Where can you sleep in ice cabins, glass Teepee and Arctic tree houses in the world? Welcome to Lapland, Finland, a magical area above the Arctic Circle, with its endless snow landscape, the dancing of the northern lights and lovely wildlife (Baby Huskies, anyone?). Here, some of the most unique accommodations on the comfortable earth meet the extreme. Whether you want to sweat in the sauna, walk through untouched forests or chase the northern lights, these still states push Finnish Lapland to the top of your bucket list.
1). Ice cabin
You may have heard of an ice hotel, but have you heard of ice cabins? The ice cabins at Apukka Resort in Rovaniemi, Finland are made by carving ice from nearby lakes and carefully stacking them into the shape of small houses. If it is not made entirely of ice, lined with plush fur and subzero sleeping bags can be comfortable. A brave soul can challenge yourself to spend the night in this ice cube, and drink decadent can keep warm, but each accommodation includes a regular hotel room that you can retreat to if you get too cold.
Before burying yourself in your sleeping bag, we recommend you check out the exciting Arctic activities available at Apukka Resort. We love exploring the frozen forest on snowmobile and digging a hole in the fluffy snow to burn for grilled dinner.
2). Glass Teepee
Lapland, Finland, is probably the only place in the world where you can sleep in a wooden teepee with a glass roof. Although small, this unique accommodation is large. It is decorated in a modern black and white theme and features a full bathroom and a cozy living room. A ladder leads to the upstairs loft where a fur-covered bed is located under the glass dome. From here, you can look up from the comfort of the warm bed at the glittering stars, perhaps even the Northern Lights.
During our stay here we dog sled with the cutest Alaskan Husky we’ve ever seen. The Huskimos are so friendly and energetic to pull our snow at a faster rate than it seems. Kara may even cry with tears of joy when we have the opportunity to hug some baby dogs.
3). Traditional Teepee & Saunas
The stay of this traditional fabric seems a bit mundane compared to the unique glass Teepee. Although it only has wood burning to heat food and a simple sleeping area, the main attraction here is the sauna. Saunas are an important part of Finnish culture – In fact, there are more saunas in Finland than cars! Trip to Finland would be incomplete without trying at least one sauna. Spend a night in a traditional Teepee and you can enter three!
The first sauna is made entirely from ice. You can only stay here for about 10 minutes, or the sauna will start to melt. It’s cool for the experience, but not practical for what Finns call “Sauna Social Moment”. Wood-burning and electric saunas are more traditional, and if you want to enjoy the sauna like a real local, you have to roll in the snow between meetings. We know this sounds bad, but something about the cold can make you addicted to adrenaline.
4). Arctic Tree House
In the middle of a peaceful smirk, there are some in the only tree houses in the Arctic. These simple rectangles on stilts don’t look much on the outside, but the interior is a peaceful and modern retreat that escapes the painful cold. Everything in the tree house is very modern, clean, stylish, decorated with white and reindeer fur. The best part is the wall of windows in front of the bed where you can watch the big fluffy snowflakes drift through the forest while warming on the bed.
During our stay in the tree house, we forced ourselves to throw warmth behind and ventured on the icebreaker. The boat crosses the fully ice-covered sea and takes us to a cold swimming spot. We wore bright orange full-body wetsuits and we gave up all our better judgment and jumped straight into the ice water – worth the cold.
If these unique accommodations make you dream of traveling to Finland, we recommend you subscribe to find the best flight deals from your family airport. Happy travel!
