Spending Christmas at home with family is a tradition that certainly has its charms—the twinkling tree dotted with heirloom ornaments, the intoxicating smell of Grandma's gingerbread cookies, the small-town Christmas parades. But we'd be lying if we said that hosting the holidays at home didn't come with its fair share of stressful moments—the kind that make you wish you could just jet off to some quiet, far-flung location on the edge of the world and savor what the holiday season is really all about.
Enter the Kakslauttanen Arctic Resort. Visting this magical winter resort is at the top of our holiday season bucket list. Located off the beaten path in Finnish Lapland, vistors find themselves surrounded by blankets of snow, stark-but-beautiful woods, and tons of fresh air. The family hotel was launched in 1973 by a man name Jussi. According to the resort's website, he was on his way back to central Finland from a fishing trip to the country's northernmost village when he ran out of gas. He was forced to set up camp for the night, and fell in love with the peaceful surroundings of Kakslauttanen—and so he kept returning, year after year.
What began with a simple cabin and small cafe is now a full-blown resort destination with smoke saunas, two restaurants, and a variety of unique accommodations: In addition to rugged log cabins and snow igloos, you'll find a field of glass igloos that allow guests to gaze up at the Northern Lights as they fall asleep, snuggled up in their beds.
And if you are visiting during the Christmas season, you can even visit Santa's Home, a quaint red cabin on the property, reached by a wooden walking bridge.
Can you think of any place cozier or more peaceful to spend the holidays?
(h/t Atlas Obscura)
Lauren (she/her) is the digital content director of the Hearst Lifestyle Group, where she oversees online content and strategy for Good Housekeeping, Woman's Day and other Hearst titles, including SEO, video, social media and e-commerce efforts. She has almost 20 years of experience writing and editing beauty, lifestyle, home, health, entertainment and product review content. She graduated from NYU with a degree in journalism and history.
