Highly Recommend Alise for Finland and Estonia!
Finland
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Dec 31 - Jan 11, 2026
We recently traveled to Finland and Estonia during the winter from USA. We typically plan trips and travel on our own when we leave the states. Because the weather can be unpredictable in Northern Finland in January, I decided to use an agent to help us with this trip. After doing research, we decided to go with Alise from KimKim as her initial itinerary was more in line with what we were looking for. After three iterations, she got the itinerary to fulfill every one of our wishes and within budget. She made the entire process very easy, communication was timely and clear, and she worked with me to plan an itinerary that was exactly what my family and I wanted to do. She seemlessly booked hotels, tranfers, private walking tours, and excursions. Every transport she arranged was punctual and friendly. The day trips were coordinated through small group companies - we always felt as if we were traveling in style - it matched what we paid for, and we were never disappointed. If you plan to do Snowmobiles, make sure you are a small group tour. We went out with 4 snowmobiles only. We passed some trips that had endless lines of snowmobiles, which I assume would have been far less fun and personable. If you do Huskies or Reindeer, be sure to go to a farm (don't do it at Santa Village, for ex.). The experience is much more personal, you will be supporting local farmers/kennels, and get a more one on one experience. We also did the ice floating which was surreal - like being a marshmallow on a water bed! Be sure to follow up if anything is included with your hotel. For ex., we stayed at the Hobo Hotel in Helsinki and it included tickets to Allas Sauna and Pools. The igloo hotel we stayed in included dinner and breakfast. Tell Alise what you are looking for (hotel in center of town, hotel with family suite, hotel in forest, whatever) and she will find options for you. It was fun to meet her when we arrived in Helsinki - definitely appreciate all she did to create a seemless and memorable trip to the Arctic.
Hotel Reviews
Loved this hotel. Very modern and clean. Location is fantastic - and Fazer is right across the way (good and bad if you know what I mean). The family room was plenty big for the four of us. And it comes with day tickets to Allas Pools and Sauna. Great place to stay in the center of Helsinki.
The hotel is in a 500 year old building but is immaculately maintained. Rooms were charming and comfortable and clean. The only negative is that there are lots of stairs and no elevator - so if you are elderly or have a lot of heavy luggage, I would not recommend this hotel. Otherwise it is a perfect location, full of character and charm, centrally located in old town - a very memorable stay.
The overnight train was certainly an experience we won't forget. The cabins are TINY. If you have larger luggage, this might not be the trip for you. We had a private bathroom, which I would recommend. Although you wouldn't want to shower, it was key having a private toilet. Another note - if you are elderly, or plan to have a lot and/or heavy luggage, you might consider another way to get up north. If you stay on the second story, you have lug your bags up a few sets of very tight stairs.
We had a premium family igloo - it was amazing. Super fun to be together as a family for this experience. The igloo was CLEAN, the main lobby/restaurant area was cozy, and location to Santa Village perfect. And we got to see the Northern Lights while there that night!!! What an amazing sight, and definitely the highlight of our trip to Lapland.
The hotel is very well maintained and the staff were super helpful and nice. The reason for 3 stars...location. It is about 18min walk to town, which was too far in the -20 degree weather so we had to Uber to town. The lobby/bar/restaurant in the hotel closes at 10pm, so if you come home after an evening excursion, there is nowhere to get a snack or drink. Also, one of the nights we were there, the fire alarm went off around 12am. There is NO staff at the hotel after 10pm, so all of us guests were scurrying to figure out what to do and how to handle contacting the fire department. The hotel is clean, rooms were spacious, but would have preferred something a bit closer to the center of Rovaniemi.
Location is good - definitely in the heart of Helsinki and you can walk to all the highlights. The room was big, good for a family of four which was a bonus. The reason for the 3 star review - it's a little outdated, rooms weren't as clean as our other hotels, and the breakfast was subpar. Staff was super friendly and helpful...the hotel could just use a bit of a refresh.
Activity Reviews
Our guide was amazing...so knowledgeable, personable, funny - loved this tour. And Tallinn is so enchanting - a must do if you can.
We used Wild About Lapland for this excursion and I am sooooo glad we did. They offer small group experiences - our tour went out with just 4 snowmobiles (unlike others we passed with like 20 or more). Because it was a small group, we could go faster and longer. When we stopped to grill sausages and have cocoa, we could spend time chatting and telling stories with the guide and other travelers. Very fun - but layer up because it's coooollllddd out there!
It was nice to walk around Helsinki and hear some insight into the architecture, culture, food, etc. Although our guide was a bit dry, it was a good way to spend New Years Day since lots of stuff was closed.
We did this trip since our kids have never been to a snow hotel before. It was a fun day trip but not anything you would regret missing if you don't have the time. The hotel is fun to explore - and if you have little ones (we don't) they would have a lot of fun running around this place.
Super unique and surreal experience. The suit feels like you are walking on the moon, and then when you are floating, you feel like a marshmallow on a water bed. Fun, different, memorable - so worth the trip if you have the time.
We loved going to the farm to learn about Reindeer and reindeer farming. This experience was very different for us as we come from the states and do not have reindeer here. The guide was smart and caring - although we wished we had done some faster sledding, it was super peaceful going through the forest on a reindeer driven sled. The landscape was breathtaking, the sounds of the reindeer walking was relaxing, it was definitely very calm and peaceful. And of course the day we did this, it was like -35 degrees - so it was COLD. Layer up, and when you think you have enough layers, add one more - because man oh man it was COLD.
Of all the experiences we had in Lapland, this was our family's favorite. It was fast and fun, cold, breathtaking, and stunning. The dogs were so friendly - the landscape was crazy memorable. The guides and staff were so knowledgeable. We loved everything about this trip. But it is COLD - like bitingly cold, so bundle up - and when you think you are done, add another layer! We did an earlier excursion and got to see the sun rise above the frozen lake - highly recommend trying to catch that.
Our guide was super friendly, energetic, and truly wanted to enrich our understanding of the finnish culture. We really enjoyed spending time with him. The food tour was a bit lacking - we started at the market and had a sample of traditional Finnish food (raw salmon, smoked reindeer, and shrimp salad). But that was it - he showed us stuff around the market and explained the food but we never got to try any of it which was disappointing. He then took us to a restaurant where we ordered from the menu, then we went to Fazer and got a bag of chocolates. I wish we had done more tasting, particularly in the market - and especially at Fazer. But - the guide was amazingly smart and personable. Loved spending the time with him and hearing his perspective as he was not a native finnish person. We ended the tour with a wine tasting - that saved this experience. He took us to a local wine shop and the owner introduced us to three european wines from very small wineries. Overall, it would have better to do a true tasting (small bits here and there of all things Finland, rather than stop in a restaurant to order a meal).
