Hi we stayed here sadly for only one night we had an absolutely fabulous time. My little boy uses a wheelchair and the staff couldn’t do enough for us especially Tina !
Aurora cabin just pure Luxury mind blowing experience. Food & area inside just beautiful flickering candles, rocking chairs around the log fire what more could any one wish for. Thank you so much ! We will definitely be back ️️️More
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Taking safety measures
We are here as I write this. We are on a Weds-Sun, 4 night break booked through The Aurora Zone who were fantastic.
We arrived Weds late afternoon and was picked up from the airport by an Apukka guide. Check in was quick and we was given our itinerary of trips that we had included in our stay. We are in a normal hotel room, plenty of room, a living area, bedroom, bathroom and fully functioning kitchen.
The food here is fine, not what us Brits are normally used to but I can be a bit fussy and I’m doing fine. Fruit, scrambled eggs, bacon, porridge, croissants for brekkie and a couple of meat stew dishes (reindeer I think but I don’t want to think about it) and potatoes in the evening. There are vegan dishes also.
Our first night here we went out on the snow train Northern Light hunting and we saw a very faint display. Was disappointing as they were giving snow/cloud for the rest of our stay. Our 2nd activity was the next evening and we went out on the reindeer sleigh with Mia our guide. It’s very peaceful and relaxing and we were the only ones there. On the way back Mia stopped and put on her headlamp and we saw wild reindeer running across the snow then 5 mins later the northern lights came out for us.
Day 3 at 3pm was the husky sledging .... wow, we loved it, thought nothing would top that until day 4 at 10am and the snowmobiling, now that was amazing. In my opinion the huskies and the snowmobiles need to be done in the day as you can see all around you, trust me when you go out at night it is pitch black and all the trips go through the forests.
It is absolutely stunning here, photos do not do it justice. All the staff are friendly and knowledgeable and have a real love for this country. I would recommend this resort to anyone and I’m happy to answer any questions that anyone may have.
On arrival it was -23 but it has generally been anything between -10 & -20.
Last night tonight and we are booked into an ice cabin, wish us luck !!!!!
Hi,
Thank you for sharing your experiences at Apukka Resort. We appreciate your kind and honest words.
It's good that you got to try so many different things while here. Outdoor activities are definitely the best part of winters in Lapland. Northers Lights are tricky to predict so it's wonderful that you got to see those as well.
Our temperature is +2 at the moment :) Too hot!
Best wishes to you and hope to meet you again at Apukka Resort! Maybe summer experiences next time!?
We stayed here for four nights in February and had an amazing time. The accommodation was basic but comfortable and the boots and snowsuit were very welcome.
We went snowmobiling, mushing, snowshoeing and s reindeer ride as well as the snow train. The second time snowmobiling was in the day and it was just us and the guide. The same with the snowshoeing, which was perfect.
We did get to see the Northern Lights although they weren’t very strong. Sadly it was very cloudy on the best viewing night.
I am vegetarian but also lactose intolerant and I had no problem getting food. Unfortunately it was a little unimaginative so I ended up with a similar meal each night, but it was perfectly edible and I wasn’t there for the food!!
My only complaint was that there was no decaf coffee and whilst there was hot water available I had forgotten to take my own coffee.
The staff were all very helpful and the guides very passionate about Finland and the countryside, which was infectious.
Would definitely return.
We booked through The Aurora Zone, who were fantastic in guiding us as we had not had a winter holiday before.
Dear Jane,
Thank you for your review. It is nice to hear you had a vacation you wished for with us.
We hope seeing you again soon!
Kindest regards,
Kati - Front Desk Manager
Apukka Resort Team
Stayed at the Apukka resort for 4 nights this past Christmas with our daughter and her boyfriend and it was amazing!! We rented the 3 bedroom house, it was a little bare bones, just the basics as far as furniture goes, and wish it would have had a fireplace, but it was spacious and comfortable enough. The main club house is where the restaurant is and there is a nice fireplace with 5 rocking chairs, this is where we ended most of our nights...so cozy and relaxing! The buffet food was good, but pretty much the same every day. We booked the husky and reindeer safari with the resort for Christmas day and that was an amazing experience!! Also, Santa came to visit on both Christmas eve and Christmas day and hung out for at least an hour!! The kids (and us kids at heart) got to talk and take plenty of pictures with him, there was no rush and no long lines to see him. The staff here were all very helpful and friendly. It's only about a 10 minute drive from the Santa village, and it's nice to get away from the tourist section. My only complaint is that they charge a lot of money to use the sauna!! Being in Finland, that should be a standard amenity at a resort as expensive as this place! Other then that, I highly recommend and would stay here again!
Hi,
Thank you for writing a review of your Christmas with us. We are happy to hear you had good times and lovely memories were made at Apukka. We appreciate your feedback about the buffet selection and sauna pricing. All comments will be taken under consideration when we plan improvements.
Our best wishes to you and hope to meet you again at Apukka Resort!
We loved our stay at Apukka. The staff go out of their way to make sure you are warm (building fires on the resort, letting you borrow scarfs, snow suits, snow boots and socks from the kit room) and teach you about Finnish culture with a 6pm Taste of Finland session by the fire. We had wood fire cooked salmon!
Nora in particular was exceptional and made our stay magical. She took us on forest walk teaching us how to respect the woodland as well as tips on how to survive overnight. We also did the sauna experience with the jacuzzi which was private and worth it.
The activities are a little pricey but definitely worth doing, in particular the husky riders and reindeer rides. We used a few free apps to judge the probability of seeing the northern lights, so we could time venturing out into -30 degrees with when was most likely. As a results we only waited 5 mins until we saw the wonders of the northern lights, we got lucky!
A great place with new facilities for not only for couples but for families too. We stayed in the aurora cabins which was so worth it, but at this time of year you do need to go for a little walk to see the northern lights on a cold and cloud free late evening.
You need to have dinner at the restaurant which is quite expensive but includes and all you can eat buffet.
Thanks Apukka and definitely see you again!
Hi Emma,
We appreciate you taking the time to write a review for us. Thank you for kind words and the feedback!
Best wishes and welcome back for another memorable holiday with us!
We booked the snow train aurora hunting through apukka as it looked like a warmer activity to do. There wasn't really any reviews on it and the "train" pictures looked more like a big caravan. There was limited information but we thought we'd try it anyway.
The "snow train" they sell you on is like a plastic capsule with canvas around it. You ride in it for 10 minutes max each direction and then stop at a hut. The location is next to (what we think is the airport) because there is like pollution all to one side. Then once you are there it is sort of like how can your guide best entertain you. We went for a 1.5 km walk and then came back to the hut to have a fire. As the roof is enclosed you can't see the sky. Therefor you are paying a lot of money to go for a 10 minute ride in a cold cheap plastic cart, have a fire in an enclosed hut and go for a walk (next to heaps of light pollution). We saw a faint light and the guide was even like oh this is really good for this area. It made us question if its really good (something that you can barely notice) why bring tourists to this area nightly. There are better tours to do for value for money - im almost disappointed I don't get my money back. Id recommend saving this and staying somewhere overnight (like a glass igloo further north).
