Winter Wonderland, Lapland, Finland

4Jason P 5:00 PM Dec 27, 2015

Transun Winter Wonderland - daytrip to Lapland
We booked our daytrip to Lapland about 4 weeks in advance, through www.santaclaustrips.co.uk. The service from this company was excellent and we were subsequently advised that our trip would be via Transun. The reviews of Lapland daytrips via this company online are pretty mixed; some are positive but with limited detail, whilst others are detailed but extremely negative. We felt it was important to give a detailed review of what, for us, was a fantastic trip with just one or two areas for improvement. The booking process was very smooth and Santa Claus Trips (a division of Hays Travel) were very helpful. We managed to get a free child place but still paid around £1500 for two adults and two children - a very expensive daytrip! However, it is important to set your expectations appropriately; you should not expect the luxury you would no doubt get for this daily budget elsewhere in the world - you are paying for the privilege of visiting Lapland at Christmas time. You should keep in mind that this is a daytrip and so the experiences will be more like tasters rather than full-on experiences; for this, you'd need to stay for 2-3 nights which does get very expensive. Our trip was on Christmas Eve this year and began very early in the morning at Gatwick, where our flight with EnterAir (a Polish charter airline) departed on time at 7am. This airline could be described as 'no frills' in some ways; no seat-back TV screens and not the most comfortable seating, but good legroom and for our charter flight, a hot breakfast on the way out and hot meal on our return journey. Some reviewers describe the cabin crew making the experience very special for children, which was not the case on our flights and this would be an area for improvement if possible. That said, the cabin crew were busy throughout the flight and were attentive to our needs. The flight was comfortable and we landed in Enontekio after around 2hr 45mins. The bus transfer was well-organised, with our full plane-load (and a further flight from Manchester) divided into smaller named groups with a British guide and coach for each group. These groups followed their own tour agenda and once we left the airport, you were never aware of the large number of people in the area; each tour group was probably around 50 people (a coach load) and we were then further subdivided for the activities. The coach transfer was around 45 minutes but was comfortable and our guide gave us a run-through of the itinerary for the day. Our guide (Katy) was very enthusiastic and seemed very keen to ensure that we had a positive experience. Although not publicised in advance, we have since worked out that we were just outside the Finnish town of Karesuvanto, which lies on the Finnish/Swedish border, with a river in between. The river was frozen at the time of our visit and most of the activities took place on this frozen river. Our first stop was to get suited and booted. This was well-organised, with numerous British guides on hand to help both adults and children find the right sized suit and boots. Although each coach-load arrived at this location at a different time, it was still pretty hectic and there wasn't quite enough seating for everyone to get suited and booted in comfort. However, this is a minor point really. Once everyone was sorted, it was back on the coach for what turned out to be less than a one minute journey along the road to the activity site; it would probably have been quicker to walk than wait whilst everyone got on the coach, but to be fair this could have presented health and safety issues if people wandered off and got separated. On arrival at the main activity site, it was immediately apparent that it was a pretty magical place. The area nearest the roadside was filled with ice/snow sculptures and there was plenty of open space for sledging and other snow-play for the children. The walk down to the lake was beautiful - lined with naked flames burning on the ground and subtle rope-lights in the trees. It was dusk when we arrived (around 1pm local time) and we had around 1-2 hours of daylight before dark. Our first main experience was the 'search for Santa' - a trip across the frozen river and along the opposite bank (actually into Sweden, it turns out). Both adults and children sat in a large wooden sleigh, covered with blankets, whilst a snowmobile pulled us along. The journey was only around 5-7 minutes but this was enough to build the excitement in the children and big kids amongst us! This journey was restricted to only three families at a time and each family was greeted by their own 'elf' who took us into a tepee with an open fire to await our turn to meet Santa. After only a 5 minute wait it was our turn and our children (boy 10 and girl 7) were led into a log cabin and we were offered a seat on the sofa. The cabin was just as you would hope - a roaring fire and Christmas decorations everywhere. Santa was fantastic - difficult to say whether he was Finnish or British - he spoke very clear English with a slight accent - and made our children feel relaxed and settled. There was no real sense that we were being rushed and both children were given a gift and made to feel very special. After around 5 minutes we said our goodbyes and returned to the sleigh for the journey back. Our children were both ecstatic by this point! Next, it was time for the adults to ride a snowmobile, whilst the children were pulled along in a sleigh by a guide driving another snowmobile. There was one snowmobile per pair of adults and we were given clear instructions on how to drive this and then travelled in convoy up the lake for around 5 minutes, where we stopped and were given an opportunity to swap drivers. Whilst this was certainly not a no-holds-barred adrenaline ride, it was possible to drop back a little and then get up some speed to catch up the couple in front. As mentioned previously, a taster really but enough to make it special. On our return, it was time for the husky-pulled sled ride. All previous guides had been British, but the sleds were pulled by a local Sami guide. It was one sled per family and again there was no real wait, although the ride itself was only one small circuit lasting around 2 minutes; it would have been great to get a little longer (even two circuits perhaps). That said, as a taster of something we'd never done before it was a great experience. The three main activities described above had probably taken 45 minutes to an hour in total - we were then given a warm cup of gloggi which was very welcome, as it was almost dark and pretty cold on the river by this point. Our guide then took us up to the restaurant which was a very pleasant (and warm) log cabin up near the road. It was a self-service buffet of frankfurter sausages, chips, lasagne and a selection of salads/vegetables. There was also soup available and no restriction on going up for seconds. The food was simple but pleasant and again we did not feel rushed at this point. Our guide advised that we had around 2 hours of free time to enjoy sledging and other activities in the area around the restaurant. We filled this time with sledging (both on the steep manmade slopes near the restaurant and on longer, more gentle runs between the trees and away from the main activity area. As mentioned previously, despite the relatively large number of visitors who must have been in the area, it never felt crowded and there were always enough plastic sledges available when we wanted them. By this time, it was completely dark but the site was lit effectively; areas that needed to be floodlit were, whilst it was still possible to get out of the bright lights and experience the natural surroundings whilst having fun in the snow. There was a reindeer-pulled sleigh ride, which consisted of three separate sleighs each pulled by a reindeer and linked together led by a local Sami guide. The ride was very pleasant, although only around a very small circuit in the main activity area. On one hand, it would have been nice to go further into the forest for a truer experience, but that would have inevitably meant you would have to wait longer to have a go. As it was, we were able to get on immediately and even go around the circuit several times, changing sleighs each time for a different experience. The only notable queue was for the mini-snowmobile ride, where children could have a 2-3 minute circular ride whilst tethered to a guide. This did involve a wait of around 20-30 minutes, but the adults generally waited in the queue whilst the children went sledging, so it was no real problem. We do have one other slight gripe; although water was available in the restaurant throughout our time there, additional gloggi (or hot chocolate) had to be purchased at between 3-5 Euros a cup. Considering the cost of the trip and the need to keep warm, free hot drinks would have been appreciated. Sadly, our time to leave came around all too soon - we returned via the coach to the suit/boot room; again pretty hectic, but generally okay. Then it was the 45 minute transfer back to the airport. We were already checked in for the return flight at Gatwick, so the only formality was security. Our flight left on time and although longer on the return leg (around 3hr 40min) was once again comfortable. So, was it all worth it? It was a huge amount of money for a daytrip - but an incredibly special day at a very special time of year, which is what you are paying for at the end of the day. It was an incredibly long day - we had stayed overnight at a local hotel near Gatwick (hotel/parking included, with a 10 minute taxi journey each way). We'd left the hotel at 4:30am and got back to the hotel at about 11pm, with a further 1 hour journey to our final destination for the night. Thoroughly exhausting, but the children slept when they wanted to and definitely not a reason to avoid the daytrip option. Overall, our experience was very positive. Perhaps we were lucky by having flights that were on-time; clearly, any delay to the outbound flight would severely impact on the experience on the ground in Lapland. We felt looked after and the activities were all fantastic tasters that did leave us wanting more, but also satisfied our desire to give our children a Christmas experience that they wouldn't ever forget. So, if you are looking for a magical experience of Lapland but can't stretch to a multi-day trip, we would definitely recommend a daytrip, based on our own experience. We do hope to return to the area in future, but perhaps not at Christmas due to the inflated prices; a longer experience with snowmobiles/husky sleds and perhaps a search for the Northern Lights seems like a nice idea so we'd better get saving! We hope that your trip is as positive as ours, if you do go ahead. Thanks for taking time to read this review, we hope it was helpful.

4capaluja 5:00 PM Dec 27, 2017

Wish I hadn't read the reviews - go with an open mind and enjoy it!
Like many others, we booked the one day Lapland trip back in the summer, having a YOLO moment! We were super excited and couldn't wait to surprise our 4 and 7 year olds. We booked with Santa Claus Trips. As the travel date came closer I realised that our trip was managed by Transun and I started to read some reviews. My heart sunk and the excitement that had been building turned to worry, anxiety and a 'oh, no what have we done?" feeling. I was worried that the trip would totally spoil christmas for us. SO, reason for my review is to say I couldn't have been more wrong. I wished I hadn't read the negative reviews and spent a good couple of weeks worrying about our trip rather than looking forward to it. I would add a few other points to everybody else. 1) The airline EnterAir was similar to RyanAir / EasyJet - it's a budget carrier, the staff did their jobs and got us there safely and on time. Food was typical airplane food, there was a paid trolley / bar for additional snacks. Bring your own bits if food / snacks particularly when travelling with young children. It's not a business class flight or experience. 2) Arrival at Enontekio - it's picture postcard beautiful, but is a tiny airport with minimal facilities. We arrived to a snowy scene that immediately makes you feel christmassy. Scenery is beautiful and whilst the transfer is 50 mins - it's a lovely view along the way and this didn't bother any of us. 3) We were lucky that our plane was ahead of schedule and that our bus was first to resort. I can imagine that where planes are delayed that the days schedule could feel more rushed. Hard though for Transun to do anything about airport or air traffic control delays. Food at restaurant was good. Chips for the fussy kids. Salad to accompany the lasagne and vegetables. Chocolate covered donuts. Ample to keep us going throughout the day. 4) It's cold. Like really cold! We had a day when temps were minus 20.... so toes and hands do get cold. Wear and take lots of layers. We did see kids that were cold and upset - ours coped ok, but had a load of layers. You can always take these off if you do get a less cold day. Thermal suits and boots were good and organised well. If you've been skiing it's as chaotic as going to hire our skis and boots for the first day and took approx 30 mins for everyone on the coach to get sorted. 5) Experiences are short - but we found these just right - if you want longer experiences I would advise going for a overnight break. Husky ride was our family favourite - be warned that you also get the wind chill in your face when moving on snow mobile and husky rides so feel the cold even more 6) If you have booked and are worried, go with an open mind. The kids don't look at things the way adults do - our kids loved every minute. They enjoyed seeing santa and toasting marshmallows with Snowflake the elf. You do still need to occupy and keep your own kids happy as you would on any day trip out. 7) It's a LONG day! We woke up at 4am (we live 45 mins from airport) and were home in bed for midnight. My youngest is almost 5 and handled it all just about. I'd think strongly about taking younger kids due to the length of day and cold temperatures. You're right to read reviews - but ultimately, your trip will be what you make it. I'm glad we booked and I have no regrets and my boys have incredible memories that will last a long time.