The cleverly-designed concept chalets situated on a steep hillside make for an unusual, eye-catching treehouse. The inspiration for the wooden shingle-tiled modernist cubes came from traditional Nordic structures. Stood on short slender stilts they overlook the shallow valley below but because they’re elevated afford you complete privacy.
The warm interiors are lined in blonde timber and meticulously furnished in modern Scandi style with cosy fur-covered furnishings that heighten the nest-like atmosphere inside. With one side of the cube comprising a single large, wide north-facing feature window though, you’ll have a clear view of the Northern Lights as they dance across the winter night sky.
During the days, set out on a snowmobile, master the art of snowshoeing or mush a team of dogs through the taiga forests, pausing for a wilderness lunch taken around a roaring campfire. Meet Sami reindeer herders for an insight into their traditional lives and take a ride on a sleigh. During the winter months, the Gulf of Bothnia freezes over but you can also carve through this incredible landscape on an ice breaker. Step next door to the subterranean Santa Park for seasonally themed activities. Travelling with children or just a big kid at heart? We can even arrange a private visit to see Santa Claus in the Joulukka Secret Forest – you are of course just 5 miles from the ‘official’ home town of Santa Claus, Rovaniemi.
In the evening stroll across to the main building, which looks like a five-pointed snowflake. Here, linger by the large fire and feast on Scandinavian fare at the stylish Rakas restaurant, where foraged berries and mushrooms, fresh fish and delicacies like king crab and reindeer meat cleave closely to the Nordic playbook. Spoil yourself with a romantic, private candlelit dining experience al fresco by a roaring campfire, beneath the star-strewn night sky, the perfect prelude to turning in with the Northern Lights to lull you to sleep.
