点评:We've just returned from an action-packed few days in the Ukohalla Resort, in northern Finland. We had never heard of Ukkohalla ('Thunderstorm' in Finnish) but our travel agent came up trumps with a last-minute booking: our own tailored itinerary, including husky sledding, visit to reindeer farm, night snowshoe walk in a frozen forest, spa/sauna experience and northern lights hunt. The resort is on the shore of (currently frozen) Lake Syvajarvi, next to the highest ridges of Arctic Lakeland, and clearly popular with the Finns, (but perhaps not so well-known in the UK). In the Winter season, it's also a ski resort, with a range of slopes to choose from, and several ski lifts. Their Summer season starts in May/June, I think, after the snows melt.
We stayed in a Glass Sky Cabin - there are a small group of these up on the hill above the resort, next to one of the ski lifts. This was a pretty amazing experience - remote, surrounded by deep snow and trees, but warm and cosy too. The glass walls and roof ensures a fantastic view of the skies and the landscape. We could only stay for a few days, so there wasn't much down time this trip!
We were extremely impressed by the whole experience and the staff there, all of whom were extremely friendly and helpful. In fact, everyone we met seemed happy. The service was perfect - and very much centred on ensuring that everything went without a hitch throughout. Nothing was too much trouble, including on-call transport between our Sky Cabin and the resort. Special thanks must go to Jussi, and, most especially, to Salla, our main staff contact. She clearly loves her job - as she smiles all the time. She's simply the best.
Ukohalla isn't a huge resort, but has a range of accommodation options, a restaurant complex and a small shop, adjoining the spa area (saunas and pools, including an ice plunge-pool area in the lake outside!). We stayed half board - it's fairly remote and nowhere near any larger towns, so probably tricky to venture elsewhere, unless you have a car with winter tyres or can access taxis or similar.
Travelling to Ukohalla from the UK (Heathrow) is fairly lengthy, involving two flights and a longish taxi journey to/from the nearest regional airport. However it's all worth it.
And yes - we did see the Northern Lights! A totally unforgettable trip.
Kiitos Ukkohalla!
翻译:我们刚刚结束了在芬兰北部乌科哈拉度假村的几天活动。我们从未听说过乌科哈拉(芬兰语中的“雷雨”),但我们的旅行社在最后一刻为我们预订了行程:我们自己定制的行程,包括哈士奇雪橇、参观驯鹿农场、在冰冻的森林中夜间雪鞋漫步、水疗/桑拿体验和北极光狩猎。度假村位于(目前结冰的)Syvajarvi 湖岸边,紧邻北极湖区最高的山脊,深受芬兰人的欢迎(但在英国可能不那么出名)。在冬季,这里也是一个滑雪胜地,有各种可供选择的斜坡和几部滑雪缆车。他们的夏季开始于五月/六月,我想,在雪融化之后。
我们住在玻璃天空小屋里——度假村上方的山上有一小群这样的小屋,旁边就是其中一部滑雪缆车。这是一次相当惊人的体验 - 地处偏远,四周是厚厚的积雪和树木,但又温暖舒适。玻璃墙和屋顶确保了天空和风景的绝妙景色。我们只能住几天,所以这次旅行没有太多的休息时间!
我们对整个体验和那里的工作人员印象非常深刻,他们都非常友好和乐于助人。事实上,我们遇到的每个人似乎都很开心。服务非常完美 - 并且非常注重确保一切顺利进行。没有什么是太麻烦的,包括我们的 Sky Cabin 和度假村之间的随叫随到的交通。特别要感谢 Jussi,尤其是我们的主要员工联系人 Salla。她显然热爱她的工作 - 因为她总是面带微笑。她简直是最好的。
Ukohalla 不是一个很大的度假村,但有各种住宿选择、一个餐厅综合体和一家小商店,毗邻水疗区(桑拿浴室和游泳池,包括外面湖中的冰水池区!)。我们住的是半膳服务——这里相当偏僻,附近没有任何大城镇,所以去其他地方可能有点困难,除非你有一辆带冬季轮胎的车,或者可以打出租车或类似的东西。
从英国(希思罗机场)到乌科哈拉的旅程相当漫长,需要乘坐两趟航班,还要乘坐出租车往返最近的地区机场。但这一切都是值得的。
是的——我们确实看到了北极光!一次令人难忘的旅行。
基托斯乌科哈拉!