1. Description of the hotel, rooms. The most unpleasant moment, which crossed out the whole vacation, is the fact that they gave us the wrong room that we paid for. And they paid for the Superrior cottage room (two-room, with all appliances, kitchen). We got a hotel room, also called Superrior, but one-room and, of course, without all of the above life. technology. We chose the cottage room mainly because of the children, because they don’t eat well with us (3 and 7 years old) and not everything, therefore, so that we can cook for them. In general, they swore, found out, but did not achieve anything. We flew through the tour. firm "Gamalia" and I believe that this incident is entirely their fault. Finns also motivated by the fact that the hotel is full and there are no places. The room that they gave us is small, but at least with a double bed and a sofa bed.
By the way, the neighbors showed their standard room - this is generally a hole. It can hardly fit two people, and if a suitcase is put on the floor, then all that remains is to jump over it. The only thing that pleased me in the room was that the room was warm and the floor in the bathroom was electrically heated, there was also a thermostat. That's all the beauty of the room. The mattresses are terribly uncomfortable and so soft that if one turned around, the rest jumped. Bed linen is changed 1 time in 7 days (even if dirty, do not wait for a replacement). Tipping is not accepted in Finland. TV is a different story. Only channels in Finnish are free, there is no Russian channel. If you want additional channels (again in Finnish) pay 3 euros per program. Now the bathroom: there is no bath itself, and the shower is a hole in the floor and door curtains. There were two bathrobes in the room, but of such a kind that it was disgusting to touch them, not to put them on.
There is no bidet, instead a hose with a shower that flows. Plus, there's a baby potty in the bathroom! Don't take it with you! There is no safe in the room, you can rent a cell at the reception (3 euros per day or 10 euros per week), there is a mini-bar: water 0.5l - 3 euros, fanta, beer, sprite in the same capacity and price. Ordering food from the main restaurant to the room - to the cost of dishes + 10 euros, by the way there is no menu in the room - order from memory. Room cleaning is a change of towels (only those that you threw on the floor), lightly wiped the dust off the table and wiped it with a damp mop in the aisle between the beds. Nobody cleans the sink and toilet. In the corridor, the carpet is worn with bald spots. It is very cold in the hotel lobby (you don't even need to take thin blouses for girls). Due to the fact that on the ground floor there are entrance doors on all sides and people scurrying back and forth, you need to dress warmly - fleece is ideal, but a fleece suit is better (it saved me a lot).
The main restaurant struck me with the paucity of its menu and the staleness of the dishes, as well as the poverty of the atmosphere and dirty seats on the chairs. The toad finally crushed us when we realized that we had paid for the dinners in vain. There was nothing to eat there and even more nothing to feed the children. I will give an example of an evening paid menu: whole boiled potatoes (floated in water) and boiled potatoes. and then stewed, vegetable stew (carrots - a lot, onions, peppers) - this is the whole side dish. Braised fish fillet with bones, venison stew (it stank terribly, like lamb). Vegetables: tomatoes, cucumbers, iceberg lettuce - everything lies more than one day and looks miserable. My husband somehow took boiled pork in the evening and immediately spat it out - sour. In the end, we still ordered everything from the paid menu. By the way, it's much cheaper. We spent about 30-40 euros for 4 people with wine, water, juices. From what I remember: French fries and breaded chicken - children's portion 5 euros, mussel soup - 7.50 euros, pizza - 9.
80 euros, Sheraz red wine - 8.50 a glass, porcini mushroom soup - 8.50, Bolognese pasta - 4.90. And so, approximately, everything. The most expensive dish was for 27.50 euro something from the vegetarian menu. Tea, cocoa, juice - 2 euros. By the way, a piece of watermelon and vegetables were put in each dish from the children's menu. Every time we had a question: "Are they taking us for idiots? Is one of the parents really going to let the child eat this piece of watermelon. " He looked like he wanted to cry. You pick it up by the skin, and the flesh hangs down like a snot. And how can you even put it on a plate? Especially for children? The rest of the vegetables, however, did not have the best view. On the ground floor there is a cafe Piazza - open from 12 to 21-30. The tables in this cafe are dirty, sticky, with dirty tablecloths. I once ordered a sandwich in this cafe - the bun was wet, the vegetables were sluggish. The main restaurant is open from 7-10 breakfast, 11-3.13-30 lunch, 17-20 dinner, although you can come and order for a fee from 12 to 22.
Yes, if you did not have breakfast before 10 am, you will be hungry until 12-00, there is nowhere else to eat. We got to Christmas dinner. O! This is a different story. Firstly, it started at 20-00 and for the first hour people just chewed to the music. For the children, they set up an inflatable arena and a tent where they painted their faces. After 21-00 the program began, but we, one of many, left unable to withstand the crush and smoke, which they then let loose. The food was not particularly varied, except that they added herring, smoked salmon, red caviar. We praised ourselves for having dined earlier calmly and without hustle and chaos. There is a children's room on the first floor, but there is no nanny there, watch the children yourself. And the room itself is extremely miserable, except for a slide and pillows there is nothing else. Extending the room on the day of departure for 4 hours costs 50 euros.
2. Now about the surroundings. Kuusamo is a village where there are no slopes. You will have to drive to Ruka (25 km). You will be offered to go by Sky Bass or by taxi.
Taxi drivers take 40-50 euros one way. On the bus you can buy two-day tickets (reusable), an adult - 14 euros, a child 10 euros. But! The bus route and its map were drawn up so cleverly that we, in general, not losers and with higher educations, figured it out only on the second day and got lost for the first time. If you want to go to the Prizma supermarket (I advise you to do it right away, buy water, juices, cookies, sausage, cheese) - order a taxi with a wait, it will cost 63 euros. In Ruka, we liked it much more, there is some kind of life raging, there are restaurants and shops at every step. By the way, there are children's pots in the restaurant toilets (this is still only in Sweden).
3. Rental and instructors. Ski rental and instructor services can be paid from the hotel - it's easier and warmer. We paid 301 euros for one day - these are 2 children's instructors for 50 minutes. (i. e. 45 for 2) and 1 adult (64 euros) + skis.
For the youngest daughter, there were no skis at the rental, but when paying from the hotel, such small skis were found: )). Sledge rental is 2 euros and all the sleds are broken and dirty, and in the supermarket you can buy sledges for 7.95 euros.
My opinion - Finland is a vacation for people without children or with children over 7 years old. Necessarily in apartments or houses, with your own car or rent, with your own ski equipment. The water park, which we had at the hotel, somehow did not like us (probably not the season). There was no desire to swim at all, and some kind of simple pool. In general, well, this is not Turkey, not Turkey! Everything is poor and dirty!
4. The meeting party we had was Nordic Holideys - they know how to play excursions famously and thoughtlessly. Especially one blonde about 40 years old. But then the whole problem is to return the money, it takes from one hour to a day. Who paid the ex. in Rovaniemi to visit Santa, then all further ex. returned. They did not take into account the fact that there is tempera beyond the Arctic Circle.
10 degrees lower than in Kuusamo, i. e. if in Kuus. it was -28 degrees, then in Rovan. -38 deg. and this ex. for the whole day from 8 to 20. Everyone returned sick. It's easier to go to Santa's dacha - it's in Kuus, the whole eesk. takes 4 hours, warm. The children really like it: together with Santa's wife, the children bake cookies and buns, which are then given to everyone to take away. The price is 50 euros for adults, 60 euros for a child from 4 to 14 years old, 25 euros for children under 4 years old. There is also a visit to a deer and husky (dog) farm, sledding. But! Only a person whose body weight is more than 50 kg can control the team (I was in flight: ((). And these exc. for children over 7 years old are my opinion (although they write over 4 years old), because it is very cold Prices are almost the same. In general, there were a lot of sick people in the hotel and every second coughed.
5. Now about the unpleasant at all: I would not advise going to Finland with small children, it is better to go to the Alps. Firstly, it is very cold, there is no service, no amenities.
If you suddenly get sick, like us, you go crazy with boredom. Be careful with your insurance policies and stipulate all the nuances, because calling a doctor from a private clinic costs 240 euros + 20 euros for an interpreter, or you will be offered to go to the clinic on your own, where you stand in line like all Finns and exchange viruses. We chose the first one and, of course, the insurance company is not responsible, because the insurance is standard. Well, at least we had all the medicines with us, but I didn’t take an antibiotic, and in Finland you can buy an antibiotic only with a prescription. I picked up the virus on the plane, because the disease manifested itself on the 3rd day with a temperature of 39 and immediately a terrible cough. Husband and children fell ill at the same time. Before the flight, the children were at home for a week (no one went to kindergarten or school), so it remains only to sin on the plane. This is the same public transport that we have lost the habit of.
My advice to everyone - wear masks, do not be shy, otherwise it could be the same ruined vacation as ours. By the way, my friend once brought a child with chickenpox to Turkey in the summer, it’s wonderful, really, can you imagine what a surprise awaited all those who had not been ill in childhood? So, calling the doctor turned out to be a whole problem. There is only one doctor on duty from a private clinic for the entire town of Ruka and the village of Kuusamo. And with the number of fractures that were on the mountain, we were waiting for the doctor from 10 am to 20-00 (this is for 240 euros! ). And, whether this is such an attitude towards Ukrainians, but when we were practically yelling into the phone, we tried at half past seven in the evening to find out where the doctor was after all (a child of 3 years old burns at 39 pace), we are told that it will be soon, moreover, he he had already left for us, but on the way he received a call that a 4-year-old child fell ill there in Ruka and the doctor returned to him! And you, please wait! is already driving. This is how we are loved in Europe.
About the hotel. Normal, solid, European. Good cuisine, if you, of course, are not from that category of people who consider themselves picky and only for some reason on vacation. At home, as a rule, such people eat everything. It is very pleasant to swim in a warm pool when it is bitterly cold outside. It is strange why Finland is compared with Turkey here. Different religion, culture, nationality, not to mention nature and climate. Turkey in Turkey. Consider mentality and traditions. Yes, the New Year ends at 0.15. Don't drink, don't smoke, don't dance. But they ski, take a steam bath in saunas, enjoy the silence and pristine nature. They really put meat in sausages, don't make fires anywhere, speak English, learn Russian and love nature. So choose where you feel comfortable. If there are questions, I will gladly answer.
Pros:
- relatively inexpensive.
- There is a great water park.
- good rooms.
Minuses:
- a bit far from civilization (although in that area of Finland everyone is located like that).
- not a very normal restaurant for dinner.