House Hilla b Mombaruzzo

We really enjoyed staying here. The house and its surroundings were lovely, and the price felt fair.

We flew into Rovaniemi and drove about 3.5 hours to the accommodation in a rental car. Getting there was easy, and the house was very clean. It's quiet, in a great location for day trips, and has a lot to do nearby. We hiked in the snow, went cross-country and downhill skiing, rented a snowmobile without a guide for a day, and went snowshoeing. The nearby hill is good for sledding, and when the weather and fuel use worked out, we got to see the Northern Lights. The walk to Saariselkä town center is a few meters, so it isn't right next door. The village has a small supermarket with basics at fairly high prices, plus restaurants, bars and a pub, all with the familiar high Scandinavian or Northern European prices. The kitchen is especially well equipped, with a toaster, blender, filter coffee maker, kettle, dishwasher, pizza cutter, casserole dishes, garlic press, mortar, rolling pin, Tupperware and plenty of other useful things. The interior is high quality but practical. There's a drying cabinet, small washing machine and dishwasher. The sauna warms up quickly and fits two people comfortably. The house is mainly heated with electricity, with an enclosed wood-burning fireplace that can help heat it too. But it really is too small for six adults, and I can't recommend it for that many. There are only two small bedrooms with two single beds each, and if you want a double bed, you'll be disappointed. The beds slide apart quickly and leave a big gap. Anyone beyond four has to sleep on the small couch in the living room, which is also the kitchen, so there's not much room to spread out. Each guest gets just a hand towel and a bath towel, which feels like too little for using the sauna. Drying off with a sweaty towel afterward wasn't great. I'd want three towels per person. Hot water is limited too. After around 20 minutes in the shower it runs out, leaving only ice cold water, and takes hours to heat up again. I imagine that would be a struggle with four or more guests, especially if everyone uses the sauna. The oven has no fan setting and was rather dirty. The smoke detector above it goes off loudly whenever the oven door opens, and you have to acknowledge it with a long stick or something similar. It can't be removed, which is annoying. There was no lighter for the fireplace, and the whole box of matches had been used up. The kitchen also had a used sponge and dishcloth, which gave me the impression they were cutting corners. These are small things individually, but they add up, and presentation matters too.

We even got to see stunning Northern Lights right in front of the accommodation. The place was beautiful and spotless, very well equipped and in a perfect location. I loved staying here and hope to come back soon.

The semi-detached house was lovely and had plenty of useful things, including a fireplace, washing machine, dryer and sauna. We were a bit disappointed to have to make the beds ourselves and strip them afterward, even though linens and towels were included.