Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Holidays

Use our Travel forum for recommendations on everything from day trips to the best family-friendly holiday destinations.

Original poster

Lapland, worth it or a bit tacky?

12 replies

jenkel · 05/09/2006 23:43

Has anybody been to Lapland, I have always fancied going (we have a 4 and 2 year old), but is it as good as it sounds, doesnt look like its a cheap holiday but is it worth it, if you've been what age kids did you take, how did they cope with the cold etc. Was Santa Clause magical or a bit naff? what activities did you do?

Thanks

OP posts:
cowmad · 06/09/2006 00:48

bloody cold!!your allways left hanging about outside whilst they all work out whos paying who bloody expensive!!seemingly everything is extra!!
Kids will like it.. for about 15 mins when they see (a sort of)santa...but other than that they will hate you for taking them all that way to be so cold and so hungry!!did i mention the food....
soz but you did ask!!wish someone would have been so honest with me ,would have saved a LOT of money!!

littlemadam · 06/09/2006 09:57

I think it depends who you go with. Some companies do charge extra for everything as cowmad said. However some don't. It can be fabulous!!!

We went with Canterbury Travel who I can really recommend, we went for 3 days and stayed in a lovely little log cabin with its own sauna attached to the hotel. The trips and Santa were great, santa very believable and well organised (you gave him a letter from your child and a toy they wanted at the start of the trip so he could give it back) Food was fine, some finnish food, but plenty the children will like. They do one day too, which my friend went with and they had a great time. I think you do have to check very carefully what is included and where you will be, as there a lot of companies running these trips and as its so cold, a bad experience will be really bad, but a good one magical. DS still talks about it!!

littlemadam · 06/09/2006 10:06

Jenkel, DS was three when we went, and was the youngest there. They had all arctic clothes to fit him, but the little boots weren't as good as the bigger ones, if you go I would recommend getting those here.

We did, flotation (in special suits) in a spa in frozen lake, mini skidoos for kids, sleigh ride at night (tho its dark nearly all day!!) husky ride, skiing, sledging (hotel gave us sledges to get kids up to main hotel for meals etc- he loved it) and few snomobile rides. Absolutely stunning scenery. Plus of course Santas house and Santa

It is a bit tacky, but sometimes I think just forget about being sophisticated etc etc and just enjoy yourself DS loves tacky!!

In other areas there is an ice hotel and a christmas village. Wasn't our scene but others might be able to tell you.

snowleopard · 06/09/2006 10:13

I read an article about someone taking their DS there and he loved it, but he was older, about 7 I think. The cold might be a bit much for them at 2 and 4.

bluesky · 07/09/2006 12:28

cowmad, which travel company did you go with?

lorne · 07/09/2006 13:07

My son loved it. He was 5 when we went. We just went on a 1 day trip with Transun from Glasgow. It was fantastic. Didn't think it was nearly as cold as I thought it would be. I would recommned it to anyone. We all loved it.

kimi · 07/09/2006 13:20

We went to the finnish part of Lapland last december, we went for a week, and it was great, we skied, went on snowmobils and went to meet santa at his hideaway and it was brillient.
Our sons loved it and it only cost just over £2000, self catreing, we had a lovely cabin, with a sauna and you could ski/sled to the door.
It is cold though -25 but well worth it.
I want to go again next year.

kimi · 07/09/2006 13:21

better value then the one day trips, my cousin went on a one day trip and said they were hurded like cattle cost her £1500.

southeastastra · 07/09/2006 13:23

a friend of mine works on the lapland hols. i'll try and ask which company it was. she's met loads of celebs who go too! she said they are great fun!

cowmad · 07/09/2006 13:54

think it was called santatrip honestly every thing was extra with these people it really put us off an the cold!!!!going to florida this year instead (altho in half term) costing for 2 weeks prety much the same as 3 nites with santa whom im sure was a woman!!!

fairyjay · 07/09/2006 13:54

We had a brill time. Went over Christmas - family group ranging from 5 to 78 - and there was something for everyone. The older ones enjoyed seeing the younger ones having fun. Skiing, Husky rides, snow mobiling, ice fishing, reindeer rides. Agree with Littlemadam - could see it as tacky if you wanted to be picky - but we found it pretty magical. Didn't see the Northern Lights though. Went with emagine.

kimi · 07/09/2006 14:09

our santa was a Saffa

New posts on this thread. Refresh page