Finland’s Winter Wonders

Getting There

Emirates (emirates. com) has flights from Delhi to Helsinki via Dubai. It’s a good idea to spend at least one night in the city to break up the journey. Stay at the buzzy Hotel St. George (doubles from `15,738; stgeorgehelsinki.com), a former printing house with a 300-piece art collection, or at Hotel Kämp (doubles from `26,595; hotelkamp.com), Helsinki’s ultimate grande dame.

Rovaniemi

It’s a 90-minute flight to Lapland’s administrative capital. From there, take a private transfer to the ultra-luxe, allinclusive Octola (from `12,70,741 per night; octola.com)— it’s so exclusive, not even cabbies know its real address. The main lodge is divided into two sections—one with four bedrooms and one with six—or you can book the whole thing. A new two-bedroom villa is set to open for smaller parties.

Saariselkä

From Rovaniemi, the drive north to this resort village takes about three hours. Kakslauttanen Arctic Resort (doubles from `42,843, including breakfast and dinner; kakslauttanen.fi), a massive, familyfriendly operation, recently launched a new accommodation option: roomy chalets built with kelo, a kind of pinewood, with a glass dome over the bedroom and a private sauna. It’s a half-hour’s drive from Ivalo Airport, where you can catch your flight back to Helsinki.