Customer Reviews
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A fantastic holiday from start to finish
A review of Jeris Family Winter Cottage Adventure by Carl HitchensA fantastic holiday from start to finish. Totally exhausting but great fun from the first day. The log cabin was great to return to after a hard days outings. The hotel staff were great even presenting my son with a cake on his 8th birthday which we did not ask for or expect.
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Luosto multi activity taster week
A review of Luosto Finnish Lapland Taster Week by Tina WalpoleWe had the most amazing time. All the activities were very well organised and the guides and instructors were really good. They were friendly, knowledgeable and safe. They catered for both adults and children and made you feel very relaxed.Snowmobile riding was very cool! When we did the reindeer safari it started to snow as we entered the forest, the scene was like something out of 'Narnia',…
Read more magical!My 8 year old daughter was looking forward to the seeing the huskies most and she was not disappointed, they were amazing and being able to cuddle the puppies, THE BEST.We saw some minor displays of the northern lights during the week but on the Friday evening we did the snowshoe trek up a hill. The green hue in the sky to the north began to develop and move about, we were so thrilled. Then we noticed more lights coming up from the south, they both arched and met in the middle. They became a crown consisting of a bright white centre with green and pink lights all around. I just lay in the snow to experience it, while my husband took the photos. It was truly magnificent, we were so fortunate to have seen all of that when we know there is the risk of seeing nothing.I am telling all my friends to go, the overall experience was incredible, got to be the best holiday ever .If you stay in a suite take your own kettle as there isn't one in the kitchen and pack tea, coffee and anything else you can get in your suitcase, the supermarket is very expensive and the hotel food, limited, and a lot of reindeer!!We found a couple of local cafes that served burgers and chips and the bistro does decent pizzas so you won’t starve, but expect to buy extra meals out.
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by Ross Moon
We had an excellent time and have recommended you to friends.
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I really want to do the whole thing again!
A review of Luosto Finnish Lapland Taster Week by John PriceI thought everything before the trip ran really smoothly. I had all the information I needed in plenty of time and felt very well prepared for the holiday re what clothes to take etc. When we arrived we were greeted by our reps who were brilliant. They were very approachable and could not do enough for you or to help you out. All the activities were brilliant and superbly run by Snow Games. I…
Read more cannot put into words how impressed I was with them. Everyone who worked at Snow Games was very friendly and very helpful. The equipment they provided was in great condition and they were happy to loan absolutely anything we needed. The hotel was very nice, having a north facing room was a great bonus. I thought the food was of a high standard.The holiday was brilliant and I really want to do the whole thing again!
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by Rosalind Holmes
Given the remote location I thought the meals were nice and having hot tea and coffee available at any time was most welcome when you came in cold. Rooms very comfortable and staff very happy to help. The clothes they provided were also very good and warm. I really like the fact we have an account via the website and I can print off all the travel documentation.
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Loved the relaxed feel
A review of Kittila Lapland Winter Adventure by Janet DitteThe hotel isn't the Ritz - but we didn't expect that. I loved the relaxed feel of it - you didn't have to dress up, felt comfortable to walk around in joggers and jumper and even in your socks. Just what you want after a busy day!The hotel staff and guides were fantastic. Our guide Jaakko was absolutely fab - really looked after us and judged the group brilliantly. Plus, he clearly is very…
Read more experienced and knowledgeable about Finland, Lapland and all the activities we did. If you had got lost in the wilderness with him, you'd be fine! The equipment provided was great. My husband and I didn't get cold and our daughter only got really cold once when out at night in -25c looking at the Northern Lights.If you get lucky and the Northern Lights are visible, you won't need to wander far from the hotel to see them, around a 10 minute walk to the river, which is great if you want to nip back to the hotel to warm up.All the activities we did were fab and efficiently organised and mostly started between 9.30am to 10.00am, so not too early either. I wouldn't describe my husband or I as fit, but we managed them without too much difficulty at all. We also went downhill skiing in Levi. The hotel provided free transfers and Jaakko organised a private ski lesson for us and told us how and where to hire all the equipment. It was all very straightforward and easy.On a practical note - there are 2 supermarkets within easy walking distance of the hotel. The S-Market, which we visited, had a good range of foods, including fruit etc in case you have children who don't take to some of the food. But we also found that you can get a couple of dishes in the hotel (at an extra cost), including burger and chips and pizza, which we did get a couple of times when we knew our daughter wasn't going to fancy what was on offer that evening. Usual sort of cereals and toast are available for breakfast and usually soups for lunch. We took some cereal bars with us for quick, easy snacks on the go. All in all a fab trip that we would highly recommend.
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A truly memorable holiday
A review of Luosto - Snow and Ski Active Pick and Mix by Michelle BakerJust returned from a fabulous holiday at the Luosto Tunturi. The family room worked really well for us. I was travelling on my own with two of my sons (ages 13 and 11) but found the hotel, and resort as a whole, a safe place to let them explore on their own. All the hotel staff were exceptionally polite, helpful and their standard of English very good. A special word of thanks and praise for Lorna…
Read more and Peter, the reps, who were on hand to advise and help in any way they could. All of the activities were all amazing! My favourite was the snowmobile trip to the amethyst mine, whilst my sons' favourites were the husky safari and ice fishing. We became ridiculously competitive over who could catch the most fish! The only activity which was less successful for us was the snowshoe trek in search of the Northern Lights. Our group only had my two children in it (the remainder being adults/late teens) and the pace was too fast for my youngest son. Other holidaymakers who did this trip on another night, where there were more children, did not have this problem. That being said , it was still an amazing experience. We were fantastically lucky in a week of heavy snowfall and almost continual cloud cover, that the sky cleared for a few hours on Wednesday night and the Northern Lights put on a magnificent show!! What more could anyone ask ? A truly memorable holiday.
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by Sally Peacock
We returned from our holiday last week and I just wanted to say a huge thank you to you and everyone else at Activites Abroad. Your advice and help from the time we booked to the time we returned was fantastic, and I am so glad we decided to choose the holiday we did.We had the most amazing time - from experiencing -37 temperatures where our noses froze, to the exciting activities of husky…
Read more sledging and snowmobiling, to the most specatular northern lights display on our last night. We were fortunate to see the lights 3 nights out of the 4 but the last night was just amazing. We found everyone at the Wilderness Hotel friendly and helpful, the food was homely and tasty which is exactly what we needed when we'd been out in the cold, we couldn't fault their service. The guides that took us out on our trips were knowledgeable, friendly and always made sure everyone was looked after.The people in our group were great, we all got on really well and had a great laugh together.We couldn't have wished more a more perfect holiday, I travel a lot and this holiday is definitely one of the best I've ever been on. So thank you again.I have already recommended you to friends and colleagues, and hopefully I will travel with you again in the near future.
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We enjoyed all the activties but maybe the husky dog ride has the edge
A review of Nellim Half-Term Aurora Adventure by Alexandra DabrowskaWe enjoyed all the activties but maybe the husky dog ride has the edge over the others. The local guide arranged an individual ride for us as a family because we were not able to leave our son who is learning disabled. The adults were scheduled to have their own rides separate to the children but we needed to be together and that is why we had our own ride which was wonderful as we could do…
Read more it as a family.We had a great holiday. It was very memorable and lovely to be somewhere which was not Commercial.
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Nothing felt rushed or commercial
A review of A Magical Search for Father Christmas by Caroline BakerWow. What a brilliant trip. We were initially apprehensive about going on one of these ‘Lapland’ experiences, as a quick search on the internet had rather mixed reviews about the potential experience (notably from other companies!). We didn't want anything tacky, commercial or rushed. We stumbled on the Activities Abroad website and the fact that the holiday only involved small groups, and…
Read more Kuusamo seemed a smaller and quieter place then some of the other places, made us feel more comfortable. We phoned the helpline to ask a few questions, and were impressed that the phone was answered immediately. The gentleman on the helpline had obviously been on the trip before, and answered all our questions with confidence and ease.The booking process was straightforward and a small problem with uploading some details via the website was quickly resolved. Timings of the flights were just ideal for travelling with young children. Not overtly impressed with the choice of lunch on the flight. A sandwich or nothing! Can't blame the company for this, as flight with Finnair and think they seem to be the only airline that flies to Kuusamo.We were met at the airport by our guide and then met our elf on the way out of the airport. This fascinated the kids on the trip. I won't spoil all the fun by saying too much, but each day was well thought out to keep the children entertained and surprised. Guides were fantastic and engaging. Snow outfit/boots were great for keeping warm, and I wish we had brought some back with us to the UK! Nothing felt rushed or commercial.Hotel accommodation was clean and comfortable. Swimming pool (was) a good bonus to keep children entertained in the evening, as well as the playroom, bar games, ten-pin bowling, and of course the snow! Only slight issue at the hotel was that it wasn't obvious that there was a specific menu at dinner we could choose from if you didn't fancy the buffet. A quick chat at reception resolved the confusion.Meeting Joulupukki (Father Christmas) on the penultimate day was really a fantastic experience. We had a whole day of fun and games, with an amazing slope to go sledging down. Best Xmas Turkey I have ever eaten!I would have no hesitation in recommending this trip and this travel company to others (we already have!)
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