Hotelli Pikku-Syöte

After the major upgrades, the hotel felt like an entirely different place from the one I remembered. The new owners have done a great job in a short time. Our baby, who was under a year old, slept wonderfully in her own cot, and the quiet room and excellent beds made for a very good night's sleep for us too. The restaurant serves excellent breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Set on top of a fell, the hotel has beautiful views, and we could watch the Northern Lights through the big windows. It was a great experience.

It's such a peaceful, quiet spot, with beautiful scenery around the hotel. The restaurant's food was extraordinary, made with local ingredients and a lovely reflection of Finnish culinary culture. Congratulations to the Chief 👏 The service was excellent too.

It's quiet here, which is about the only positive thing I can say. The hotel feels very dated, and walking around or even using the gym feels eerie. At least the bed is comfortable. I just hope the heater keeps the room warm all night.

The view is stunning during the day and makes for great IG photos. The hotel also has a gym, a private sauna, and a games room with table tennis and billiards. But the stay itself gave me mixed feelings. We were there for two nights with a tour group, and housekeeping didn't come during our stay. Getting to the rooms meant navigating a small maze of hallways and doors. Dinner was included on both nights, but each three-course meal took almost two hours to serve. We arrived late after visiting Santa Claus village, and by the time we got to our rooms it was nearly 11 pm, with kids in our group. Dinner the next night started at 6 pm and again took two hours. Breakfast was the opposite of the dinners. Over my 10 days in the Scandinavian countries, it was the worst breakfast I ate: fried eggs, bacon bits, pancakes, and oatmeal porridge under very red lights, so it was hard to tell what we were putting on our plates. Coffee and juice were at one corner, biscuits and sourdough bread at another. When the maple syrup ran out, I asked for more and was told there wasn't any left in the kitchen. The service has been the worst I've encountered so far. I didn't choose this hotel, but I still found the experience frustrating.