High quality accommodation and unforgettable experiences in Rovaniemi, Lapland Casa Arctica, established 1998, is a family-run travel company situated in idyllic residential neighborhood in central Rovaniemi. We aim to provide individual, high quality accommodation with friendly customer service, as well as unforgettable adventures, for all our guests. Casa Arctica offers an individually and tastefully furnished cottage and three apartments in central Rovaniemi.
Places to stay are graded on a 0-100 scale. The higher the grade, the easier it is for travelers to find restaurants and things to do within walking distance.
We travelled to Lapland in Dec 2022 – 2 adults and 2 children (8 year old twin boys). We stayed at the Aurora Apartment belonging to Casa Artica, a small local business run by Kiki and Mika.
From the time we made initial contact with Kiki until the time we departed, the care & attention was flawless. Kiki and Mika are excellent communicators.
Mika collected us from the Airport and gave us many insider tips and local knowledge including a short tour of Roveneimi so we could get our bearings before taking us to the Aurora apartment. The apartment was perfect for 2 adults and 2 children, it was spotlessly clean, cosy, well equipped and warm. The beds were really comfortable and the sauna was an added bonus at the end of a busy day!
The centre of Rovaneimi is an easy 7-10 min walk from the apartment and our two boys enjoyed us towing them in and out of town on their sledges.
Rovaneimi is a compact city and has many eateries & cafes.
We visited the Santa Village via the Number 8 bus from Rovaneimi (10 mins bus ride). This is a must visit for children, we met Santa & got our photo taken, however the highlight for the boys was sledding around the Santa Village courtesy of Mum and Dad!
An absolute highlight for me and my wife was the Snow Safari to Korouma forest & frozen waterfalls. This tour was booked with Mika himself from Casa Artica. He collected us from the apartment and drove us the 100 kms or so North to Korouma National Park. We had great chats on the drive; he is patient, informative and was able to answer all the questions our two boys threw at him! J The tour itself is amazing, from the snowy trails to the frozen waterfalls. The scenery is stunning. A highlight for the boys was the snack on the open fire we made, eating grilled sausages and of course marshmallows. A fantastic guided way to experience some of the true natural beauty of Lapland.
We also spent the day at Raitola Husky & reindeer farm and again this was arranged for us via Kiki & Mika. A super family day combining a reindeer ride with lunch and then a husky ride in the afternoon.
All in all we cannot recommend Casa Artica enough. Kiki and Mika run a small authentic personalised business and work so hard to ensure every single part of our trip ran as smoothly and as magically as possible! We would definitely recommend staying in any of the Casa Artica properties over a hotel. An all-round, professional, friendly and flawless 5 star experience.
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Date of stay: December 2022
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Mika Rötkönen, Owner at Casa Arctica
Responded Jan 23, 2023
Dear Karl and Alison & boys! Thank you very much of your kind words. It was a pleasure to get to know you all! You are always welcome back to Lapland❄️ Greetings, Kiki, Mika & Daniel
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
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We did the tour to the frozen waterfalls of Korouoma with Mika and it was fantastic. The tour was perfectly organized, from the early pick-up at our holiday home so we could be the first in the area to the choice of trail and the barbecue at lunchtime, everything was perfect. We learned a lot about Finland and had a lot of fun with Mika. You feel like you are traveling with a friend and not a guide. 5 stars is actually not enough, we would give 10😊 Thanks again for the great day!
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Date of stay: February 2024Trip type: Traveled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Of all the trips in Lapland, the well-groomed snowshoe walk through Kuouoma NP to Kojvuköngäs waterfall was without a doubt the very best. Guide Mika was very professional, but also very pleasant company, with knowledge about all interesting topics. He provided a trip in total quiet, serene nature, because we entered the park ahead of the crowd. There he knows the “off road” routes through the valley. Ultimate Lapland experience! Can be booked at Casa Arctica.
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Date of stay: February 2024
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Trip type: Traveled with family
Room Tip:Ask for the realy early snowshoe trip with Mika.
It is also possible to be picked up from Rovaniemi.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
The apartment is perfect for what we needed. Location is an easy 10 minute walk to the centre of the city. We’ve been lucky enough to see the Aurora from the balcony & the built in sauna is fantastic for warming up in arctic temperatures. Kiki and Mika are very attentive hosts & Mika even took us on an unbelievable day trip to the frozen waterfalls which I cannot recommend enough. Hiking in snowshoes or crampons in the beautiful wilderness and a little climb up to the waterfalls, before a delicious lunch cooked over the handmade fire. Not to mention Mika is an excellent story teller and very informative! This has been the best holiday ever!!!
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Date of stay: November 2023Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
The best place in Rovaniemi with fantastic hosts! Also the snowshoeing with Mika to the Korouoma waterfalls is an absolute must see and do! 5 stars for location, studio with sauna, the hosts. We had an amazing holiday and stayed for 8 days. We miss it and want to go back!
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Date of stay: January 2023Trip type: Traveled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I've always wanted a white Christmas and my husband has always wanted to visit Lapland. So on a recent trip to Europe, we decided to combine the two and have a white Christmas in Lapland! What a magical experience, one that I will never forget.
We googled a number of hotels in Rovaniemi, but all were booked out over the Christmas period. Lucky for us, B&B Kesapirttila had a vacancy and I'm very pleased that we stayed at this beautiful little cottage. It was absolutely wonderful and much better than staying in a hotel.
My husband and I were travelling with another couple. We arrived by train from Helsinki late on Friday 23rd December and stayed two nights, departing in the afternoon of Sunday 25th December. We booked and paid for three nights (three nights was the minimum), but due to the train timetable, we could only stay for two. I wish we could have stayed for a whole week!
We got a taxi from the train station, which only took 5 minutes to get to the B&B. The taxi driver was a very friendly man, and put us all into a great mood before we even arrived. When we arrived at the B&B, we were amazed at the sight of the cottage. It was just beautiful. There was snow all around and it was lit up with soft, warm lights.
Our hosts, Kiki and Mika are very warm and friendly people, and happy to help you wherever they can. When we arrived, we were greeted by Kiki. She welcomed us and showed us around the cottage. The cottage is located behind their actual house so if there were any problems, they were never too far away.
There is bedding for four people - one double bed and a set of bunks. There were four adults in our group and we all fitted comfortably. The cottage also has a dining table and a small kitchen. This was great, as it allowed us to buy our own foods for breakfast. I've also heard that the hosts will prepare a lovely breakfast for you at a small charge. If I return, I will definitely take up this option because I've heard it is delicious!
It's all open plan inside the cottage (beds, kitchen and dining are all in one space), which helps to create the feeling of warmth and comfort. The only downside to this is that there isn't alot of space in the main living area for our luggage. There were 4 of us and each of us had a large suitcase. But we made do and it wasn't much of an issue at all.
The bathroom was a good size, quite large in fact, and there was even a sauna! It is extremely cold in Rovaniemi in winter, but inside the cottage, you would never know it's cold outside. It is fully heated, and there is even a fireplace if you wish to use it.
There is a small TV mounted to the wall, with a selection of channels to view.
The B&B is located only a short walking distance from the main part of town. On average, it took us about 15 minutes to walk there. The walk into town is really pretty, past all the snow covered houses and streets. The main part of town is also lovely, lots of little shops, restaurants and bars - there is even a McDonald's (the most northern McDonald's in the world)! There is also small shopping centre with a grocery store.
A visit to Rovaniemi is not complete without a visit to the Santa Claus Village. There is a bus stop in town (you will need to ask where it is because it is not easily recognisable) and the bus takes you straight there. For me, the Village was nice to see, but a little disappointing. The first impression we got was the torn and tattered flags that were flying outside the entrance. I think if you went there with children, it would be much more of an experience.
We also booked a snowmobiling trip while we in Rovaniemi, something I would highly recommend. We were out for a few hours in the freezing cold snowmobiling through the local forests, it was so much fun! We booked through Safartica and recommend the company for any tours or activities you want to do while you're in Rovaniemi. If we were there for longer, we definitely would have booked more tours through them. The staff were very friendly and they even picked us up and dropped us off at our B&B.
The only issue we had during our stay was the internet connection. It was terrible, and didn't work most of the time we were there. However, we were lucky that it worked on Christmas Day so we could call our family back home in Australia. We did have to stand outside in the freezing cold snow for it to work, but that's ok!
I also took time to read the through the comments in the B&B guest book. There was not a single person that wrote a negative entry about the place. And the book was full, so this certainly says something about how good the B&B is.
For me, it was the small personal touches that made this B&B so lovely. The candles outside our room, which lit a path to the front door, the lights around the cottage and the small Christmas tree that was set up on our dining table. Rovaniemi is a truly beautiful place to visit, especially at Christmas time. I look forward to sharing the experience with my children in the future.
Thank you Kiki and Mika for being such wonderful hosts, we will definitely return someday!
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Date of stay: December 2011
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Trip type: Traveled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Kiki was so welcoming. The studio we stay in was a central, perfect location. The unit was immaculate and very comfortable. A very good range of products in the kitchen and the bed was comfortable. Will definitely stay there again :)
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Date of stay: December 2017Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We stayed in the guesthouse in February. The place is very comfortable and thoughtfully arranged. Very clean, comfortable bed. A nice kitchen for preparing a meal and includes the basics: salt, cooking oil, tea.. The hosts live across the yard and were very welcoming. The place is in a nice quiet neighborhood, a 10-15 minutes walk from the center. But the walk is very nice, we even handled it with our backpacks and there is not much to do in the center anyway. It is not very big, perfect for one or two people or maybe a couple with kids. We definitely regret we couldn't stay longer!
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Date of stay: February 2015Trip type: Traveled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Stayed here for one night only, but it was enough to become charmed by the town and area. Our apartment was directly behind the owner's home, down a small laneway. The sauna was excellent and the kids enjoyed the curtained bunk beds, each with its own reading light. Downtown was a short walk away, as was the Arktikum, which I also recommend. The Finnish arctic seems to be a smart and healthy corner of the world. I hope to go back.
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Date of stay: July 2013
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Trip type: Traveled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We stayed in the new studio apartment that they now have. Kikki was a great communicator from the beginning. She met us at the apartment and showed us around and gave us the key. The apartment was super warm and super clean in a very central location. The furniture and fittings were brand new and of a good quality. I would highly recommend this apartment to anyone wanting to do a lapland trip on a 'shoe string'. Excellent stay.
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Date of stay: December 2015
Location
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Traveled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Seoul, South Korea358 contributions244 helpful votes
In winter it was not an easy walk as the ice was very slippery and as it was a back street they did not put grit on the side of the road. In summer I guess it would be ok and yes about 15 minutes (longer in winter)
There are more places to choose from in the Rovaniemi area.
FORMERLY KNOWN AS
Bed & Breakfast Kesapirttila
LOCATION
FinlandLaplandRovaniemi
NUMBER OF ROOMS
4
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