Honest Review of Aurora Collection Saariselkä, 11 Things To Know
Recently, my husband and I decided to celebrate our first wedding anniversary in Lapland Finland. Once we decided where we were going – the next most important question loomed overhead – where would we be staying?? If you’re anything like me, the hotel/AirBnB you choose to stay at while traveling can make or break your trip – especially a special one like this! The Aurora Collection, Saariselkä Resort first crossed my radar while I was searching hotel options on Booking.com and I saw it in my initial Google searching as well. It didn’t become a top contender for my stay until it was recommended by a close friend of mine who had actually stayed there earlier in the year with her beau. After hearing about their experience – I just knew we had to try it!
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Where is the Aurora Collection Resort?
Aurora Collection is located in Finnish Lapland in the town of Saariselka, near the Ivalo airport.
How do you get to the Aurora Collection Saariselkä Resort?
To get there from the United States, you’re going to have to fly into Finland first. The most convenient airport to fly into would be Helsinki. From Helsinki, you can easily catch a 1-and-a-half-hour flight to the Ivalo airport. This airport is only a 20-minute drive from the resort. Aurora Collection arranges airport transfers for you upon request!
Honest Review of Aurora Collection Saariselkä
Spoiler alert – I absolutely loved it.
Reservation Process
After browsing the site and different booking options, I decided it would be easiest and most cost-effective to book the bucket list package directly through them. I went this route because we would get both our accommodations and activities booked all at once and directly managed by the hotel which sounded like music to my ears. We wanted this vacation to be hassle-free.
Initially, I used the Contact Us form on their website around late June (we planned to travel in November) to reach out to them. After a few days of no response, I reached out via WhatsApp and got an immediate response! After some messaging back and forth and a few calls, we finally got confirmed and booked up for our dates in November. Note: they are slower to respond in the summer since they are closed and most of the staff is traveling at that time.
Accommodations (with Video Room Tour!)
We stayed in their breathtaking Signature Suite, a complimentary upgrade from the suite we had originally booked. The cabin was impeccable and made our experience even more unforgettable. The bright and inviting Finnish Alpine walls were so cozy to come home to every day. Our suite featured beautiful paneling that opened up to the Lapland landscape with some gorgeous pines directly in our view. It looked like a Christmas card… in fact, we took our Christmas card photos for this year in front of that backdrop! Falling asleep under the stars and watching the snowfall was the best sleep I’ve ever gotten on vacation.
Activities
Since we booked their Bucket List package for your stay – we had several activities already included. The activities in this package are the Husky Safari, private Snowmobile Safari, and Aurora Hunting Premium.
Our situation was unique in that when we landed in Ivalo – there was no snow on the ground! This is unheard of for the time we went (mid-November) and would definitely have an impact on our ability to do these activities. Our driver Jani quickly pointed that out after picking us up from the airport and assured us they would try to arrange alternate activities or refund us for any activities we were unable do.
Thankfully we were lucky enough to get incredible views of the Aurora from our room on the very first night. To be honest we were totally chilling in our sauna after the long trip and would have missed it if it weren’t for both Jani and even the hotel owner Nikki coming to knock on our door and tell us the lights were out!
The next day we were hit with an incredible 10 inches of nonstop snow that allowed us to squeeze in dog sledding (with an ATV instead of sled since there wasn’t enough snow accumlation on the ground), group snowmobiling, and they even added a complimentary reindeer safari!
Hospitality
The staff at Aurora Collection Saariselkä go out of their way to make sure you are enjoying your stay. Our driver Jani was always available at a moments notice to take us into town. Their recommendations for food were always top tier and there truly wasn’t a single meal that we didn’t thoroughly enjoy.
How do you Book a stay with the Aurora Collection Resort?
There are several ways to book your stay at Aurora Collection. I personally recommend booking through them directly at their website. Especially if you plan to add activities or would like to book a package. In addition to filling out their contact form, I also texted their contact number via WhatsApp to help move the process along since it was slow booking in the summer. Here is their contact info to reach out for booking inquiries.
Email: sales@auroracollectionresort.com
Phone: (+358) 40 7711433
They can also be found on booking.com and other third party booking sites.
11 Things To Know About Aurora Collection
1. IMPECCABLE customer service. During our stay, there wasn’t a thing we needed during our stay that wasn’t attended to.
2. Unforgettable view. Lapland in the snow looks like a fairytale. Nothing beats the incredible Christmas-card-like views.
3. They have beautiful and comfortable rooms. Every suite on their property is gorgeous with a modern luxury look and feel. You can check them out here.
4. Be ready to experience activities galore! Plenty of activities that can easily be booked through the hotel directly that will save you time, money, and the headache of coordinating it all!
5. Spa services available. Although most suites have a hot tub and optional sauna, they still offer massages!
6. They have friendly and inviting staff. We met so much of the staff, including the owner Nikki himself. Every interaction was warm and welcoming, we felt like family there.
7. You have to try their delicious breakfast. Breakfast was delivered to our cabin every morning and we never got tired of the tasty spread.
8. It’s close to the necessities. Forget something? Don’t fret! There is a huge new marketplace (Kauppakeskus Kuukkeli Shopping Center) about 8 minutes driving from the hotel they can take you to. You’ll find everything you need there from toiletries, to fresh food (there is a full K Market Grocery store), and winter gear!
9. It’s close to Saariselkä Ski and Sports Resort, the northernmost ski resort in all of Europe! So if you’re ready to hit the slopes – this is the perfect place to stay.
10. They have amazing amenities – I mean… how often do you get to stay in a hotel suite with both a hot tub and a sauna?
11. The ultimate reason to stay there… the AURORA! We could see the Aurora on our very first night from the comfort of our room. Nothing beats that!
If you haven’t booked your trip to Finland yet, what are you waiting for? Between the incredible staff, fun winter activities, and unforgettable and romantic views – Finnish Lapland is definitely a destination you don’t want to miss. I cannot recommend Aurora Collection Resort Saariselkä enough for your trip!
