A COSY COTTAGE BY THE RIVER – REVIEW

Finland first captured our hearts when we visited Santa Claus Holiday Village back in the winter of 2016.  Since then we’ve longed to return to this beautiful wintry wonderland to see more of Finnish Lapland’s natural beauty.  In winter the lakes freeze and pine trees bend and sag under the load of heavy snow.  Just as we fell in love with Italy a few years ago, we are now falling for Finland.  So, why did we choose A Cosy Cottage by the River for our first holiday of 2019?  After a couple of days in Ruka for the girls to ski, and for a few excursions with Rukapalvelu Safarihouse; we simply wanted a secluded cottage in a quiet location to chill out and take time to ourselves.  And A Cosy Cottage by the River is exactly that…secluded and quiet!

A Cosy Cottage by the River

Built in 1987 this riverside property had a full refurbishment in 2015 and it has been catapulted into the 21st century.  As with all Finnish homes, you’ll find lots of wood, primarily pine and lark.  A Cosy Cottage by the River is exactly as described; it’s cosy, it’s a cottage and it’s just 20 metres from the River Raudanjoki.  In a great location with spectacular views, 20 seems to be the magic number.

• Santa Claus Holiday Village and Santa Claus Village – 20 km (20 mins drive)
• Ounasvaara Ski Resort – 20 km (20 mins drive)
• Rovaniemi Town Centre – 20 km (20 mins drive)
• Petrol station, supermarket and takeaway (kebabs, pizzas, burgers) – 17 km (17 mins drive)

As the location is isolated, a car is required to get to the cottage.  There’s no public transport to the property (nearest bust stop 2 km away).

READ ALL ABOUT OUR 2016 TRIP TO SANTA CLAUS HOLIDAY VILLAGE

ARRIVAL, CHECK IN AND CHECK OUT

Check in at A Cosy Cottage by the River is from 16:00, check out is before 12:00 (noon).  Turning off the main road onto a very long lane which is shadowed by pine trees.  Outside the accommodation we were warmly greeted by our host Samuli and his beautiful (and well trained) Scottish Setter dogs.  Samuli introduced himself and then gave us a full rundown of entering the property (locks, keypad).  Once inside, a guided tour of the property and an explanation of the working of the tv, chromecast, wifi password etc…very thorough and detailed.  Lily-Belle and Matilda were very disappointed as they hoped the pups would be allowed to stay!

PROPERTY

Porch

A small porch with hanging space for coats, plus a tall heater-dryer.  Plenty of space for shoes (shoes must not be worn in the house).

Dining Room

Open plan lounge-diner.  A glass topped dining table and 6 chairs in the dining area.  Lamps and candle holders create the mood lighting.

Lounge

In the lounge a comfy sofa, chair and pouffe, and a glass fronted fire.  In the corner a small heater and a rocking chair with warm throws.  Tech: TV, DVD, CD, Chromecast and WiFi throughout.

Kitchen

Just off from the lounge is the small but adequately fitted kitchen.  Of course there’s the usual kitchen utensils and appliances such as a microwave, fridge-freezer, toaster, coffee machine etc.  We were on our holidays so didn’t frequent this area too much (if you get what I mean…takeaways).

Bedroom 1

Large double bed with bedside cabinets and lamps.  Large wardrobe with plenty of coat hangers and hanging space.

Bedroom 2

A little smaller than bedroom 1.  Double bed with a chair and bedside lamps, hanging rail but no wardrobe.

Bathroom

As you’d expect; a toilet with a wash hand basin.  There’s also a washing machine with cleaning products stored (mop, brush etc).

Shower 

Shower room (almost like a wet room) with a door which leads directly to the rear of the property which is where the hot tub is located.

Sauna

As with a lot of Finnish properties, a fantastic indoor sauna (electric).

Upstairs

Sleeping Loft area with small sleeping room (mattress on the floor?) and sofas that we assume pulled out into beds.  Low pitched ceilings so be careful not to crack your head.  Daddy found out the hard way!

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OUTSIDE

Hot tub (a firm favourite with The Callaghan Posse), bbq hut, sauna hut, a large decked area and a very well-stocked woodshed.  Great in Winter but I’d imagine this property would come into its own in the Spring, Summer and Autumn with romantic riverside walks and treks through the forests.  But for us, Winter wins every time!

THINGS TO DO

As well as exploring the lovely pine forests or roaming the snow-covered land, there’s plenty to keep little ones occupied.  At the property there’s plastic sleds and fantastic kick sleds to avail of in the winter.  Lily-Belle and Matilda had hours of fun going up and down the long lane on them.  In winter the frozen river makes a great playground and is the perfect vantage point for Seeing the Northern Lights.  Of course there’s the superb hot tub for those wishing to relax and admire the frozen landscape.  The hot tub was relatively quick to fill (60-90 minutes), and took a little over 5 hours to heat (it’s winter and it’s -28°C).  There’s also board games and books.  As our stay was only for 2 nights we didn’t use the indoor/outdoor sauna or the bbq hut…but we will next time!

READ ALL ABOUT OUR NORTHERN LIGHTS HUNT IN FINNISH LAPLAND

FULL OF CHARACTER AND CHARM

Although the property is only 67 m², what it lacks in size it more than makes up for in ‘character and charm’.  Floors throughout are all wooden (painted) for ease of cleaning.  All in all the property is surprisingly spacious, spotlessly clean and more than adequate for 6 people…fresh, modern and very homely.  It’s seriously very difficult not to fall in love with A Cosy Cottage by the River.  And the sunsets and sunrises are out of this world!

WOULD WE GO BACK?

Before snow could settle on your head, yes we would….in fact, we’ve already booked to return in 2020.  The beautiful modern cosy cottage is set in a stunning location.  Being in close proximity to Rovaniemi and Santa Claus Holiday village, makes A Cosy Cottage by the River the perfect base camp.  Outside hot tub, kick-sleds, a secluded and peaceful location…did we mention a hot tub.  Book this fantastic AirBnB property and you won’t be disappointed.

With a very special THANK YOU to:

• Anna and Samuli – for your exceptional warmth and kindness.

We are very grateful to you for your warm welcome and for allowing The Callaghan Posse to stay in your beautiful Cosy Cottage by the River.  Looking forward to returning in 2020.

LILY-BELLE SAYS (10)
The cottage was really modern and beautiful and located right beside a frozen river.  The hot tub took quite long to heat up but was definitely worth the wait.  The plastic sleds and kick-sleds were so much fun and I really enjoyed using them.  I would definitively return to this cottage.

MATILDA SAYS (4)
The snow was really deep and I had lots of fun on the kick-sleds with Lily-Belle.  We saw the Northern Lights which was really good.  The hot tub was too hot so Daddy put in snow to cool it down which was funny.

Travel Itinerary

AirBnB:  visit Airbnb and search for A COZY COTTAGE BY THE RIVER – NOTE: cozy with a Z
Location:  just 20 mins from Santa Claus Holiday Village
Pricing:  we paid £115 per night (from €110 to €130 per night, price depends on season)
Price Includes:  entire cottage (sleeps 6), all linen/towels, use of hot tub, sauna, bbq, sleds and kick-sleds.
Date(s) of visit:  6th March – 8th March 2019 (3 days / 2 nights)

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