We arrived here on a business trip and this place is unbelievable. A winter wonderland on a private Island. Accommodation is immaculate, sauna , snow, freezing cold and so quiet. We were cooked a meal this evening by a personal Chef and I have never tasted food like it . Local starters, Salmon, and then Reindeer for the main. I can not recommend this place enough. 5 Stars does not even begin to say how good this trip has been. Ideal for business, family or just couples. You have to visit and eat here.
Coming to Rovaniemi is a holiday that happens only once in a lifetime. Our stay at Vartiosaari was our last night and we had expectations of a warm dinner around the fire and a cosy stay in one of the rooms overlooking the river. We booked specifically to have a night out of town and away from the city lights. As they have a restaurant it meant that we could stay on the island and not travel any more once we had arrived. We didn't have a car so we were having to rely on expensive taxis. I had emailed them twice to request dinner and to ensure that provision was made for us. They replied on other queries and yet oddly did not communicate regarding dinner. They knew there was nobody on the island to meet us (ok, we can find a key and let ourselves in), but they didn't let us know that there would be no restaurant available - and therefore NO FOOD. We asked twice - and not once did they use this opportunity to inform us of their lack of staff. When we arrived we spoke to them through the Intercon system to confirm our arrival. Even then they did not mention anything about there being no dinner. Were they in denial - hoping the problem would just go away?! After checking in we went on an activity through Rovaniemi. If we had known there was no restaurant service we would have stayed in town and arranged dinner ourselves. As it happens we presumed the restaurant would be open as it had not been communicated otherwise. This meant that we came all the way back from town and had to go and come back yet again when we were finally informed that the hotel basically had no facilities available. I find it completely unacceptable that there were so many opportunities to inform us of the situation and yet not once did they think to let us know of internal staffing problems. It is really bad customer service and a lack of respect for other people's time and holiday to have such lack of communication when you know it will affect your guest's stay. We wouldn't ever have stayed out this far if we had known the restaurant wasn't open. We also would have stayed in town if we had known we had to eat in town. It is completely nonsensical to stay in the middle of nowhere without any dinner facility. I was totally shocked to be told only at 6.30pm that we were not going to get any dinner. And this was on a Friday night, when we have no transport and all other restaurants are already fully booked. I appreciate the owner driving us into town, but we still had to pay €28 to get back to the island, an expense we wouldn't have had to pay for. The restaurant reservation they made to try and help was at a 'street food bistro' - not exactly how I had imagined my last night in Lapland. €336 is way overpriced for the quality of the room, furniture and bathroom. Note that we booked a superior double and yet got a twin room. Another sad point to make against what we had hoped to be a fabulous night away from the city. The rooms themselves are pretty basic, not that cosy. The brick floor in the bathrooms make them very cold underfoot. The island is scenic, sure. But unfortunately for us this was an aside. The Sauna wasn't open, not even a key available to sort it out ourselves. I am exceedingly unhappy and unimpressed with the money we spent for a substandard room and hotel with a lack of facilities as promised on agoda.com when we booked. We communicated a number of times and hoped that the hotel would take proper and fair measures to adequately compensate us for a terrible last night in what was supposed to be a memorable evening, but which is only memorable for being a total disaster.…
This property is absolutely gorgeous. Very cosy, comfortable with some exceptional views. The service was 5 star. Milkha who assisted us was utterly sweet and very helpful. Would definitely recommend a stay here!
It’s a small boutique hotel, unique and very cosy, with all the comfort you need on a little island accessible by a pedestrian bridge. You do need a car of your own. The loft layout is cute and spacious enough for a family of four. Everything worked fine including a proper coffee machine. We loved the meals here inside a large teepee kept very warm, for breakfasts and dinner - they were top notch. I wonder how it would look in the summer and other seasons. Must be beautiful all year round. Highly recommended. Kiitos, Milka!
Stayed in this little gem for a few nights! It was very welcome stay, as we were the only guests in the island! However, everyone made a stay great and special by preparing welcome drink and breakfast every morning! Fire was lit for us daily which made the place very cozy! Villa was very nice, but moments felt too hot, especially during the night! It was very cold outside, but inside I was very comfortable with short sleeve t-shirt! We also had Sauna in our villa, which made the stay even more special! We used it every evening and it was great! I would like to mention, that during our stay the rooms weren’t cleaned, but we were able to ask for any extra toiletries or towels, so it didn’t bother us. However, if staying longer, that may become an issue. Possibly it was just because there was nobody else staying at the time. The villas located in a little island which you only can reach by going through the bridge! The views can be truly outstanding and it was a great experience. I am sure it looks stunning in winter season! Definitely would recommend, just be aware you need a car as it is about 10km away from airport and also Santa Village! …
This place has an amazing location with the most beautiful nature around it. It has two very nice saunas and provides the terrific facilities for a truely unique experience. The saunas are very good and there is possibility to swim in the river.
We stayed in this hotel in December last year, intrigued by its location - tucked away on an island of its own in Rovaniemi. We had our own rental car and there was plenty of parking across the bridge from where the hotel is located. Basically there's a walking bridge that connects the hotel to the rest of Rovaniemi - you can't drive across the bridge; it's a short walking bridge, and the hotel even thoughtfully places some toboggans where the parking spaces are, so that you can just tow your luggage across the bridge, if you prefer! The hotel itself is charmingly located, as mentioned, on an island, so it is completely surrounded by a beautiful lake - which was frozen in winter when we went. The rooms were clean, beautiful in a scandinavian-style decor (think lots of wood!). The owner himself came over, proceeded to fix a lamp that was not working and was happy to entertain any questions that we had. It was honestly great to see the owner himself being so hands-on about his property and making sure that the guests were well-settled in! Breakfast was served in a really unique lodge that was well-heated in winter - small and cosy set-up. Breakfast offerings included hot items of sausages and eggs (can't remember all!) and other cold cuts as well. We were always being offered more hot drinks when needed. Overall, it was a really lovely and unique stay in this hotel, just by the location alone. In winter - it is really breathtaking in its frozen beauty. Note: Whether coming by car or taxi, the turn into the hotel's parking is not immediately obvious - we missed it a couple of times trying to get there! It is a very small signage so you have to look out for it. Hopefully the hotel creates a bigger one so that it is easier to spot where to turn in!…
Located about 10km from Rovaniemi, this boutique hotel offers a very intimate and special experience. From the moment you cross the walkway bridge to what they describe as Aurora Island, you enter a different world. One of beauty, calm and intimacy. Rooms set in cabins, cosy and spacious. Then that which is special, the restaurant. Such a perfect setting, so relaxing and our host Markus made dinner, served and chatted and had a lovely bottle of Portuguese wine from Douro valley as house wine to accompany. Following morning before leaving. We had a delicious tasty breakfast. Perfect way to finish a perfect stay. Thanks again Markus!! One comment however, you use the name Aurora Island on your website. Yet the hotel name is a bit unpronounceable for a foreigner (Vartiosaari) and so not memorable. Suggest you might change to Aurora Island Hotel. …
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