Stayed for 5 nights over New Year in Cottage Kaarna (the smallest of all).

Overall we were very happy that we did not stay in Rovaniemi, but away in a remote and quiet location. The drive was about 45 minutes, but really not an issue, even in winter with snow and ice. Just remember to buy enough groceries on the way there.

Pro's:
- Great location right next to the (frozen) lake
- Super friendly and attentive service, quick response to our emails before our trip. They also helped with booking some activities for us.
- Clean, compact & cosy cottage. Particularly like the dining area
- We ordered food on the first night, very generous portion & tasty
- Cottage comes with fire place, own sauna, dishwasher, etc...
- Northern lights visible from the lake right in front of the cottage. Bedroom window faces the "correct" direction and we could check if the Aurora was on before deciding to head out into the cold in the middle of the night
- We ordered the hot tub for NYE and it was a fun experience. Gotta monitor the fire and add wood to get the right temperature. They were thoughtful enough to provide a rug to make it more pleasant and safer to get into the tub and back out.

Con's:
- Bathroom and toilet are only accessible from the front porch, therefore requiring one to step outside. Not always something to look forward to when you snuggle up on the couch/bed and then have to step into a snow storm with -20 degrees just to pee. It was manageable, but if we would have known this beforehand we could have at least brought some slippers along so that we don't always have to wear our winter boots just to go to the washroom.
- The bathroom was very dark. There was only a small night light behind the toilet, and tiny LED lights on the ceiling, which was nowhere near enough to see yourself in the mirror, especially since in winter it is also dark outside 20 hours a day.
- Since the bathroom and sauna are in the same room, the shower, taps, and basically everything else (incl. your shampoo, toothbrush, etc) becomes incredible hot when using the sauna.
- Besides about 6 hooks for the winter jackets, and a small shelf high up above that for hats, gloves and scarves next to the front door, there was no wardrobe or shelf space at all in the entire cottage. If you stay for a few days, it would be nice to be able to hang or stash away clothes somewhere else instead of leaving them in the suitcase. Even the suitcase can only be stored next to the front door (below the hooks), since the bedroom was too small for that.
There were hooks in the bedroom but were unusable as they were not "hooks". Anything you hang will fall right off.
A small column of wall shelves at the corner next to the window on the opposite wall of the bed would be a huge improvement.
- The bed was quite small for two persons. Luckily we are lean, and at least they were clear about this when we make the booking, but it may be an issue for any bigger sized couple. Bed was also a little too soft (personal preference perhaps)
- There was a very bright lamp in a distance near the main house, which made it more challenging to see the northern lights (it required us to walk on the lake for some distance until the light was covered by trees, which was some extra effort at 1.30am in -20 degrees...). Would be nice if this particular lamp would be switched off at some point during the night, since there are enough small lights everywhere.
- Would be a nice touch if there was a throw/blanket on the sofa
- Very well-equipped kitchen with dishwasher as well as condiments (presumably left behind by other visitors)

We had 3 power failures, one of them for about 2 hours while we were preparing breakfast. It was a minor inconvenience, but we couldn't fault them for it, since it was not within the owner's control. At least there was a fire place to stay warm, and one of the staff actually came around to check on us, brought us some Salmiakki, and invited us to feed the reindeer during that time.

Overall, it was a perfect gateway for a quiet winter holiday.

It's taken me a long time to write this review, we had a big holiday to digest! We stayed for 8 nights, I think, and we definitely be going back.

Staying at Napapiirin Jarvilmoat is the highlight of our big Finland trip for my children. We stayed in December, 3 children and myself (husband when he wasn't working). Before we even arrived, every email was answered in a friendly and helpful manner. They sent menus, ideas, even bought the kids presents and put up a tree! We booked our transport with 'Grandpa' because we aren't familiar with ice and snow, and it was worth the money. They kept in contact over the phone, and always understood when I made mistakes!

Details -

The food was amazing. Just amazing. The portions were always perfect or more than enough! We ate a LOT, the kids were so happy to be able to eat in the comfort of our chalet after all the busy hotels. They stopped at the supermarket on each trip so I could get supplies for breakfast and lunch. All the equipment I needed was there, and clean up was easy with the dishwasher. The favourites were the Reindeer burgers, pizza, cheesecake, blueberry pie, salmon soup (omg), roast beef.... ok, so everything. My kids have special needs, and are not adventurous with food - and they LOVED it all!

Chalet - Wow. My littlest (she was 4) now designs every house on the chalet we stayed in, she loved it that much. It was perfectly warm in the below freezing conditions. The beds were perfect, loads of space, the loft was great for kids (no one fell down the stairs!), and the boot rooms were so helpful. The drying cupboard thing was a life saver (I want one!). The sauna was gorgeous, and the shower room perfect for us. I could wash all our clothes ready for the next leg, and we didn't get a drop of water inside the living area thanks to the good systems. Ambience was amazing.

Area/outside - So many things to do! It was about -10 while we stayed and there were kick sleds, toboggans, snow shoes, kid's shovels and all sorts of things for them to use around the huge grounds. We kick sledded (never done it before, with a 10 and 4yo) all the way to the main house and fed the reindeer!!! Grandpa cleared the road ahead of us, they knew we were out there, and I had my phone, so it all felt so safe even though we were in the middle of nowhere really, in freezing conditions, haha. My favourite adventure memory of the trip because we did it alone. The snow was deep and fluffy and the trees perfect.

Rovaniemi - We went in on one day to see the Santa town/village and the museum. The museum was amazing but we were a bit tired. Santa town place... well... I'm glad we didn't stay there. It was nothing on the experience we were having!! Though my son had fun on the tube, and we liked getting some souvenirs.

People - As you can tell, the staff at Napapiirin are not staff, they are family. Roope and Paula were so so good to me (I can be anxious!). They were encouraging, friendly, polite (maybe too polite when I wasn't being clear!), and nothing was too much trouble. The Landlady, what a legend, I wanted to take her home... and Grandpa didn't say a lot but he was so kind! To give you an idea of what these people are like - we lost a mitten while on a husky ride with Bearhill Husky. A really good down insulated mitten (glove). It took three days of passing this thing along from them to other guests to all over Lapland until we were being driven back to the airport and Grandpa pulls over on the highway... Roomi's MUM pulls up behind us and passes us the glove! Full of Christmas sweets!!!! We cried. How lovely is that? Given we were headed for -20' we were so grateful.

Happy to answer any questions over message if anyone is going to stay! We are saving to try to get back, any season as I'm so sure it will be perfect.

If you want to get away from the hustle bustle of the city, this is a perfect place for you and your family.
A fully equipper kitchen, is great if you have kids and need to cook breakfast, you need to bring your own supplies though.
The place was swapped with insects and flying objects which is very irritating as one can't sit outside and enjoy the serene environment, however, the coils are provided by the facility to use if required.