Santa's Lapland Reviews 745

From the moment you arrive at check in the staff are committed to making every part of the holiday magical. The cabin crew did activities with the children on the flight and every bus trip was peppered with Christmas music, sing alongs and Christmas jokes.
The hotel was beautiful and the snow gear they give you is top quality and really does a job in the freezing conditions. Food choice was a little minimal but everything there was good quality.
The activities were simply unreal! We went with our 8 year old and none of us will ever forget the trip!

Santas Lapland was brilliant , My son had the best time , all the staff are so friendly and helpful , can not praise them enough , Very well organised myself and my 5. Year old son had the best time. We done the package deal , the husky rides reindeer rides and seeing my sons face when he met the elves and Santa pulled out his letter he had written was priceless, Will definitely be coming back with Santas Lapland next year , Thankyou to all the staff for doing such a great job and making it perfect for us

Wow, Wonderful, Magical Experience. As a person with disabilities I really thought I would be left on the sidelines while my family was enjoying all activities......I was wrong the Rangers went above and beyond to help, support and encourage me and I managed to fully enjoy the experience. Even in a time of need Staff were there immediately, helping and understanding. Everything was so well organised and we we giving all the information required. 101% amazing experience. Thank you all !!!

Best mini break ever, wish we could have stayed longer

Absolutely amazing experience, great staff, fabulous resort, fantastic itinerary!

Amazing time in Lapland with my family. All made easy by Santas Lapland. Highly recommend them.

We had a fantastic time. All activities were organised well, and were very structured which was very beneficial to my children (who both have ASD and learning disabilities).

The staff were fantastic very professional, friendly and knowledgeable.

I would just advise any Muslim families traveling to be mindful that we were not well received by passengers traveling with us (we were called terrorists, and my daughter was being stared out by teenagers and adults). I was receiving a lot of unwanted attention (questioning why we were visiting Santa).

Flight attendants dealt with this very well and moved us as we didn't feel safe and were secluded from the majority of families throughout the holiday (apart from 1/2 lovely families).

Just a heads up before you go, but the activities and scenery in itself are AMAZING!!!

Overall the experience was great and the Santa Lapland staff were amazing as was the food within the hotel restaurant. The accommodation was poor (noisy heating, sofa bed was unfit for sleeping on as so hard, shower drain overflowed an the old TV wall bracket was dangerous (hit & split head open) At the Artic Circle Adventure the husky drive, reindeer ride and visit to Santa within the forest were all much shorter than previously experience when we visited 12 year back, in fact these elements felt rushed as they were considerably shorter in duration, making us fill like it was all about getting as many / more people on and off as quickly as possible. Everything else was amazing but it is clear that due to the number of visitors there has been some sacrifices, which is a shame.

We had the most amazing experience from start to finish! Staff were friendly and always available everything went so smoothly very well organised knew exactly what we needed! Outdoor clothing provided and were told before what layers to bring!

A truly magical experience. Impressed with all that was included, so much to do over and above the big 5. Would have liked a bit more magic around meeting the main man, the skidoo transfer was quite quick as was the entry to meet him. Could have been a bit more build up for the children. However this didn't detract from the whole experience

Santas Lapland were extremely organised and all the staff were very helpful. We did the 2 night Santas Magic tour and my only complaint was that it wasn’t long enough!! Our Santa was amazing - when he pulled out my daughter’s letter her face was priceless. He took time to chat to the kids and was very engaging. The huskies were our absolute favourite - really good fun and we both got chance to ‘drive’ which was an amazing experience. I would recommend Santas Lapland but if I could do anything different I would book for 3 nights rather than 2 as it’s a very packed schedule.

Excellent company which has direct connections to Santa. What other stamp of approval is needed. They are nice.

Amazing experience for the entire family but you seriously need to sort the food situation out, for the amount of money paid it was awful and would make me not want to return to any of the hotels you use which would mean going with another tour operator.

Amazing well organised trip! Staff are brilliant! Hotel was nice, not great choice of food for kids who are fussy! But generally all good, great pool area and really clean.

Absolutely perfect!!
I could not fault anything.
We did the Santas magic trip and it filled all my expectations and more.
It’s a once in a lifetime trip that I will cherish forever.
My daughter didn’t want to leave
Thanks for making our dreams come true.

Absolutely loved every magical moment of this holiday! Highly recommend it for adults or kids alike - anyone who loves Christmas and still believes will just love it. Nothing compares to going to going to the REAL Lapland!

Holiday was booked Nov 2022 for Nov this year. Communication from tour operator was great from start to finish.
The experience from Jet2 / Leeds Bradford Airport was fabulous. We arrived at LBA just in time to see real reindeer being brought into an enclosure in the check in area which really got the holiday off to a magical start. Staff at LBA and in the plane were fantastic & we had fun playing games & singing songs to help add to the festive atmosphere.
The flight was great & although we had to wait quite a while fir baggage at Ivalo, the staff there entertained the children & the cheeky elves added to the festivities. Transfer to resort was great & we were told from the start that our coach (Gingerbread) would be ‘ours’ for the duration of the trip.
We stayed at Hotel Riekonnlinna which was a little worn in places but was was extremely clean. Public spaces ie the lounge, play area, northern lights room, bar & reception & were warm, clean, tidy & comfortable to be in. The toilets were very clean & from our time in the hotel, staff were keeping up to the constant trail of snow & puddles that we holidaymakers left from our wet boots.
The dining room looked fabulous and we were greeted at the entrance each evening by a staff member who, from our booking, ensured we had the same table each night. Breakfast seating was a little more relaxed but our party of 8 were still able to sit together at one long table. Food was plentiful & buffet style & was frequently replenished. Salad area was small but had choices to suit all in our party. 3 main meal choices with rice or potato’s, a great selection of bread, crackers, cheese, fruit, and cakes and although the kids choices were rather limited our 4 & 6 year olds did not go hungry.
Breakfast was good with hot & cold selection & plenty of choice again.
Our rooms were a little on the tired side but warm & cosy. Beds were okay but I found the pillows very soft & the quilt too warm, however a hotel cannot cater for every individuals personal bedding preferences & I just took the quilt from its cover & found that & the light blanket at the end of the bed was fine.
Our hotel was above the snowsuit shop & we were lucky enough to get kitted out before guests from other hotels arrived. As a previous review states, It was a bit like a conveyor system but with many holidaymakers to clothe throughout that afternoon the staff were courteous & efficient.
We paid for an optional snowmobile experience which was amazing. The grandchildren were in sledges pulled by a guide but whenever we stopped for road or track crossings she checked to make sure they were comfortable & warm enough with the blankets provided. When the experience was over we sat around an open fire for some delicious berry juice & cookies.
Our Santa Day was very very cold but well organised from the start. When we queued for anything our coach name was taken to enable our family names to be easily found. That’s where the Gingerbread name came into its own. We did the ride to Santa first & although we had to wait a while for our sleigh there were activities for the kids to do & open fires to keep warm. We just made sure one of us stayed near the queue but the elves did have our names & party size noted so it wasn’t an issue.
The ride to Santa in a snowmobile pulled sleigh was great, especially as we had a very friendly ‘Jack Sparrow’ as our guide. When we arrived at Santas cabin the cheeky elves got the children involved in some fun& then it was time to meet the Big Man himself. That was magical & our 6 year old grandson couldn’t believe that Santa actually had the letter he’d written to Santa…….that was precious. Santa was amazing & we didn’t feel rushed at all. The freezing temperature got to our 4 year old who needed to get inside & warm up & although we had allotted lunch times we were accommodated early. The meal was spaghetti bolognese which wasn’t taken by 2 of us but the rest of the party really enjoyed it. There was free tea & coffee & plenty of warming stations with berry juice & cookies to be had plus a pancake tent which we didn’t have time to try.
The reindeer & huskie sleigh rides were short but really enjoyable & for some of the adults, getting to mush the dog sled was a fantastic experience. The dogs were wonderful & so friendly.
The trip back to the hotel was well organised with 2 of our party staying behind to enjoy more of the free fun activities. The mini snowmobiles for kids were great & yes…..they were on straps attached to a tree so could only ride in circles but from a health & safety perspective that was exactly the right thing to do as it enabled younger children to give it a go. Not sure we’d have been ok with our 6 yr old being let loose on a free roaming skidoo !!!!!!
Gala dinner that night was really nice & all the children on the trip had a. good amount of time to play together.
A magical holiday for us all.

Impeccably organised, so much included, an amazing family break with so many unforgettable experiences in a breathtaking landscape

The whole trip was fantastic- every little detail was thought about and all of the staff - on the trips, in resort & on transfers were great & really knowledgeable.

Just returned from a two day trip to star artic hotel. Simply amazing. Greeted in ivalo airport by the most pleasant staff possible helped in every way possible (with the exception of the naughty elves) got allocated straight onto our coach which we got the whole itinerary explained to us in detail. Taken directly to our hotel of which was out of this world. Staff in hotel done above and beyond for every aspect of the trip. The Santa day was one our daughter and ourselves will remember for the rest of our lives. Reindeer ride, meeting Santa and huskies were outstanding. I would 100% recommend booking if you get the opportunity