Visit Inari, Holiday Village Inari — Hotel in Northern Lapland

Back in 2020 I was zipping around online trying to find a good place to have a winter Holiday in Finland and do most of the winter tourist things (from glass topped cabins to winter sports and aurora). I ended up selecting the Inari Winter Break which was five days and six nights (though I added at least one day because traveling from the US is a bit grueling) and less expensive than some I’ve found. I also did calculate : doing it on your own verses the package—and the package was about 400 euros less than on your own—so do book with the hotel!

Anyway, that was 2020… then the pandemic happened and it got postponed until December 2022. And during that time my travel companions decided they couldn’t go with me—it happens but I still had a blast (so much so, I want to return in 2024 if I can)

But here’s some information I was looking for while planning:

For me—the Wifi was fine in both the aurora cabin (stayed in one night) and the panorama cabin (stayed in the rest). The first night my electronics refused to connect but after that I had no problems. It was a bit slow and uploading some videos was impossible but I mainly wanted it to connect with people state side and it was decent.

While I loved the panorama cabin and it more than paid for itself by letting me get some great photos of the Aurora …if you want to use the package included breakfast I’d actually book the hotel instead and maybe do only a night or two in the cabins. The walk from the main hotel to cabins are not bad—but its cold and early and if you’re like me… thats a “I don’t really need that do I?” Moment. The walk from Holiday Village to the restaurant is 7-10 min depending on cabin location and speed of walk. Crow Creek seems like it’d be longer but I did not go there.

Half Board is Breakfast and Dinner—I did not mange to brave the cold (below 0 C) any morning for Breakfast because that 7-10 min walk just didn’t feel worth it but I did have dinner every night.

The provided Half-Board Dinner consisted of a soup with bread, a moderately sized main dish, and a small dessert. I will say that while I found the portions to be just right—I do believe that many Americans would want more food and most meals at restaurants were 15-30 euros.

I supplemented my meals with cup of noodles, cake, and coffee from the grocery store which was inexpensive and just across the road from the restaurant.

The provided winter clothes (added photo) helped tremendously so that I only really needed to bring good socks, a few fleece tops, and some base layers. I did bring foot warmers, though, and they helped for my more sensitive toes and fingertips.

And, of course, the experiences were fantastic. I even enjoyed the ice fishing and thats not something I would typically think I’d like :) I would say if you want to make sure you don’t get pinched by unseasonably low snow or otherwise it might be a good idea to book late December or after the new year.

The only experience I wouldn’t do again would be aurora hunting by car—and thats solely because I found it very cold and prefer to be physically doing something. Everything else? Ice fishing, cross country skiing, snow shoeing, reindeer? All yeses.

So if you’re wondering if you should try this (particularly even though you’re sensitive to the cold or otherwise) my advice is: yes. You should. But if you want a less difficult jolt to get breakfast or dinner stick to...

The cottages were fine - tiny, but well equipped and comfortable. By themselves, they would have rated "Average" to "Very Good". What brought it to "Excellent" for us was (i) the location right on Lake Inari, and (ii) Becky, who not only enhanced our stay in Inari with her advice, but gave us fantastic advice on places to visit all along the Finnish wilderness (thanks, Becky!). ||||We were a family of four (two teenagers) in a cabin (not a cottage). While it was small, it was very well designed. We didn't feel particularly cramped and managed to host another family for dinner at our cabin - seven of us around the dining table. One of the light bulbs didn't work at first but it was fixed in a few minutes by a crew of three cheerful young people. The wooden cabin was well insulated and kept the cold out (we caught some bad weather) pretty well. WiFi was dodgy in the cabin but fine in the lobby / lounge / cafe.||||The location by the lake was a highlight. It was our first time so far North and we enjoyed the colours of the (not quite) setting sun over the lake. The pier was also a great place to sit and watch the lake. Inari town centre was a few minutes walk away, and had two supermarkets, a petrol station and restaurants. Inari seems to be a good base to go further into the region.||||We would be remiss not to mention Becky. She worked at Lomakyla and was one of the people who ran the place, but she was also extremely well informed about the Finnish wilderness. Despite being very busy while on duty, she found time to understand our likes and our physical limitations, suggesting things we could do even when it was wet. Thanks to her advice, we not only went along the Pielpajarvi Wilderness Church trail, but also had two great meals (Aanaar in Inari and Kolin Ryynanen in Koli), visited a view point at Tuulispaa (it was raining so we couldn't hike), and took in fabulous views from Kaurispaa (near Saariselka) and Koli (Ukko-Koli, Akka-Koli & Paha-Koli). She also noticed that we had paid for our cottage twice and processed the refund.||||This is not luxury accommodation by any stretch. It's quite basic, but perfect for the location and feels a part of the landscape - much more than a traditional hotel would. Overall, we would recommend Lomakyla Inari, particularly for...

We stayed 2 nights in a panoramic cabin and one in an aurora cabin. While they both had the same view, the aurora cabin is infinitely better. It also costs a lot more. And, they aren't always available. There was nothing really wrong with the panoramic cabin. It has large windows that overlook the lake, a kitchenette with a small refrigerator, stove, sink, and electric kettle, and a small bathroom. The shower is really tiny, but had plenty of hot water and good water pressure. There's no room for more than a toothbrush at the bathroom sink. |On the other hand, the aurora cabin really feels luxurious with a huge bathroom, sitting area with two chairs and a couch, and (best of all) heated floors. There is also an area to remove your boots and things when you come in the door. There is no kitchen facility, but there is an electric kettle and tea/coffee. The most amazing thing are the views of the sky from the bed area. The overhead windows are heated so that snow/ice doesn't cover them and we were able to see the aurora as we lay in bed. |The office staff were as lovely as they could be. They have some tub-like sleds to haul your luggage to the cabin (really, this helps a lot in the snow). |Breakfast was offered in the reception area and there was usually a cheery fire there, too. It was a simple buffet with cold meats and cheeses, bread, oatmeal, yogurt, and different egg and protein dishes each day. There was tea/coffee and juice. However, for dinner, you have to trudge to the Hotel Inari. It's not really that far (1/3 of a mile), but in the snow and cold, it seems pretty far. Because we were on the 1/2 board plan, there was a set menu, but they did ask if we had any allergies or dietary requirements (we didn't, so I can't speak to those offerings). We stayed 3 nights and had different foods each night. I was surprised how nicely they were presented and how tasty everything was. This is a pretty small town and we were essentially a captive audience. We had booked a package with excursions, so a van picked us up and dropped us off for them, otherwise, we would have walked to the excursion office located next...