Pyhan Asteli

We visited the NLV Pyha in the last week of November for 3 nights. This was the resort's second season, however they also have two other NLV locations further north in Lapland. For context, it was myself and my boyfriend on this trip and we booked the 'Searching for the Northern Lights' 3 night package, which is full board and includes all activities. Travel to/from the resort We were picked up from the arrivals gate at Rovaniemi airport along with a few other families and taken straight to the NLV. They drive is quite long (around 1hr40) so be prepared for this. We also had no issues travelling back, we were picked up along with other families from the resort on the way back. The transfers were all organised for free by the resort and I just emailed them to request that this was booked in advance. The Resort The NLV Pyha resort is smaller than the other locations, however still feels so magical. We were very worried about there being no snow before arriving, but thankfully it had snowed a few days before and stuck around so everywhere was still covered. I'd say if you were coming as a family, other than the activities you book, there isn't loads of things for families with young kids to do other than sledging (which of course is pretty weather dependent). As we weren't travelling with kids we're not actually sure of the options available for families, but I know there are lots of santa-themed activities to book. Aurora Cabin We stayed in an Aurora Cabin for the 3x nights and absolutely loved it. It's the cosiest little room and has it's own glass igloo which you can watch the Northern Lights from (which we were lucky enough to be able to do!). It's equipped with everything you'd need for a short stay and all of the cabins are just a short walk away from the reception/main area. There are also bigger cabins available for people travelling in groups/with family, but the Aurora Cabins are mainly just for 2 people or potentially a family with very small children. Food/Drinks We had the full board option included in our package, and I'd honestly really recommend booking full board just for ease. There isn't really anything at all within walking distance, so you'd have to pay for a cab to any restaurants or shops you wanted to visit. Being full board meant we didn't have to think about any of this. The main restaurant is buffet style which had lots of different options every day for lunch and dinner, including veggies, pastas, a variety of meat etc, and it was all very fresh. Breakfast was also great and had classic full English and continental options available. We were really pleased with the food available! Drinks other than the ones served at meal times had to be paid for at the bar. Activities Our package included a variety of activities throughout our stay, and we were sent our itinerary before arrival. Due to the lack of snow, a couple of activities had to change but we still really enjoyed the alternatives: Northern Lights Hike: This w

Our cabin was stunning and we did see northern lights from our bed which was magic. Most of the activities are well run and enjoyable. We had an amazing time having a private dinner and northern lights hunting with Guide Dan. We loved the cross country skiing. The reindeer farm experience was so fun and interesting. The snowshoeing experience was very underwhelming and our guide wasn’t the best for this. The buffet food included wasn’t very good I’d rate it a 4/10. Overall the price of the hotel is too expensive for what it is offering. For the price I expected a luxury experience but it felt a bit like an organised glamping experience. And example of this is when we arrived we expected a welcome drink and to be welcomed but instead it our transfer dropped us outside reception, told us to stand in line to wait to be checked in and then reception pointed us in the direction of our room and didn’t help us with the bags. The big buses of tourists arriving made it feel like a low cost camping experience. The food was uninspiring and the reception team overall seemed inexperienced and don’t understand the basics of customer service. The only helpful reception staff member that was was Barbra. The standout part of this hotel are the rooms are beautiful and some of the experiences are magic. Improvement required to achieve a higher score: - Lower the price to match the experience being offered - Have a more helpful team of reception staff - Improve the buffet food! - Snow shoeing experience should be cheaper - Would be nice to have more local people/Finnish people working in the hotel to make it feel more authentic.

We stayed here for 3 nights mid January. Our package included all food, activities, use of thermal clothing, transfers and staying in an aurora cabin. Paddy picked us up from the airport for the 1 he 45 min drive. He was great, really friendly and gave some helpful tips. Check in was good, we had our bags taken to our cabin and was provided with our itinerary for the next couple of days. Walking into our cabin was amazing, it was so cosy, inviting and warm with the glow of the electric fire. It was a little too warm and the remote didn't lower the temperature so we used the resort app and someone came out to adjust it whilst we were at dinner. Food-- food was OK, there was plenty of it and it was always hot and it was available for most of the day, but as I'm a bit of a picky eater I was a bit limited but I didn't go hungry and I enjoyed what food I had. The menus are provided on the website and in the dining area. Activities - we did the reindeer ride, snowmobiling, husky safari and northern lights hunting in the wilderness. All were just amazing and so much fun. The guides were all great and even though they do this day in day out, they still made it special for the guests who may never have done this type of thing before. Snowmobiling into what was like Narnia, with snow falling and stopping off at a wooden hut in the middle of nowhere to light a fire, toast marshmallows/have a hot drink was just magical. The husky safari was great, I have reservations about animals being used for tourism but the dogs were excited to get going, healthy and well looked after and it was a great experience. We had time to give them lots of cuddles and even saw some puppies. The aurora hunting was on our last night, Dan took 6 of us out in a van to somewhere more remote. There was a clear sky but a full moon so not ideal conditions but we saw the lights which was great and it was a really nice evening with 2 other lovely couples. Overall we had the most amazing stay at the northern lights village, we loved every moment and it more than lived up to our expectations. I'd highly recommend staying here.

We had an amazing time at this resort. We stayed 3 nights at the aurora cabin & booked the northern lights package. Each experience was great, the staff are all super friendly & knowledgeable. Our favourite was snowmobiling, husky ride & of course seeing the beautiful aurora! The hotel provides suits & boots which kept us warm which is a nice touch. I highly recommend this resort & hope to be back with more of the family in the near future. Hotel is recommended for families too.

Could not fault the resort - very clean and all staff were incredibly friendly and helpful! BIG shout out to Oscar (from Spain) and Liz (from Netherlands) who were both incredible and really made the experience memorable! Buffet always had good selections and always tasty.

The staff are absolutely amazing. The guides are very friendly and knowledgeable. We had the best guide for our romantic sleigh ride dinner. We managed to see the lights using the fab app the hotel gets you to download The app for the room is fantastic - even has a key in case yours does not work. Holiday of a lifetime made even more special by all the staff at the resort. Even if they did run out of draft lager!! The buffet was very nice and always replenished. We never had to queue once for the food. The excursions were on time and a lot of fun. Never any pressure to purchase gifts. The rooms were fantastic, we even had a sauna in the cabin.