Mansikkaharju Holiday Camp

We’ve been holidaying in Finland for years and have always found people friendly and helpful. This booking was a very different experience. We reserved and paid five months ahead, then got a cancellation message just six days before the trip. They wouldn’t speak with us in English by phone, saying they only spoke Finnish. Our email was answered three days later, by which time we’d made other arrangements and had to change our itinerary at the last minute. We can’t understand why a booking paid for so far in advance was cancelled. We’re still waiting for the refund.

There are two playgrounds for kids, and breakfast may be available. You can swim in the lake right next to the site, and reserve a sauna. The cabins are small, cozy, and affordable. Toilets and showers are shared, and free to use.

Bring your own sheets and towels. The ones provided smelled moldy. If you forget, there’s a Tokmanni five minutes away. The small black trailer cottages with skylights seem like the best choice for one or two people. They have comfortable beds, a sauna, and a working kitchen, though there’s no freezer. We also stayed in three timber cottages, which were a letdown. Their mattresses were thin, smelly foam pads with deep dips in the middle, and looked like they hadn’t been replaced in at least 20 years. The kitchen had no oven or fan. Cleaning had been overlooked in the cottages. The entry rug smelled of urine, there was burnt grease on the oven floor, and the sauna smelled when the humidity rose, apparently because some people don’t shower before using it. The vacuum was packed with dust and gravel, and we had to wipe grime and dust away before settling in. At least cleaning supplies were provided. The cottages have good bones, but it’s a shame they haven’t had more care. It wouldn’t take much time or money to make them more appealing. Service was only available in Finnish.

The showers, kitchen, and toilets looked quite new and were very clean. Kayaks, boats, and canoes were free to use, while the sauna cost extra, and there’s also a playground for children. We rented a small house during our visit this summer. It was old-fashioned, but tidy and well stocked with kitchen gear. The campground is by a busy road, so traffic can be annoying at night, though we didn’t have that problem in our house. We heard the fountain spraying water all night instead.