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.