Lapland Hotels Sky Ounasvaara — Hotel in Rovaniemi sub-region

We stayed here as a family of 3, booked via TUI (hotel shown as Forest Heights) and it was truly amazing. |On arrival (of which I am glad TUI amended our original flights to a later time due to the strict check in times at the hotel), the hotel looked amazing. Slightly concerning that we had 3 flights of stairs to walk up with suitcases and our snow-gear, but the steps had been gritted so felt relatively safe under foot. The reception was smaller than I imagined, but still looked beautiful and very welcoming. The room itself was lovely - albeit felt as if an additional bed had been 'squeezed' in. Be warned - there is zero storage in the rooms, so you will be living out of your suitcase for the entire time you are there! Once we had worked out how to tweak the heating in the room, it was really cosy. The front reception / bar area could have been warmer if the main entrance doors had been segregated a bit more. Even with the fire going (which the staff didn't build very big to make it last very long), it was extremely cold when the doors opened, so it wasn't the best place to sit for a long period and the doors continually opening and closing letting in all the cold air. |The food in the hotel was really good. Plenty of choice to suit all tastes and a good mixture of local dishes. We did find some dishes were cold when we ate them - even though we anticipated them to be hot / warm at best. As we were there for Christmas, we were there for the 'Festive Feast'. Again - we found this to be really good. Drinks are expensive (alcohol especially). |The surrounding area is simply beautiful and it is possible for you to walk to a local shop / mini supermarket which is apparently around 15 mins walk down a steep hill. Suggestion to the hotel - would it be nice for the hotel to supply a map of the local area to highlight any walks which people may want to go on to explore and also for any other local amenities? This could be part of a 'Welcome Pack'? |As we had booked a package with TUI, we had a number of excursions booked to Winter Wonderland to do husky rides, reindeer rides as well as a visit to Father Christmas (on Christmas Eve) and also an Elf Adventure Day on Christmas Day. The whole thing was incredibly well run and organised, and the TUI rep was exceptional and you could clearly see absolutely loved being in that location. |The hotel staff were incredibly helpful and accommodating and nothing was too much trouble for them. The hotel manager also would bring in his dog of which my daughter absolutely adored and the dog seemed to enjoy interacting with all the guests. |Overall - the entire 4 days we were there were amazing, even if the temperature did drop to -20 degrees! I would thoroughly recommend this hotel to anyone - especially if you want to visit Lapland...

We stayed here as a family of 3, booked via TUI (hotel shown as Forest Heights) and it was truly amazing. |On arrival (of which I am glad TUI amended our original flights to a later time due to the strict check in times at the hotel), the hotel looked amazing. Slightly concerning that we had 3 flights of stairs to walk up with suitcases and our snow-gear, but the steps had been gritted so felt relatively safe under foot. The reception was smaller than I imagined, but still looked beautiful and very welcoming. The room itself was lovely - albeit felt as if an additional bed had been 'squeezed' in. Be warned - there is zero storage in the rooms, so you will be living out of your suitcase for the entire time you are there! Once we had worked out how to tweak the heating in the room, it was really cosy. The front reception / bar area could have been warmer if the main entrance doors had been segregated a bit more. Even with the fire going (which the staff didn't build very big to make it last very long), it was extremely cold when the doors opened, so it wasn't the best place to sit for a long period and the doors continually opening and closing letting in all the cold air. |The food in the hotel was really good. Plenty of choice to suit all tastes and a good mixture of local dishes. We did find some dishes were cold when we ate them - even though we anticipated them to be hot / warm at best. As we were there for Christmas, we were there for the 'Festive Feast'. Again - we found this to be really good. Drinks are expensive (alcohol especially). |The surrounding area is simply beautiful and it is possible for you to walk to a local shop / mini supermarket which is apparently around 15 mins walk down a steep hill. Suggestion to the hotel - would it be nice for the hotel to supply a map of the local area to highlight any walks which people may want to go on to explore and also for any other local amenities? This could be part of a 'Welcome Pack'? |As we had booked a package with TUI, we had a number of excursions booked to Winter Wonderland to do husky rides, reindeer rides as well as a visit to Father Christmas (on Christmas Eve) and also an Elf Adventure Day on Christmas Day. The whole thing was incredibly well run and organised, and the TUI rep was exceptional and you could clearly see absolutely loved being in that location. |The hotel staff were incredibly helpful and accommodating and nothing was too much trouble for them. The hotel manager also would bring in his dog of which my daughter absolutely adored and the dog seemed to enjoy interacting with all the guests. |Overall - the entire 4 days we were there were amazing, even if the temperature did drop to -20 degrees! I would thoroughly recommend this hotel to anyone - especially if you want to visit Lapland...

AVOID THIS TRAP. It's simply not worth the money.

This is easily the worst hospitality and travel lodging experience we've had in the past decade. We checked in on December 30, and within the first day of our six-night reservation, we quickly learned how poor of a value this hotel is. Yes, it's located in beautiful Rovaniemi, Finland, but aside from that, it's a cash grab. The website looks beautiful—surely a great investment—but as some would say, "it's lipstick on a pig."

The rooms are small and lack amenities. It felt like a freshly-painted, low-quality set. If you aren't here to ski or snowboard, I'm not sure what you'd do. There's no spa, no hotel offerings, and no fitness center. It's perfect for Instagram, but behind the curtain, it's severely lacking and certainly not worth 800 euros per night. The beds are uncomfortable, and there's not even a small balcony. You can't have a tub in the bathroom without foregoing the only thing 'different' about the room: a sauna.

Dining was a disappointment from the start. At our first dinner, they were out of many items. It was nearly humorous to be recommended a cocktail, only to be told in the next breath that the main ingredient is unavailable. Breakfast was equally frustrating—they didn't even have butter. The snack bar offered limited options: only a mushroom sandwich and chips. No other sandwiches were available, and the hotel was out of chicken and fries.

For a hotel that poses itself as family-friendly, the lack of options was unapologetic. The staff seemed unhappy and unhelpful throughout our stay. Our 5,000 euros could have been spent better anywhere else. The experience was so poor that we considered rebooking flights to go elsewhere, even though our nights were non-refundable.

The New Year's Eve celebration was the final disappointment. We paid 300 euros only to be shown to a buffet—a far cry from the outstanding hotel celebrations we've experienced across Europe. We cancelled all remaining dinner reservations.

For the cost and hype of this hotel, the experience should have been completely different. We did enjoy Rovaniemi, but there are MANY better options at a fraction of the price offering superior experiences....