Ski-Inn Kultakero

The ski gear and tickets were easy to arrange in advance through the well-equipped PyhäStore next door, with its huge rental facility and latest gear. Everything was ready when we arrived. We stayed three nights after Christmas at Hotel Kultakero, part of Hotel Pyhätunturi next door and the wider Pyhä Ski resort. The modern, recently finished apartment hotel is right by the slopes and lifts. Our three-bedroom apartment had direct slope views, a spacious sauna, a hot tub, and a large kitchen and living area. It's especially well suited to families. A stay at this level would easily cost two or three times as much at resorts in Switzerland, Austria, or the US.

The equipped kitchen came in handy for avoiding restaurant prices during our five-night stay in the family studio with a sauna. But the place wasn’t cleaned well, and quite a few things were downright disgusting. We could hear everything from the other studios through the paper-thin walls, too. Finding the right apartment on arrival was difficult, so we had to call the hotel. They advertise it as a hotel, but it’s privately owned like an Airbnb, with no cleaning during your stay, so you have to clean everything yourself before you leave.

The skiing was so good it made up for the problems with the stay. Pyha ski resort is absolutely amazing, and I’d highly recommend visiting. The room itself was okay, though there was a lot of noise from nearby rooms because there’s no soundproofing. The shower drain was blocked with hair, which flooded the bathroom. I reported it to the front desk, but they said it couldn’t be sorted until morning. I ended up clearing it myself so we could shower and get rid of the water, and it still took 24 hours for someone to fix it properly.

It was a great spot for watching the northern lights. Our room was clean when we arrived, with plenty of towels and all the utensils clean as well. The sauna and hot tub were good facilities, too.