Kakslauttanen Arctic Resort epitomises the ideals of a winter wonderland. Snow-frosted trees, log cabins, open fire-places, reindeers, horses and brandy hot-chocolates. Meanwhile, the sub-freezing temperatures, remote geographic location and the necessity for at least 4 layers renders it a little more real, but in an arctic exploration kind of way. Think, Scott of the Antartic meets His Dark Materials meets Frozen – a mix of a fear of getting frostbite and totally magical, impossible to imagine scenery.
Kakslauttanen is located in the Finnish Arctic Circle, with the nearest airport being Ivalo. It is an isolated destination, and those heading north tend to either to be tourists in search of the Northern Lights, or people heading to visit their rural roots. Northern Finland is sparse: expanses of snow-topped trees punctuate a bright white sky. This white cloud is of course not conducive to Aurora spotting, but it does create a mystical blueish hue, in which it is easy to get lost, both physically and mentally.
As arctic-explorer as I felt, Kakslauttanen is actually a well-managed resort, not a frozen wilderness. There is a well-stocked pantry, a restaurant, bar and a small gift shop on site. You can book to have a ‘fire-service’ come by your cabin each evening to stock up the logs and a cleaning service come by during the day whilst you’re at your various activities. Make no mistake, this is “adventuring” at its most luxurious.
If you’d prefer a more independent experience, renting a car may be a way forward. You can park by the cabin, utilise the kitchen area and have bigger flexibility to come and go. There is little to no public transport in the area: once you arrive at the resort, you are there for the duration, unless you invest in taxis.
The log cabins are particularly cozy, particularly with the log fire and the wooden furniture fittings, and the red bedding and rocking chair creating a rather Mr & Mrs Claus feel. It is the epitome winter warmth. While the yuletide atmosphere of the cabins is enticing, the whole draw of Kakslauttanen is the glass igloos. Being able to sleep under the Arctic stars, with the potential of witnessing the Northern Lights, or gaze out into the tall snow-laden woodland is a Romantic notion, and absolutely unmissable.
In addition to the accommodation, Kakslauttanen offers a plethora of activities: from the more active, explorer-like expeditions, to the more relaxed ventures into the landscape. We opted for a mixture: Aurora hunting in the evening, by way of horse-drawn sleigh or reindeer-pulled sled, and husky safaris, horse-riding and snow-mobiling in the day. With each endeavour including a hot drink – normally the Finnish speciality “Glogg” – and informative chats with tour guides, these trips offer combine the allurement to the beauty of the natural setting with an education on the local Suomi way of life. The activities are an insight into Finnish culture, although through the very tourist-oriented lens.
With a restaurant on-site, food is offered for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The food draws on local specialities as well as what is available from the local area: particularly ligonberries, reindeer, venison, soup, potatoes and plenty of pickled vegetable options. The bar offers a good drinks menu, with cocktails, liqueur, wine and beer – the firm favourite for me being the brandy and whipped cream hot chocolate.
The restaurant is fine, however they often only had one option for dinner (perhaps because we visited in the off-season), and after a couple of nights we fancied a bit more of a variety. We settled on a place in the local town, Teerenpesä in Saariselka, described as a ‘restaurant, pub and nightclub’. With this juxtaposition of categories, it was hard to know what we were getting ourselves into.
But, funnily enough, it was exactly what the website said. With a dancefloor and soft green lighting on one side of the rustic-looking bar, and a fire-lit restaurant with fishing memorabilia on the walls on the other. The only other table taken was by a an older, weather beaten man with a thick woollen jumper eating the Finnish specialty of Poronkäristys (sautéed reindeer, mashed potato and lingonberry sauce). Despite this strange, but intriguing, set-up – the food was actually delicious, and very impressive, absolutely surpassing our expectations. If ever we are back in the area, and looking for an evening of gastropub dining followed by all-night dancing, I’m sure we’ll return.
Kakslauttanen is an instagram-location of dreams, it is a resort certainly designed with tourists in mind but with the aim of providing an authentic Lappish experience. The location is breathtaking, and I was absolutely living my Princess Anna dreams. Certainly a trip of a lifetime.
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