Have just got back from our winter wedding/honeymoon in Kakslauttenen Hotel & igloo village and we felt compelled to write a review for this venue as it was a truly magical experience.

From when our party of 18 arrived on 30th December for our wedding on the 31st the staff and particularly Sonja our wedding co-ordinator were extremely helpful and accommodating.

As the bride and groom we stayed in the queen suite log cabin during our stay and were more than happy and impressed with the standard of the cabins (yes there is no TV in the room but you cannot realistically go somewhere as great as this to sit in and watch tv !) We also had complimentary drinks in the cabin including some nice fizz :)
The food was excellent and again if there was something you didn't like you could change this quite easily. The wedding meal was outstanding and the cake provided by the venue delicious.
All in all not one person in our party including us could fault the venue, accommodation, staff or food. Yes its not cheap but the experience you have far outways the cost in our eyes and we cannot wait to revisit such a wonderful winter wonderland

The organised trips were very professional and of a high standard we were provided with outdoor clothing and safety demonstrations and the staff again on these tours were more than friendly and helpful - we saw the northern lights twice when we were there on the Thursday and Friday night our last night in Lapland.

Finally our only piece of advice is take your thermals and if you want tea/coffee/music in your room take it with you.........(oh the glass igloos are great fun and surprisingly warm)

Thank you to all the staff for an unforgettable wedding experience
Mr & Mrs Ferguson x

Meand my 9 year old daughter booked this to celebrate my 40th birthday. We arrived on New Years Day for two nights in a glass igloo and two nights in a log cabin.
GLASS IGLOO-surprisingly warm and the beds are very comfortable, although we never mastered the remote control for the beds. The sleighs are invaluable for carting luggage and children back and forth. Following some snow fall a man came and swept the snow off the igloo. Pretty impressive at 10pm and -30c!!!
LOG CABIN-Spacious, warm with massive log fire (get matches free from reception if there are none)the bed was large and comfortable and the sauna is absolutely devine. Each is very private.
RESTAURANT- The food is fine, a variety of dishes that you can swap if you fancy something from the a la carte menu (averages about 6 euros more per main meal). There are 2 sittings - 6pm and 8pm, the latter being the busiest. Service is good and the staff are very pleasant. We thought reindeer tasted like liver but give it a try!!
TRIPS - although expensive they are once in a lifetime things you just got to do. The snowmobiling was fast and fun, taking in some fantastic scenery and amazing skies. The reindeer safari (4hrs) was really relaxing and peaceful.We made a fire in the woods to make some tea and then had salmon and potatoe soup in a wooden tepee on our return - unforgettable!! All the guides were kind and considerate and nothing was too much trouble.
Good Bits - The setting is totally idillyc, the igloo village is just as you imagine it to be. 2 euros for the ski bus (return) takes you to the nearest town Saariselka for shopping. Your luggage etc is very safe left in the baggage store and we found all the staff freindly and helpful.
Not so good Bits - You won't get the maid coming to make your bed if you stay more than one night in the same accomodation. EVERYTHING is expensive everywhere!! I know the pound is not good at the moment but 3.50 euros for a bottle of coke and 30 euros for a bottle of wine is a bit excessive (you can't buy wine from the supermarket either). We didn't see the northern lights - one local we spoke to said he'd only seen them about 5 times this winter (all the info we read implied they are a regular phenomena - they're not). Also disappointed that the ice restaurant, chapel and ice bar were not completed - thought they would have been for Christmas and the new year.
FINALLY-this hotel makes for a very special holiday in a wonderful part of the world!! The limited daylight hours [2 to 3 hours in January] does not detract from the amazing scenery and the winter wonderland. Just remember to take your thermal clothing and keep everywhere covered as its extremely cold!!!

Hotel Kakslauttanen finds itself in the wonderful world of Lapland. Half an hour south of Ivalo you will find a place that looks like a fairytale, at first. We spent five days at Kakslauttanen with a family of four. Of these five days, we spent four days in a log cabin and one night in a glass igloo.

The log cabins are quite romantic. The log cabins certainly have a very cozy feeling! However, the facilities are very limited and not up to par with the cost. There is a little kitchenette with limited and dirty utensils. No microwave. No TV. It all looks very old. The toilet and showers are at a 2 star level at best. This was rather disappointing. The little sauna in the cabin and the fireplace are nice and clean. The beds are acceptable but not great.

Being in Lapland allows you to engage in the most fantastic activities like riding with a reindeer sledge, husky sledding, driving a snow mobile, visiting a Sami house and teepee, cross country skiing and more. Most of these activities can be arranged upfront with the staff of Kakslauttanen. We did so through e-mail and found all to be well organized.

The information that the hotel provides is too limited to be of good use. E.g. I arranged for a snow mobile ride. Only to find, once I was fully geared up and standing next to the snow mobile that a driver’s license was a must. Fortunately I brought mine, but I had expected the hotel to point out these things. The pickups for the various activities were not very punctual. Waiting for half an hour was common for us. The daily schedule is on a flipchart at the entrance. Functional but one cannot help but feeling that there are much nicer or more professional ways to do this. As the hotel combines the restaurant desk with the service desk, everybody is waiting all the time: if you want to pay for a coffee you have to wait 10 minutes because somebody has to close his account.

The services that the hotel provides have severe limitations: in the restaurant you can take the daily dish that is included if you book half board as we did (basic and wholesome quality, lack of fantasy, no choice). You have to figure out what alternatives there are when e.g your child does not like the dish. The staff will not volunteer any other menu possibilities and bit by bit you have to find out what variations on the menu you can get.

The bar is pretty pitiful. No service, no music, no people. Santa showed up late on Christmas Eve so one of our kids was already fast asleep. The Christmas buffet was nice though with plenty of choice.

The log cabins and glass igloo’s are pretty far away from the central building. You have to transport your own luggage to the igloos through the snow, using a sled. Not good at all considering the very steep prices at Kakslauttanen. Given the hilly terrain, it is quite an effort to get your luggage to the igloos.

The staff appears very stressed at times, being chased by the somewhat angry looking owner. Service is therefore not very good.

All in all, we have to say that it was a nice experience, but it could have been so much better. If the owner would start thinking about:
* better facilities at the log cabins (kitchen, toilet, shower)
* providing service in general that is at par with his steep prices (e.g. create a separate desk to serve customers)
* improving the information to customers (be clear what is required, how long does an activity last)
* improving the quality of the food
* bringing his bar to life
* ensuring that there would be timely pickups for activities
There is a definite lack of customer focus at this hotel! The environment and activities make up for a lot, but cannot save the entire experience.

We enjoyed the stay but would not recommend it to any of our friends. Definitely go to Lapland but look for better boarding.

We went there in winter, when the entire of Lapland was immersed in twilight, which sort of dampened our moods a bit having been in lapland for the 6th day already. This experience, however, was certainly an experience.

The hotel lobby smelt of freshly roasted coffee, and was warm compared to the -15 or so degrees celcius outside. Being from the tropics, we pitied the dog that was chained outside the hotel, but nevertheless, the log cabin that functioned as the lobby was warm (literally) and welcoming.

The days are short during winter and there's nothing much that can be done in such a short period of twilight available in the late morning - early afternoon. We did utilise our time and booked an ice fishing trip through the hotel that we thoroughly enjoyed. The husky sledding and the snowmobiling proved to be excellent as well.

We stayed in a glass igloo as the ice igloo wasn't available at that point in time. Minimal facilities, no washroom, but certainly an experience. The log cabins were more furnished so stay in the log cabin if you need comfort!

An excellent stay, nonetheless!