Ski-Inn AurinkoRinne

The place is cozy and very basic, but the sofas and beds are dated and uncomfortable. There’s only one pillow per bed, and they’re not the comfiest. It’s close to the slope, but walking into town is a long uphill trek. The exact situation depends on which apartment you get.

This is a comfortable place to stay, with a compact apartment that has everything you need, including a kitchen, sauna, and fireplace. Cleaning is done by SOL, whose staff are professional and friendly. I recommend it.

Reception was easy to reach and helpful, and they kindly let us check in early. We liked the cozy apartment and how close it was to the village. Our New Year’s trip was a letdown after we’d been so excited about staying here. I came all the way from Australia and had hoped it would feel as special as we expected, especially at over €200 per night. The ventilation didn’t work. A maintenance man came to check and said it was working, even though it clearly wasn’t. Because of that, we couldn’t use the fireplace, and the smell from the first night lingered in the room. The central heating also stopped working, so our last night was very cold. Ski-in access isn’t guaranteed unless you’re lucky enough to get one of the apartments beside the slope. So we missed out on the fireplace, ventilation, ski-in access, and heating for one night. When we arrived, we spent the first ten minutes driving around the complex looking for our parking spot. The paths are very steep and narrow, which made them difficult to navigate. A map sent by text before we got there would have helped.

If you ski, there's a T-bar about 50 to 100 metres from the apartment, so you can use that. For non-skiers, getting to the gondola means a bit of a walk. The accommodation is spacious, clean and set up really well for families with young kids. The T-bar opens at 9:30, so afternoon lessons in Ruka work better if you need more time.