Lapland for grown-ups

Forget Father Christmas. This corner of northern Finland is perfect for an adults-only adventure, says Victoria Monk

Even well after Christmas, arriving at Rovaniemi airport is like something out of a childhood dream. Large pictures of Santa Claus adorn the check-in desks, delicate reindeer figurines are poised in the middle of the luggage conveyor belt and swarms of wide-eyed children rush off the planes on their quest to find the man in the red suit. Given that we do not have children, I wonder if I have made a terrible mistake in bringing my boyfriend to Lapland.

Thankfully, Leo is waiting outside. He is the son of Magdalena and Onni, the owners of Beana Laponia; an adults-only boutique hotel set in the remote wilderness 37 miles (60km) north of Rovaniemi in northern Finnish Lapland. As we pull away from the throngs of babbling children, the surrounding buildings quickly thin out and within five minutes we are driving down the highway with nothing on either side bar the occasional colourful wooden house. The landscape is completely flat, covered in a thick blanket of snow.

Forty-five minutes later, the car pulls off the road on to a winding track in the middle of the forest and we arrive at a red Nordic lodge – our base for the next four days. Beana is Sami for “dog”, and Leo also explains that each of the 11 rooms are themed around one of the family’s favourite huskies, while elsewhere in the hotel animal hides – bear, reindeer, fox – are draped over sofas and line the walls.

Outside, the snowy forest looks both exciting and eerie, but before we can go exploring we are taken downstairs to the kit room. It is 12F (-11C) outside, and apparently our ski jackets won’t quite cut it. Leo equips us with all-in-one thermal boiler suits, as well as fur-lined boots, thick gloves and wool balaclavas. First on the agenda is a visit to a nearby reindeer farm to meet the local celebrities.

Apparently, they are an important part of the local diet, so it is with some relief that, later that evening when we are treated to our first Finnish meal, there is no reindeer on the menu. Almost everything is sourced in the surrounding fields, though at this time

BETTER THAN A SLEIGHSnowmobile rides at Beana Laponia, right