Hossan Lomakeskus — Hotel in Kehys-Kainuu sub-region

Hossan Lomakeskus, operated by Norwide, is an odd combo of newly built ‘hotel rooms’, looking like giant beach-huts in terraced rows, and old-style and slightly run down camping cabins. I chose to stay in one of the cabins, since they have their own sauna and basic cooking facilities and, being detached units, give greater privacy. Their rustic feel is also somehow more ‘authentic’, despite their need for repairs and upgrading. All accommodations are built on the lakeside, about 30 m from the water, and the complex has a restaurant and bar offering breakfast and dinner. Modernisation of the cottages would doubtless give them more allure, but they are perfectly functional for one or two persons for one or two nights, and give a nice feel of what a holiday cottage traditionally meant for Finns in years gone by. There is no wifi that my computer could detect, so make sure your device has an inbuilt SIM card if you want to communicate with the outside world. The location is perfect for day-hiking in Hossa National Park, just a few km away, but the nearest real towns (Kuusamo or Suomussalmi) are 80-100 km or so distant, so shop there in advance of arrival, if you plan to be self-catering. My cabin had washing up liquid, but nothing else, not even salt and pepper. The complex does have its own petrol pumps, offering 98E5 and diesel. Hossan Lomakeskus is also ideally situated for two of Finland’s most spectacular attractions, despite them remaining little known. The first is the canyon lake of Julma Ölkky, best seen by a boat excursion, with its towering cliffs adorned with ancient rock carvings, and the bear-viewing excursions offered by Hossan Karhut, where you are likely to see many bears in a 5-6 hour (or even overnight) session in a comfortable hide. On the negative side, I needed to watch my step when using the rickety and warped wooden stairway to my cabin entrance, the toilet was leaking unpredictably and the interior fittings...

Mökki's or cottages need to be renovated, the air quality inside the cottage is a bit funky. We stayed in cabin nro 3 which did not have mosquito nets in most of the windows (1 window out of 4 windows), so when we wanted to let fresh air inside the cabin we got mosquitos inside too. Minor details. We saw that other cottages did have more mosquito nets, so would be nice that all the cottages would be equally equipped. The cottages can be quite hot during summer time, so extra airflow is needed.

Bathrooms had a plastic vinyl flooring, which had open seams and is waiting to become a moisture damage for the bathroom.

There was also an option to take ecolodge/hotel room as an accommodation, this was priced at around 130€/night, main problem being that these did not have a fridge and we had carried a lot of food with us for the trip.

Only the cottage was a bit crappy with the price of 95€/night without any additional services, but we found the general service atmosphere good and welcoming. Only English service might be a problem for some. PLEASE cut the trees and bushes infront of the cottages by the beach! Beautiful scenery is being obstructed by overgrown bushes.

Location is great Hossa-wise and central. The saunas are really nice and the use of them is well planned out. There is a fireplace by the beach for barbeque. Info-building has some restaurant services and you can play pool and enjoy beverages from the bar which is a nice extra.

Gas station on the other side of the road and a small grocery store at the adjacent camping site.

With minor tweaks this could be a 5...

My experience with Norwide at Hossa has completely met my expectations of a full immersion into nature and of an active holiday.||I was not sure about how much this trip would have been right for my eight year old daughter but she has always felt at ease and has enjoyed being an active part of the crew. ||A comeback is already on my wish list!||I only have a couple of remarks to make the service more distinctive as an ecofriendly destination (I understand that marketing targets are the same everywhere and competition bites hard even at -40° but a few thoughts would not hurt!). ||When I chose the tour, the snowmobile trip seemed a good idea, but once I arrived in Hossa I felt a bit guilty to disturb the sound of silence, which nowadays is an invaluable asset for everyone. I also believe that snowmobiling is a risky business for the organization. A lot of people drive for the first time and, although the safety rules were very clearly explained and the vehicles were brand new, damages can occur more often than in other nature-friendly activities.|| ||If I may stretch the eco-concept a bit, even at risk of sounding picky, choosing quality ingredients for food might also be a good idea: most of what we have eaten was tasty, varied and adequate for outdoor life (and the way of cooking) but I would have appreciated more attention to food provenience and the possibility to choose alternative menus (ie gluten free or veg).||Lastly garbage collection rules were not clear as everything was just put in one place and I hardly believe it would have been...