To think Lapland might be a let down?

[WillowB]

Hoping for some advice from people that have been.

In short DH has some company shares that mature next year. Should be around 4K in total. We had always said that we would use the money to take our boys aged 7 & 4 to Lapland.
Anyway we moved into a money pit of a house last yr & I'm thinking that maybe it would be more sensible to spend a bit on the house (have no floor in the hallway) and the rest on a cheaper short haul holiday to Majorca or similar.
I'm a bit torn though. We have little disposable income as I currently work part time so wouldn't really be able to save for Lapland. If DH takes out another share save then it won't mature for another 4 yrs so it's probably now or never.
If you've been, was it worth it?

Why don't you book independently rather than on a 'Lapland package'

Fly into a Northerly airport and then get the train?

My mum took me when I was 7.
She then took my nephews when i was about 14 and I helped out.

Both were only day trips but were so so magical. We got to fit loads of stuff in. We did husky rides, snowmobiles, meeting and playing with the elves, santa, lunch, lots of other stuff.

My nephew who was nearly 5 when we went didnt stop crying how cold he was though. Xx

We took our DCs in 2007. We went for three nights and it was a magical experience. It cost a small fortune but we don’t regret it. We went the day after the last day of term in the December. As well as meeting the real Father Christmas (honestly.... this guy was totally the real deal) we went sledging, skidooing (is that how you spell it), dog sledding, horse pulled sleigh rides, reindeer sleds, hot drinks in teepees made of reindeer skins, traditional Finnish food (nugget type options available for DCs), strayed in a log cabin with our own private sauna....

It was great.....

I went with Canterbury Travel. A friend had been with them twice and recommended them. The package included snow boots and snow suits as well so we were very cosy.

I've never been but friends of mine have & said it was amazing. Children don't notice shabby houses or lack of nice floors. I think you should go!

Dc will be almost 3 (twins) and 5 at Christmas this year. What ages do you think will be best to go to Lapland?

I agree with a PP, it's cheaper to book a week's skiing trip and book excursions to see Santa and do the reindeer sleigh ride, husky dogs and snowmobile trips. We've done it twice with Inghams Ski, and stayed in log cabins in the forest in Yllas. You don't have to ski if that's not your thing. We also did an excursion to the Ice Hotel in Swedish Lapland. Magical memories!

We went when ours were 4 and 6, booked through Esprit. Was amazing the girls still talk about it now at 11 and 13, the best bit was when we went to see Santa and he had the letters they had "posted" to him. They would love to go back.

Following.
DS is almost 8.
Can it wait a year or two. Will he still “believe”

I think you'll be pushing it at 10 tbh but he'll enjoy the snowmobiles & husky sledding regardless.

I spent a week in a holiday cottage near Levi - yes to a "skiing holiday" being cheaper than a "Christmas break". I was with friends who were actually skiing, but that's not really my thing. Plenty of other stuff I did to entertain myself while they were on the slopes. My favourite was a full-day hike on horseback through the fells! No previous riding experience was required, and appropriate clothing and campfire meals and hot drinks were included.

Another vote for Canterbury travel - they were fantastic.

We're also thinking of going in a couple of years when the kids will appreciate it more. Several friends have booked through Activities Abroad as they cater specifically for families and include snow activities aswell as santa.
I'd recommend Ranua as there is also an animal park there which the kids love.

We went to Lapland in Dec 2016 and it was amazing. I'm a Finn so was bit dubious about it all and fretted it'll be really naff but it surpassed all my expectations. We went with Thomson, stayed for four nights and all in all it was really well organised. Our DC were 4 & 7 at the time.

We've since been to Saariselka too, not at Christmas but in Feb for a skiing holiday. I'd agree that it's better to buy a skiing holiday or fly to Rovaniemi or Ivalo directly. You can book a winter clothing package and all the husky/reindeer/snowmobile tours through www.laplandsafaris.com. Even though I was really happy with the Thomson trip, their tours were a rip off when you can book them directly with Lapland Safaris.

I second with Canterbury Travels - they are awesome. My two still talk about the holiday 20 years on!

Brilliant! Thank you for all of the tips. I'm going to write them down somewhere

Is the 'magic' surrounding Lapland central to believing in Santa? What non santa/Xmas things can you do there?

My kids went for the day.

They were really looking forward to it, but said they wouldn’t want to ever go again. It took ages to get there, there were plane delays, it was bitterly cold (obviously) with a freezing wind, and their hired clothes did not keep them warm.

They’ve been other, cheaper places that they’ve liked far better. Camping in the UK in the rain- even when it was nearly freezing (4 degrees) at night. Euro Disney (they loved that). Legoland. France. Ireland (in the rain, again). Lapland has been the only place they’ve ever been to where they said they would not want to go again, under any circumstances.

I loved it. Probably more than the children if I'm honest...

Is the 'magic' surrounding Lapland central to believing in Santa? What non santa/Xmas things can you do there?

The magic is in the surroundings, the endless snow, the air, the trees, it feels like another world. But with our type of civilisation. You do have to have the right kit to keep warm though, it is bloody cold.

Favourite things we did were husky sledging, sleigh ride to a tiny wilderness camp to see the northern lights, another sleigh ride to an ice castle, feeding reindeer at a farm, finding places to go sledging, and snowmobiling. It's expensive for what is usually a short trip, but it's a wonderful experience.

My first ever post on mum's net was about a trip to Santa's Lapland. Myself, mum and 7year old son. I can't remember exact costs now but it was something along the lines of £1300 per night for the three of us. I was bitterly disappointed in the accommodation, it was like the kind of room 13year olds stay in on a school ski trip. We are talking BASIC. Someone on that thread was/used to be a travel agent and said that she had stopped booking clients on the trip due to large number of complaints. Having said that IT WAS FUCKING AWESOME 😁 My advice? Only stay in the most expensive accommodation option and go before your kids are 8.

We took our two grandchildren (4 &6) on a day trip ,it was a very long day but we had a fabulous time . We went with Newmarket Travel as they were flying from our local airport to Pajala in Swedish Lapland .
We were the only flight into Pajala that day and the only visitors to Santa’s village which meant no queues and every activity was available .
We did a husky ride ,very fast and exhilarating, skidoos with a driver but you could drive your own, reindeer sledges, there were little ski sledges everywhere that you could whizz around on, all warm clothing was provided and all food .
The walk to see F.C. was amazing ....only one family at a time set off across the snowy field lit with candle lanterns into a snowy woodland with sparkling lights and a little cabin with the man in !
There were little open cabins everywhere with log fires and warm drinks and biscuits and the people could not have been nicer .
The gift shop was small but very reasonably priced and when the over enthusiastic 4 year old broke her toy she was swooped on by a helper and taken to choose a new one immediately.
This was 3 years ago this Christmas and the children can’t wait for their little sister to be old enough to go ! She was only a bump at the time .

Yes we could have done it cheaper and stayed longer but it was perfect for us .

Do it ! Perfect ages !

A lady at work took her son when he was about 7ish I think. He’s an adult now and she says that to this day going to Lapland was the best trip she ever did with him. She actually had tears in her eyes as she was explaining how he was so excited when he got there that he couldn’t speak. I’m hopefully taking DD there next year.

Another Levi visitor here. Took 6 year old Ds in Dec 16 and it was worth every penny

Booked through Thomas Cook and stayed at the Sokos hotel in the centre of Levi.

A day trip is a good compromise. I booked that with Canterbury travel as youngest DC really feels the cold so didn't want to risk her being unhappy if we stayed longer and we had a fab time.