Northern Lights Village Pyhä

The peaceful forest and frozen lake across the road made the setting feel wonderfully immersive. We also ate well in the cozy restaurant, with its trees and snowy landscape views. There was a nice range of food, and the waiting staff were kind and friendly. It's a great location for seeing the Northern Lights. The activities were so much fun and very well organized. The husky experience was especially magical, and we really enjoyed snowmobiling too. Our guide Vivian was warm, charming and full of interesting Lapland knowledge. Her funny stories made our days even better. We only wish we'd had a chance to say a proper goodbye. Thank you for everything. We had an unforgettable stay and highly recommend it!

The suite was clean and lovely, just like the pictures, and the food was okay. It is a peaceful place, though the van ride from the airport took at least 1 hour and 40 minutes. Before we arrived, email replies were really slow, which was an unexpected start. Once there, though, everything was easy and well organized. The staff looked after us very well, and everyone was kind and welcoming. Dan was especially nice and kind, and we enjoyed his tour the most.

We never went hungry on the package. Full board meant breakfast, lunch and dinner were available from 07:30 to 21:30, apart from the three-hour gap in the middle of the day, 10:00-11:00 and 15:00-17:00. It made planning activities around meals for the kids easy. The suits, boots, gloves and balaclavas were so warm that even at -20 we weren't cold. We only needed thermal layers, a good fleece and a puffer jacket. Our children, aged 9 and 6, seemed just the right ages for the trip. We booked the five-night family package for two adults and two kids, and it was good value once we counted everything included. We loved all the activities, and the staff were very friendly. We saw the Northern Lights from bed on our first night, even though our suite was closest to the main centre and had more light pollution than some of the others. The airport drive is fairly long, about 1 hour and 40 minutes, but the quiet made it worthwhile.

The buffet was our one disappointment. If you're a foodie, you may not be impressed by the quality, though if food isn't a big priority you'll probably be fine. Also, the large Northern Lights Village sign at the lodge could be dimmed at night to cut down on light pollution. We still had a great stay. The area feels like a quieter retreat from the more touristy Rovaniemi resorts, and the service was excellent. When our mini fridge stopped working, it was replaced within an hour. The Aurora suite had the comforts and facilities you'd expect for the price. Snowmobiling was great, and our guide was friendly, engaging and focused on safety. Clouds kept us from seeing the aurora.