Here are the available villas for rental in Lapland.

Review by Joel from Manchester

Lapland was a truly amazing place, magical in fact and a must for any winter sports enthusiasts.

The place has so much to offer from it's excellent ski slopes to memorable Husky Rides and the excitment of driving your very own snow mobile across the wintery plains.

And if you are lucky, like us, you'll catch the Northern Lights in all there glory.

A fantastic place to visit, if you've always wondered what it would be like then don't hesitate and go today!

Red nose day with Santa

Just an hour into the trip, 30,000ft over an icy ocean, and I'm already wondering why I'm searching for Santa on a day trip to Finnish Lapland.
The excited children have taken over the aircraft's PA system and are breaking into a chorus of When Santa Got Stuck Up The Chimney. Some of them are singing in a pitch that can be heard only by dogs and some types of sea mammal.
Still, I expect it's different when it's 'one of your own' (I'd failed to procure a small child to bring with me), especially when they start telling dirty jokes and have the microphone grabbed from them.
Our destination was the town of Rovaniemi in northern Finland. I was quite intrigued - after all, it's not every day you get the chance to experience being inside the Arctic Circle, and with the sun beaming down on a crisp December morning just how cold could it be?
Ahem. Minus 35C is a temperature I assumed was reserved for freezing inert gases in laboratory experiments, but it appears some people actually live in these conditions.
Admittedly, even the local guides had to concede it was 'a bit chilly' - there was a freak cold snap on the day we arrived. Apparently, school is cancelled only if the temperature dips below minus 40.
I imagine that in such conditions the teachers are too busy fighting off advanced hypothermia to give a maths lesson.
But Santa must be found at all costs, and we're kitted out in bountiful layers of thermal overalls and boots to insulate our temperate extremities.
Though everyone is wrapped up impenetrably, you can tell it's a different kind of cold outside. Cold that could hurt you.
That said, the immediate scenery is spectacular, especially if you're into heavy snowfall and fir trees. ... more

Was Santa taking us for a ride?

From the Mail on Sunday

What a brilliant idea - a day trip to the Arctic Circle, just before Christmas-to take your kids to meet Santa Claus in Lapland.
Mind you, taking a large family for the day costs almost as much as buying a terraced house in Hull - but it must be worth it, because Santa wouldn't rip off the kids, would he?
Father Christmas lives in a pine forest outside the Finnish town of Rovaniemi which, from the air, looks like an ugly industrial centre.
By the time we touched down at Rovaniemi Airport, my children, Betty and Bill, were very excited.
Even though we'd been up since the small hours, the time difference between Finland and the UK meant there was only an hour or two of daylight left.
Surely we would rush off to see Father Christmas before it got dark? No. First, we had a Lappish arrival ceremony, in a pitch black, smoke-filled wigwam. It was a dryly humorous affair conducted by a Lapp with a big knife and when we emerged, our eyes crying with the smoke, the daylight had all but gone, so it was off to lunch.
The children were confused. Indeed all our stomachs were confused, as we had only just breakfasted on the plane. Where was Father Christmas? Just making sure we were well fed, that was all.
After lunch the temperature had plummeted to minus eight centigrade (quite a warm evening for Lapland, apparently) when we set off at last to see Santa.
He had arranged for us to visit him by reindeer sleigh and snowmobile, returning by dog sled, which was tremendously exciting.
We boarded our sleighs, the handler cracked his whip and off we went. We didn't get far - about five yards - before the reindeer started fighting, their antlers smacking into each other like two hat stands locked in combat. ... more

Everything for families

I have travelled to and around Finland several times and enjoyed every minute. The place is fantastic, the people are wonderful. They sure know how to look after you and how to party.
Helsinki, wow, what a place. You can get anywhere from there, a great place to start on your Finnish experience. While you're there it's a must to catch the night train to Lapland and see Santa, no matter what time of year you go, he's never too busy to say hello and have a photo taken.
For families, the Fins are great, everything is centred around families. Give it a go, you'll love it!