Holiday Club Kuusamon Tropiikki

Hotel is a bit old. But staff are nice! Lot of facilities. Breakfast is just fair.

I had originally booked a hotel in Ruka but 2 weeks before our stay I found this hotel online and decided to switch as it had a pool for the kids. Unfortunately the cost for the kids to use the pool was 70 euros per day which is a spa day charge. The kids were disappointed they could not use the pool and I wished we'd kept our Ruka hotel. The shuttle bus for 2 adults, 3 children was 60 euros per day return plus there was nowhere in Ruka to store ski equipment so we had to bring everything back to Kuusamo each day which was a hassle. The rooms were clean, we had no housekeeping in the 4 days but this wasn't a huge issue. Breakfast was good, lots of choice. We ate in OLearys each night and the food was OK.

Let me start by saying I have worked in the travel industry for over 20 years and have been thoroughly spoilt with the travel I've been lucky to do! I am a super snob basically!! I was skeptical about this stay as I always look at TripAdvisor and never book anything short of 4+ bubbles. I am so glad we went ahead and booked this property. Not only was it exceptionally clean, the area is fantastic and the amenities here are fabulous and suited to everyone but the hotel itself exceeded all of my expectations and the apartment we were in was not only spacious but had everything you could need in it for a weeks stay. We went for Christmas and 2 days in I had already booked again for this Christmas. None of us wanted to leave! O'leary's bar was great, food was amazing and not too expensive! There is an angry birds activity park attached which is EUR10 per child for the whole day, my kids were in it all the time when we didn't have excursions booked, the gym was basic but did the job (according to my husband!). On top of all that, Ruka's main Centre is about 30 minutes driving from the property, we're not avid skiers so we weren't bothered about staying there. They have a fair few restaurants, cafes and shops, and of course it's in the main ski resort but for us having the activity park was more important as it kept the kids occupied! The only thing I would say is it would be useful to have instructions for the fire as my husband nearly killed us all lol! Maybe they had them, but I don't recall seeing them! I honestly cannot recommend this property enough! If you're thinking of coming to Lapland, stay here!! You will NOT regret it. Unfortunately I didn't take photos of the accommodation of I'd have put them up to show you all.

We stayed 4 nights in the week leading up to Christmas in one of the lodges and have to say the accommodation was excellent. We had a lodge 10 mins walk from the main complex wuth bedroom on the first floor of the duplex and two ground floor bedrooms a kitchen diner and lounge. Downstairs shower room was big and had a sauna at the end of it, there was a covered patio but it was too cold to use it - there were amazing views of a frozen lake out the back. The hotel itself was good, breakfast was standard offering I would say and we only ate dinner in O'Leary's Sports Bar so cannot comment on the other meals there. The hotel shop has a limited offering and is quite expensive, be aware the shop cannot sell alcohol after 9pm. The pool was great and kept the kids entertained, lighting made it look really unique. The slide, waterfalls and whirlpools were all really good fun, didn't get a chance to try the sauna. The price for a family ticket was €60 and gives access to everything (massages extra). We also went in the Angry Birds park on our last night, this was €10 for my eldest and free for my youngest as she was under 4 years old - they both loved it. Hotel staff were friendly and helpful when we needed anything, but we didn't need to bother them much. A couple of things I would say is that as a family of four with two young children (3 & 6) arrived at 6:30pm after a full day of travelling having got up at 3am, we had to all drag our Suitcases to our lodge on our own in the snow which was a 5-10 minute walk away and not easy to find the first time. I think they should look to half a golf buggy (there is a golf course opposite) to help you to your room on the first night - have had this in plenty of other hotels previously so I don't see why it would be a problem. Also when we booked a taxi to take us back to the airport it would have been helpful had the taxi been able to come to our lodge to collect us and our luggage rather than having to make two trips with the luggage and children to reception to meet it. I feel these are small items that can be fixed with a bit of feedback and didn't impact the total enjoyment of the trip overall - the kids loved it and given the choice, would certainly return!