really quiet place there are those available. But you have to remember there are no shops or restaurants etc exept the ones in hotel.
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Hi Leebee,
I think you probably get what you pay for. We didn%26#39;t want commercialised and booked with Emagine to Iso Syote %26amp; were not disappointed. We were in small parties all the time, got good long trips on everything (nearly 2 hours on snowmobiles for example), never had to stand around or queue for anything, were extremely well looked after and harldy saw another person let alone a shop! I suspect other small operators and those that specialise in Lapland would give something similar. Check out my review if you want to know more about our trip - but it was BRILL!
emagine-travel.co.uk/santa-claus-in-lapland/
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We went to saariselka just before Christmas. Although we went in groups on trips there were only a few of us each time, we never queued at all and had loads of time on every activity imaginable. Even the %26quot;commercialised%26quot; areas are quiet by uk village standards,the scenery is breathtaking and the locals were lovely.
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Hi leebee
Try Canterbury, Emagine, Esprit and Cosmos, they all offer santa experiences in Lapland
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We went to Ruka just before xmas- primarily to learn skiing for a week (with Inghams, booked through last minute.com).
It cost £1k for 2 adults, 2 kids (so less than most day trips) - and there was nothing commercialised about it. Our cabin was in a forest area - idyllic. Beautiful, quiet area - very few opportunities to shop - we avoided the santa village thing - but still managed to do all the activities you associate with Lapland - huskies, the %26#39;real%26#39; santa, snowmobiles, reindeers etc.
I would thoroughly recommend it as a totally uncommercialised holiday. Not sure about the cheaper day trips - honestly, go for longer if you can. I wouldn%26#39;t dream of only spending a day there. Our week was wonderful.
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Kizzylew
Was this in hols or term time? Sounds like a great price.
Preferred Saariselka to Levi for the whole magic of the Santa trip and Saari was definitely less commercialised, however in Levi we did have a more central location (deliberatly chosen) and went for NY rather than in run up to Christmas.
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It was 16th - 23rd Dec - so kids had to miss 2 days of school (broke up on 18th in south london), but as they%26#39;d only be making decorations and playing with glitter, I decided a trip to Lapland was a more %26#39;educational experience%26#39;!
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We went to Saariselka for Xmas 2006 with Esprit. Would recommended it. Had a wonderful Xmas and all the activities pre-booked were great. Go far North so you know you are going to get plenty of snow. Saariselka is not commercialised - we used to walk down the road in the evening and probably 2-3 cars passed and just a few small groups of people out for a stroll like us with their children in the toboggans.
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Totally agree with posts above about Saariselka. Went with Esprit for 3 nights/4 days in Dec 06 and had a fantastic time, Esprit delivered exactly what it said in the brochure. Very uncrowded activities and village. Returned for a week this year over new Year with Inghams, still haven%26#39;t done all the activities available but enjoyed the week with time to just play in the snow.Have already booked for new year 08/09, I think says it all. Click on my earthtravelller name to read detailed reviews of Saariselka
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