Santa's Igloos Arctic Circle

We saw the best aurora outside our room and even from inside it! There’s an aurora alarm in the room too. Everything about the stay was perfect, from the reception and room to the dining. Lily at reception was especially helpful at check-in and gave us all the information we needed. Best stay ever!!

The good parts of our stay had nothing to do with the hotel. We got less than 20 minutes of hot water at a time, and there’s no shower door, so water pools on the floor and they provide a squeegee to pull it back into the shower. The basic instant coffee and hot cocoa weren’t stocked for the first two days, and we had to ask for them. At check-in we were told breakfast and dinner were included, but at checkout we were charged for sides and desserts. Only the main courses were covered. Both times we ate dinner, we waited at our table for 30 minutes after finishing and nobody brought the bill. We visited in the off season, when the dining room was never very full and many rooms seemed empty. The hotel’s amenities and service fell short of what you’d find at an average Marriott or Hilton.

Lilly made check-in feel really welcoming, and the room tablet gave us access to a 24/7 chat service for the concierge. When the TV initially had problems, someone came to help quickly. Getting there was harder: there’s no shuttle from the bus station, so we had to haul our luggage through the snow. We also had trouble with the restaurant. We asked to move our 8PM reservation to 6, but staff said they couldn’t seat us because another reservation was due at 6.30, even though the restaurant looked only about 20% full. We got takeaway instead, but the order was wrong and the food wasn’t good. For the price, it felt quite overpriced.

I’d definitely come back. The room was cozy and well equipped, and lying in bed with that stunning view of the night sky was unforgettable. There’s even heating for the glass panels when they frost up, which I found handy while hoping to catch the northern lights.