Day 7 - 9: Glass Igloo, Kakslauttanen
AND the supposed highlight of the trip...
Glass Igloo at Kakslauttanen Arctic Resort!
Staying in the Glass Igloo is probably one of the top must do items in Finnish Lapland. There are several resorts that offer the heated Glass Igloo experience. Notably, the Kakslauttanen's Glass Igloos are the legendary ones that we see on Youtube.
The Kakslauttanen Arctic Resort is divided into East and West Village. We chose the latter as it was newer and more spacious.
Check-in time was at 3pm which was pretty late considering that it starts to get dark at 4 and night falls at about 5pm (during winter months).
We reached early and went around taking photos in the resort! Here's our failed attempt at building a snowman. xD
Olaf is that you? Anyway, we found out that you need wet snow in order to build a snowman, or it's just us who are lousy for living near the Equator. Our snow was really fine and fluffy :S
Snow angels!
Spotted a tall snowman while walking around the Kelo-Glass igloos.
Kelo Glass Igloo Cabin
The resort is really beautiful <3
I'm missing this place already.
Spotted another mini snowman!
Caught this cute cat roaming around the resort! It is soooo soft and furry to touch. :3
Dinner at the main reception of the West Village.
Christmas feels.
Dining area. Super looove their rustic design.
Dinner that night was Thai Green Curry with Chicken! One of the better dishes the resort offers. The chicken was a tad too salty but it was still pretty good.
Tomato soup? I can't recall.
Alcohol + coffee + whip cream. SO GOOD. I never knew this existed.
Strolled back to our Glass Igloo with our warm bellies.
Lying on their comfy bed waiting for light show which unfortunately, did not happen. :( Dangggg. But we still had a good time relaxing and watching our shows until we fell asleep.
Next morning. Look at that frosting.
Woke up to seeing our windows covered by a layer of snow. =( Meh it snowed pretty heavily last night and the heated windows are unable to melt the snow. Sucks to be next occupant of the glass igloo.
Say goodbye to our Glass Igloo, Pipi!
For those who are thinking of booking a Glass Igloo at Kakslauttanen, I've listed down the pros and cons of booking the Glass Igloo for your consideration! :)
Pros:
- The Kakslauttanen Arctic Resort is probably the most famous of all the glass igloo resorts in Finland
- There are plenty of facilities and tours available for booking (i.e. Husky, Reindeer safaris, automobile rides, Northern lights chasing etc.)
- Beautiful resort
- Sauna facility available for free
- Free shuttle service to and fro West Igloo Reception at certain timings
Cons:
- Late check in time. Please do go earlier and take some photos in the resort if you are staying for one night
- Messy service at the reception
- No free luggage delivery service to your Glass Igloo considering the amount of money you are paying for. (Good luck to you if you are staying in the Kelo-Glass Igloo because it's really far from the reception. You have to use their luggage sleds to move your luggage to your accommodation.)
- It wasn't really warm inside the Glass Igloo, I still have to wear my thermals when I sleep at night AND you are not able to adjust the temperature of the room
- Limited amenities in the Glass Igloo. (Only a toilet without shower facilities and a sink if you chose the small Glass Igloo! I have to sit on the toilet bowl in order to brush teeth. =.= )
- Shared shower facilities (Females and males are separated. And yes you will be exposing your body to strangers. I know some of the tourists were not keen on that idea and did not shower throughout their stay)
- The quality of the dinner varies
- Tours and safaris have to be booked through Kakslauttanen's vendors at higher prices
- No wifi available in the room (Only in the shared facilities and reception)
- Little privacy in the Glass Igloo because people can peek in despite the mini curtains (But hey, no one is that free right?)
- Your heated glass windows will be covered with snow if it snowed heavily the night before
- No Northern Lights alarm (Some other places like the Arctic SnowHotel & Glass Igloos have such awesome services)
- You paid so much and you didn't see any Northern Lights
Was the Glass Igloo worth the hype? Probably, if you have spare cash. But I would recommend choosing other Glass Igloo resorts that have bigger glass igloos with better facilities (not shared). :)
AND the supposed highlight of the trip...
Glass Igloo at Kakslauttanen Arctic Resort!
Staying in the Glass Igloo is probably one of the top must do items in Finnish Lapland. There are several resorts that offer the heated Glass Igloo experience. Notably, the Kakslauttanen's Glass Igloos are the legendary ones that we see on Youtube.
The Kakslauttanen Arctic Resort is divided into East and West Village. We chose the latter as it was newer and more spacious.
Check-in time was at 3pm which was pretty late considering that it starts to get dark at 4 and night falls at about 5pm (during winter months).
We reached early and went around taking photos in the resort! Here's our failed attempt at building a snowman. xD
Olaf is that you? Anyway, we found out that you need wet snow in order to build a snowman, or it's just us who are lousy for living near the Equator. Our snow was really fine and fluffy :S
Snow angels!
Spotted a tall snowman while walking around the Kelo-Glass igloos.
Kelo Glass Igloo Cabin
The resort is really beautiful <3
I'm missing this place already.
Spotted another mini snowman!
Caught this cute cat roaming around the resort! It is soooo soft and furry to touch. :3
Dinner at the main reception of the West Village.
Christmas feels.
Dining area. Super looove their rustic design.
Dinner that night was Thai Green Curry with Chicken! One of the better dishes the resort offers. The chicken was a tad too salty but it was still pretty good.
Tomato soup? I can't recall.
Alcohol + coffee + whip cream. SO GOOD. I never knew this existed.
Strolled back to our Glass Igloo with our warm bellies.
Lying on their comfy bed waiting for light show which unfortunately, did not happen. :( Dangggg. But we still had a good time relaxing and watching our shows until we fell asleep.
Next morning. Look at that frosting.
Woke up to seeing our windows covered by a layer of snow. =( Meh it snowed pretty heavily last night and the heated windows are unable to melt the snow. Sucks to be next occupant of the glass igloo.
Say goodbye to our Glass Igloo, Pipi!
For those who are thinking of booking a Glass Igloo at Kakslauttanen, I've listed down the pros and cons of booking the Glass Igloo for your consideration! :)
Pros:
- The Kakslauttanen Arctic Resort is probably the most famous of all the glass igloo resorts in Finland
- There are plenty of facilities and tours available for booking (i.e. Husky, Reindeer safaris, automobile rides, Northern lights chasing etc.)
- Beautiful resort
- Sauna facility available for free
- Free shuttle service to and fro West Igloo Reception at certain timings
Cons:
- Late check in time. Please do go earlier and take some photos in the resort if you are staying for one night
- Messy service at the reception
- No free luggage delivery service to your Glass Igloo considering the amount of money you are paying for. (Good luck to you if you are staying in the Kelo-Glass Igloo because it's really far from the reception. You have to use their luggage sleds to move your luggage to your accommodation.)
- It wasn't really warm inside the Glass Igloo, I still have to wear my thermals when I sleep at night AND you are not able to adjust the temperature of the room
- Limited amenities in the Glass Igloo. (Only a toilet without shower facilities and a sink if you chose the small Glass Igloo! I have to sit on the toilet bowl in order to brush teeth. =.= )
- Shared shower facilities (Females and males are separated. And yes you will be exposing your body to strangers. I know some of the tourists were not keen on that idea and did not shower throughout their stay)
- The quality of the dinner varies
- Tours and safaris have to be booked through Kakslauttanen's vendors at higher prices
- No wifi available in the room (Only in the shared facilities and reception)
- Little privacy in the Glass Igloo because people can peek in despite the mini curtains (But hey, no one is that free right?)
- Your heated glass windows will be covered with snow if it snowed heavily the night before
- No Northern Lights alarm (Some other places like the Arctic SnowHotel & Glass Igloos have such awesome services)
- You paid so much and you didn't see any Northern Lights
Was the Glass Igloo worth the hype? Probably, if you have spare cash. But I would recommend choosing other Glass Igloo resorts that have bigger glass igloos with better facilities (not shared). :)
