The most magical holiday
05 Jan , 2024
lisadarleyx, 186337
We have just returned from a 4 night stay 22-26th December. All I can say is wow, we have already rebooked to come back next Christmas for 7 nights in the same hotel we loved it that much. So we booked our package deal with TUI and blew from Birmingham to Kittila airport. We had a 6am flight and decided to stay in hotel Ibis at the airport the night before so we could get a couple of hours rest as we have a five year old little girl and thought it wouldn’t be fair to wake her up really early as we was travelling from Liverpool to Birmingham.
The staff at the airport were amazing, dressed as elves and came over to speak to each child individually asking them if they have been good etc. Again the staff on the plane were amazing with the children and had them singing Christmas songs at the front and back of the plane and entertaining them with some games. The pilot dropped the plane a few times and said Santa had landed on the plane with his reindeers when we were close to landing.
Upon arrival at the airport the whole process was really quick, we went through customs collected our luggage and was shows to our coach were we put our luggage and then walked back to a small building right by the coaches. This is were we collected our snow suits, boots and gloves etc. They gave us a large bag to put it all in and we pulled it along the snow back to the coach and off we went. In total it took about 30/40 mins to arrive to the hotel but it felt like 10 mins as the view was just unbelievable.
When we arrived at the hotel we were lucky enough that our room was ready to check in straight away and wow what a view we had from our room. We were second floor so our door open straight into the slopes which was definitely a deal breaker for us as we could just walk out our room and play on the sledges on the slopes.
We were bed and breakfast which was perfect for us as we like to try new places and not be tied down to bullet food. The first night we ate our tea in the hotel which was really nice food and reasonable price. I think it came to €70 to two adults and a child with drinks included in that price. The remaining nights we went for a meal in the local restaurants which were about 2/3 mins walk from the hotel. Again all the restaurants were really nice and reasonable price.
The hotel is situated in a really great location right next to the ski slopes, restaurants, ski rental shop, tourist shop were you can book extra excursions.
Although we arrived the 22nd of December and did not have extra excursions booked, surprisingly they had them all still available such as husky ride, reindeer ride, snowmobiling, so we just booked all this when we arrived. We booked private ski lessons on Christmas Day and also rented the ski equipment from the hotel which was about €40 each for the day. We had such a good time skiing and would highly recommend the slopes here as they have a huge variety of slopes.
The spa- wow the spa area was much nicer in person than the photos (it still looked beautiful online but in person it was even nicer) they had armbands, swimming goggles, toys, floats etc all available free of charge for the kids to use in the main pool. I read some reviews online that the pool was freezing however we didn’t find it cold. The mini kids part was obviously a lot warmer and also they had two little hot tub areas, one of which was like a mini cave with colourful lights building into the ceiling. The pool didn’t open until 1pm which is handy to know as we went down in our swim clothes after breakfast and didn’t realise it wasn’t open.
The hotel has free sledges for the children to use outside the hotel inside a box which is really handy as well our little one loved being pulled around on the sledge when she was tired. On the slopes there is a small kids area with an open fire to roast marshmallows and sausages etc and a kids playground which surprising the kids loved even in the cold my daughter was playing on the slide and swings and it was great for us adults to sit and warm up. They also had sledging areas located here which we all had sledge races and played for hours on end.
Overall we had such a magical time and can’t wait to return in December for 7 nights.
Decent stay
01 Jan , 2024
d4vealex, 190747
We stayed as part of a TUI Lapland trip, the staff were all very helpful and friendly from the moment we arrived to the moment we left.
The rooms are a little dated, we had a twin with a pull out sofa bed, bit of a squeeze for a family of 4. Bathroom had a shower, no bath. Beds were comfortable enough.
The buffet breakfast was decent enough, although there was no variation so after 4 days was a little samey. Little things like a decent coffee being chargeable doesn’t help either. We also ate from the bar one evening (Bistro menu), which was again fine, menu very similar in all the resort eateries, and the staff also seemed to appear over the road in Taiga too.
Swimming pool was a handy addition, a little cold mind, but addition of a couple of jacuzzis is good.
Overall a decent stay, and would return for skiing in Ylläs.
TUI + Saaga Hotel - a horrible and shambolic mess.
25 Dec , 2023
PZ2013, 186338
We’ve just returned from what was a pretty shambolic, awful and upsetting, experience with TUI in Lapland.
Whilst we were really pleased with the welcome at Gatwick, and the staff at the airport and onboard were wonderful, the issues started as soon as we arrived at the Saaga Hotel. And a saga it was.
Room allocation
As we arrived, we were allocated a room, allegedly a 10 min walk from the main hotel building. Having been awake since 2am, we were told to drag ourselves, our luggage, our sack of snowsuits, and our 5 year old across the snow, to a block of chalets.
Staff pointed in the general vicinity of a a few buildings in the distance. When we figured out the difference between what was on the piece of paper we were given, and the name of the building we were actually due to be in, we got our room - 30 mins later.
Upon arrival, we unpacked for a couple of hours and decided to begin our holiday and play in the snow.
As we were getting ready to leave, suddenly, our room door opens.
We heard some voices outside and quickly realised it was another family coming in - they had been allocated the same room.
Luckily, despite being mid getting dressed to go out, we were all decent.
The family who were trying to come in were equally as tired and despondent as we were.
After numerous phone calls (from our own phones as the rooms didn’t have any despite being 15 mins away from the main hotel), we were told that we had actually been allocated the wrong room and had to move.
We’d spent about two hours unpacking and were not too pleased to say the least.
The discussions continued and a ‘shift manager’ eventually made her way to the block.
Upon arrival, this incredibly rude lady told us we had to move and that was that. We questioned why they just couldn’t give the other family another room. They initially told us the hotel was fully booked, but they then said there were no others in the ‘category’ they had booked for.
They were adamant we had to pack our things and move. We weren’t too happy and wanted to see what alternative they could offer. Having spent so much time unpacking, we explained that we didn’t mind them moving us if they were happy to move our things for us to avoid us spending another 2 hours packing and unpacking.
When you’re on a three day holiday, this time is important.
Whilst we were negotiating the next course of action, three members of the hotel staff barged into the room (two men and one woman) and started remaking the beds, and cleaning the room.
This is whilst my five-year-old, my wife, and myself were sat in the room. It was quite intimating, incredibly aggressive and completely inappropriate.
As the hotel staff did what they were doing, I walked outside the room to see the ‘shift manager’ talking to the other family. It seems they did have another room after all.
We stayed in our room.
After we came back from playing in the snow, we tried to get into our room, only to find out we had been locked out. Apparently, this was an error when they initially tried to move us. We waited again, this time for 30 mins for them to bring us a new key and let us back in. More time wasted.
As ‘compensation’ for the episode, we were offered lunch and dinner in another restaurant, and not the buffet that we were entitled to as part of our package. More on that later.
The shift manager really needs more training, or just a different mindset. We were treated like we had done wrong. There was no empathy whatsoever, and the aggression was totally out of line.
The spa
We were under the impression that we could use the spa facilities at the hotel. Outside of the fact that there was a charge, it was also totally impractical for us given how far we were from the facilities.
We’d have to drag snowsuits, clothes, etc in the snow to get to the facilities. This should be made absolutely clear before booking.
The food
I don’t know where to start. Staff were lovely but to say it was horrific would be an understatement.
Greasy, beige and an absolute mess of a buffet. There was no fruit, the vegetables were dry, and the whole place smelt of a hospital canteen. It was vile. It’s not right to tell people that it’s a four star.
The Festive Finale
I have no words. The food was the somehow worse than you’d get in the previously mentioned awful buffet. The only difference was that we had to get on a coach to go elsewhere to have it. A complete waste of time.
There was entertainment. I feel for the staff who were responsible for this. The sound system didn’t work, and they had no chance. It was just embarrassing.
We were promised a ‘fireworks display’ at the end. We dragged ourselves through the night and at 10pm, the ‘display’ took place, and lasted about 30 seconds. You’d have seen more sparks if you’d waited in the smoking area outside the hotel.
The excursions
I promised my son that I’d show him a frozen lake. When we spoke to our rep, we were told that the snowmobile trip included a visit to a lake. That’s why we booked it.
There was no lake.
Whilst the trip was ok, we just did what we did the day before during the teaser - just for a little longer. The staff were really nice but the tour was disappointing to say the least.
We also did a reindeer ride, which was bizarre. We went to a cabin where a man walked around a small forest with the reindeer on a lead. The reindeer was dragging us around slowly. The poor guy must have been freezing.
In total, the two excursions cost almost 800 euros. That’s for two adults and a child. This is absolutely robbery.
I find it incredible that companies can operate like this, and the holiday was an absolute disaster on so many levels.
Our ‘magical’ trip to Lapland was far more that. I feel for the staff. This is clearly a bigger issue that isn’t directly down to them.
I have no idea how these hotels and packages are graded, but it needs looking at as we weren’t the only upset family.
The best part of it, however, was the snow.
And I’m sure that, if the hotel and TUI had any sway, they’d try to ruin that too.
We emailed TUl post trip, and had a generic response say they were 'disappointed' and will speak to the reception team. The response wasn't even thought-through but almost automated.
A complete shambles.