Star Arctic Hotel & Activities

Great hotel, great holiday despite the lack of Northern Lights

10.0

We recently visited Star Arctic Hotel in the hope of seeing the Northern Lights. We chose March having done all the research on likelihood of seeing and being at the peak of the cycle. Despite this and despite the night before our arrival being described as the best of the season, a 2 hour green and pink display lighting up the sky, we didn’t see any despite our best efforts and aurora hunting trips. Whilst we didn’t achieve what we set out to achieve, it’s a game of luck and this hotel, the staff and the excursions still made this an amazing trip. We stayed in the entry level room as we booked only 4 months out and other options were fully booked. Our room was on two floors - the entrance level where we had a bathroom little living space with a sofa bed & the mezzanine level where our bed was. We had ALOT of stuff which at times made it quite difficult but we made it work. If you’re staying for a long time, or more than 2 people definitely get the bigger rooms if you can. The reception desk works 24/7, there is also an excursions desk who are willing to give advice and move things around to accommodate your plans and weather etc… When staying at Star Arctic you get overalls, boots, gloves and thick socks - they are the warmest stuff I’ve ever worn. You definitely don’t have to worry about getting cold. We wore one or two thermal layers underneath and that was plenty. On some excursions like snowmobiling you get balaclavas too (plus helmet with a visor.) We did husky ride, snowmobiling and aurora hunting with the hotel. At the top of where the hotel is is a ski resort, we also went skiing and toboganning which was great fun. If you’re an advanced skier (mountain not cross country) then you won’t be challenged by the runs but for me it was enjoyable and I had a ski lesson too. The hotel has a great restaurant, breakfast gets a little samey after about 2 days and my coffee isn’t great but the dinner was amazing. We ate here 2 nights, repeating some of the dishes as they were so good the first time. The staff were super helpful and accommodating e.g we didn’t have the pre-arranged set menu but it had a chocolate fondant dessert that wasn’t on a la carte, one of the waiters got the chef to make us one and gave us a great price for doing so. They were also super honest with their recommendations on food and drink, not only here but elsewhere in Saariselka. A trip like this does come at a cost and we didn’t go in peak season, it’s mainly the experienced and dinner but this isn’t a hotel thing, this is a Lapland thing so you’ll experience this anywhere. For us, Star Arctic is worth the money. We would definitely stay here and recommend it to others, it’s remote enough but also close enough to get into the town, lots to do and great experiences.

Guest review

10.0

Grandson

Guest review

10.0

Great location at a great viewing point for the Northern Lights. Good access to Saariselka ski resort & toboggan run. Food is sub-par, so we ended up going to the village.

Lovely stay on top of Saariselkä

8.0

Stayed for 5D4N, half in the Aurora Glass Cabin and half in the Scenic Suite with Sauna. We managed to catch the northern lights on one of the nights in the glass cabin, but the other nights were unfortunately cloudy :( We did 2 activities with the hotel — 3.5h husky experience and reindeer feeding & herding, and also had one dinner at Restaurant Kanis. What we loved: - Winter gear (overalls, gloves, shoes etc) is provided, with many sizes available. Toboggans are also available for free. - Service was good, with 24h reception. - Tour experiences were well done, with local partners who were passionate and helpful. We particularly enjoyed the reindeer experience! - Proximity to ski lift and toboggan run. - Rooms were clean and well-maintained. Heating/drying cabinet in the suite was very useful. What could be improved: - Location is rather inconvenient if you don’t drive. The ski bus only comes up a few times a day and not at all in the night, so it’s tough to have dinner in the town center. It would be great if the hotel could provide its own shuttle for guests. - No proper aurora alarm system. - Breakfast was 99% exactly the same every day. Although the food was pretty good, it gets a bit boring if you’re staying for many days. - It would be good to have fans available, as it got a bit stuffy in the rooms.

The worst in Finland . Cheap and really bad .

2.0

Amazing !!! How come the grade 4 , for this terrible Hotel ?! This is the last place I wanna be in life. All is terrible … alll…. How to type more about this ?! Everything I should say makes this place worst . How can they deceive other customers if I tell all true ?

Guest review

10.0

Fantastisch