Lapland

judy_1

we are going to lapland with monach holidays on 28th december to i am hoping we will see the northern lights as this is the reason that i wanted to go but trip is fun packed with lots to do included we are staying for new years eve but trip came to around £2300.00 for two full board including snowmobile ride visit to husky farm ect felt that this was fairly good value for money

FluffyFiFi

Nicholajp wrote: »

Hi,

Those of you that have booked through Lastminute.com in the past, how did you book your extra excursions with Inghams, as there is not an option to do this on the booking screen with lastminute.com. I am reluctanat to wait until we get to resort incase they are sold out. Also if you have booked sking lesson, how do the trips fit in around these? We were planning to do the following;

Mini husky ride
Mini reindeer safari
Mini snow mobile safari
Santa's secret hideaway
Learn to ski 5 days (1 1/2 hrs tuition)

What do you think, too much, doable or not?

Thanking you all
Nichola

Hi Nichola, we went with Inghams (through Lastminute.com) and booked our trips once we were in resort. We booked the Husky Ride, Snow Mobile and Reindeer trips and there was no problem about them being full. We went to the welcome meeting and they talked about the trips and what to expect. My favourite trip was the reindeer safari but my daughter loved the Huskies best. You don't have to book the skiiing with Inghams as they offer lessons on the slopes and you can pick the time you want. We also did one lesson and decided skiing was not for us. You can hire the skiing equipment out, we were in Levi and there was several places in the town that hired skis out, the actual ski lift place hires them out too but we found them very expensive.

FluffyFiFi

inspector_monkfish wrote: »

Hurrah!!

Finally all booked for Sky Hotel, in one of their Cabins.
Fantastic - cannot wait now !!

4day/3nights going from a Saturday to a Tuesday.

:j:beer::D

any advice on what we need to take, will be greatly appreciated...

When we went Poe.Tuesday gave a link to a fantastic website that listed necessary items. Basically you need thermal underwear (we got it from Marks) unless your trip provides the ski suits you will need suitable jacket and salapettes (we got them from TKMaxx) we also took ski gloves, hats and thermal boots. We took handwarmers which were great, especially for the children when they had snow fights and there fingers became cold. We took several fleeces as well as body warmers and scarves. Thick socks are important as the boots are quite hard and can rub a bit. Although it is very cold once you get inside they are all really warm so you end up taking off all the outdoor clothes so having layers is important.

poe.tuesday

here's the website

https://www.lapland.fruitbandit.com

laragh - children are not usually able to go to catered chalets

if you can go out of school term then go for a last min deal otherwise you will pay over 2k to go in the feb half term

get a deal that you can go for a week, usually with inghams - you can still go to santas post office etc if you are in yllas, not sure about other resorts but I am sure there will be an option to see him somewhere

as for all the activies, we did them and ski school for 6 days - it is doable but knackering - we did skiing in the morning and then the acitivies in the afternoon - we wanted to do all the activities as it was a once in a lifetime trip.....or so we thought...been back 4 times since then ;-)

once thing to think of when picking your resort is where the ski slopes are, if you go to yllas then you have to get the ski bus which is not free so this is an additional cost that you need to facter in, you can walk to the slopes in levi (from most of the accommodation), ruka is right next to the slopes, same with salla and phya as far as I know, saariselka you need to get the bus but it's cheap - so just watch out if you are skiing in yllas unless you are round the saaga side

inspector_monkfish

poe.tuesday wrote: »

given that there are never any assurances on seeing the northern lights I would not let this be the deciding factor on where you go - given that you have found a good deal, it suits you then go for it - you know it makes sence ;-)

then, when you have fallen in love with lapland you can go and get a cheapy deal for a week in the new year to saariselka and hopefully see the lights then :cool:

so, now i have dived in and finally booked, its time for you to start bombarding me with tips and advice....:D

poe.tuesday

what do you want to know?

so glad you have finally booked BTW - you are going to love it there

inspector_monkfish

poe.tuesday wrote: »

what do you want to know?

so glad you have finally booked BTW - you are going to love it there

everything !!

thepeacock

laragh wrote: »

Hi guys

I see that there are some helpful people when it comes to Lapland do was wondering if you can give me some advice?

Looking at going to Lapland in February/March time for a week to do all the activites, we have two kids age 6 & 13, I fancy a catered chalet but not sure if unrealistic? May sound like a stupid question but is Santa till there at that time?! Any deals/advice would be much appreciated as we've never been before, would also like a few days ski/boarding lessons for us all, thanks!

Hmm, I saw this guide to building your own package
http://laplandbargains.co.uk/diy-lapland-holidays/ but not sure if it works out better value than a package but it shows you can prebook all the activities before you go.

Have you looked at Ski holidays in Finland e.g. I know that Neilson (part of Thomas Cook) has Finland. I just had a look and here is a catered chalet they have http://www.neilson.co.uk/Snow-Finland-Levis-Neilson-Chalet-K5-I-Accommodation-Information.aspx I didn't look at the price specifically but what I did see was that Jan was cheapest of all the months.

Given the strength of Euro and high prices in Lapland to start with, I would be tempted by anything full board / catered chalet.

Will Santa still be there after Christmas ? - Well I had a look at one of the tours on the first link and e.g. the santa sleigh ride was offered everyday from 01DEC - 30APR

sara.o

Firstly, thanks to everyone who has posted advice over the last few months - I have been reading the posts regularly and am pleased to say that we recently booked 7 nights on 13 Dec for 2ad2ch in the Yllas LogCabins (SC) for a week through LastMinute, for (what we think to be a bargain) £1036, including airport parking.:T

Now we need to start planning, what better place to start than the people here who seem to have a wealth of knowledge and experience??!!

SANTA - I am particularly trying to find out how feasible it is to visit santa. So, is there a Santa near to the accomodation we have chosen, can we turn up ourself and pay, what do you actually get for you money, how much is it, how do we get there on our own, etc etc, or do we have to take an excursion (if so, any details would be great)?????

POST OFFICE - I have read lots about post offices, and would like to take the kids there. Is there a post office near the accomodation, how do we get there, how much to get in. Are we able to post letters back to the UK and approx how long does it take and how much is it (I'm thinking a whole loads of Xmas Cards!!). And of course - will it have the NP stamp??!!

REINDEER/HUSKY RIDES & FARMS - I have read a lot about these trips, and am not sold on the idea yet. Kids are 6 and 4. Are they "must dos"? They seem to be quite expensive and I don't want to pay excessive amounts for a few minutes trip! Can I do these off my own back or do I need to book an excurions? Any ideas or tips?

THINGS TO DO - What else is there to do near the accomodation (or within reach via public transport or trips if need be) that we should be considering. I think we have snow shoes and cross country skiis included in the package (but not sure if kids will get on with these?).

FOOD - I have read, I think, about a supermarket nearby. Any advice on SC in Yllas Log Cabins greatly appreciated. Are there places to eat out (and approx how much does this cost) or are we going to have to cook?

AND ANYTHING ELSE you think I should know?

Thank you so much in advance - your help so far has been great and now I look forward to a few more specifics :-)

LOL:xmastree::rudolf::xmassmile:xmassign::snow_grin:snow_laug:santa2:

Rachie_B

wow that is a bargain ,wish we could go at that time,I would be there like a shot

Happy planning & have a fab time
x