4 Best Hotels in Lapland, Finland

The kind of genuine boutique hotel that Finland needs more of, the Arctic Light is a wonderful luxury haven in downtown Rovaniemi, the perfect retreat after a cold winter day of snowmobile or reindeer safaris, but it's just as comfortable at other times of the year. A range of rooms, equipped with lighting designed to simulate clear Arctic skies, is supplemented by a separate Christmas Cabin in the yard. The included breakfast, devised by Finnish TV chef Sara La Fountain, is worth the visit in itself, and the lobby lounge and bar are favorite spots for pre- and post-dinner drinks and meetings. Although a separate enterprise, the excellent Arctic Restaurant is adjacent. The giant (albeit not real) polar bear in the street outside is a guiding landmark.

What started as a roadside restaurant grew into a cozy scattering of wood cabins and eventually a sprawling resort with a variety of lodgings from traditional log cabins to glass igloos, snow igloos, and apartment-sized chalets with hemispherical glass extensions for aurora viewing, all of them at premium prices. There’s a Christmas theme to the newer West Village, with a quaint Santa’s home cabin and colorful wood carvings. Restaurants, smoke saunas, a reindeer farm, winter equipment rentals, aurora alerts, and a souvenir shop are part of the setup too. Half-board packages are available. Accommodation options vary seasonally.

On a north-facing slope halfway between the city of Rovaniemi and its airport, the luxurious accommodations here are strategically placed to catch views of the northern lights from the wide windows in each oblong, pine-shingled unit. Each suite has a sumptuous bed and underfloor heating (with an added "nest bed" ideal for younger guests in some units); seven have kitchenettes. The lobby bar and Rakas restaurant serve good lunch and dinner menus as well as a comprehensive breakfast spread, and the reception area has a souvenir shop and cheery fireplace; all are a short walk from the accommodations (i.e., you need to dress well in winter to get to breakfast). Fat bikes, snowshoes, and walking poles are among the items available free to guests for exploring the trails through the forest leading to some wonderful viewpoints above the resort. The underground SantaPark theme park, under the same ownership, is a five-minute walk from reception, and the Santa Claus Village on the Arctic Circle is 2 km (about a mile) away.

At the edge of the enormous Urho Kekkonen National Park, with its endless ski tracks and hiking trails, this hotel offers comfortable, well-heated rooms with balconies and a handful of studios with saunas. The Kaltio restaurant provides a selection of Lappish specialties, and barbecues in a traditional Lappish kota (tepee) are also available.