Hotel Iso-Syöte

“bear cave suite - simply wow”

The wow factor is the location with valley view. The other wow factor was our bear cave suite. Whirlpool, large sauna, fireplace, steam bath, two bathrooms and a lounge area. The room is on the lowest level, but the windows are mirrored so that you can't see into the room. Minor points of criticism… more

The wow factor is the location with valley view. The other wow factor was our bear cave suite. Whirlpool, large sauna, fireplace, steam bath, two bathrooms and a lounge area. The room is on the lowest level, but the windows are mirrored so that you can't see into the room. Minor points of criticism were the poorly cleaned fireplace glass and the lack of a coffee machine (only kettle). Thanks to its elevated location, the surrounding area receives much more snow than in the valley, a beautiful snow landscape- the highlight for us. The hotel has modern designed spaces (e.g. fireplace and terrace), but also places wirh retro charme (e.g. the huge dining room with carpeted floor and the exterior façade). We didn't book any excursions, but took long walks individually through the snow-covered landscape behind the hotel. As the hotel is very remote, the activities around the hotel are limited. There is a small ski area nearby and one of the lifts runs right up to the hotel. We always ate at the hotel. The evening buffet was so-so but the à la carte selection was fine. The best part was the cake selection at the bar during daytime. Also the pies and lasagna looked good, sadly they weren't available in the evening. The fireplace corner is a nice an cozy place for aperitif and after dinner drinks.

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“Above expectations”

Great hotel that deserves 4 stars. Very friendly staff and guides. Good location and accomodation. Variety of food and enough time to eat during all shifts. Perfect for Lapland starters. Skislopes bit short though. Pity there was no small fitness. Spa is small : pool, 1 sauna, 1 steam bath, 1 jacuz… more

Great hotel that deserves 4 stars. Very friendly staff and guides. Good location and accomodation. Variety of food and enough time to eat during all shifts. Perfect for Lapland starters. Skislopes bit short though. Pity there was no small fitness. Spa is small : pool, 1 sauna, 1 steam bath, 1 jacuzzi.

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“Do not miss this experience. One in the lifetime have to visit”

Iso Syöte Hotel & Safaris is a winter wonderland come to life! The snowmobile journey across frozen landscapes was a highlight, matched by the heartwarming dog sledging and enchanting reindeer trips. Our Aurora Suite was a cozy retreat after days filled with adventure and exploring the snowy slopes… more

Iso Syöte Hotel & Safaris is a winter wonderland come to life! The snowmobile journey across frozen landscapes was a highlight, matched by the heartwarming dog sledging and enchanting reindeer trips. Our Aurora Suite was a cozy retreat after days filled with adventure and exploring the snowy slopes. While the northern lights played hide and seek, the delightful food and welcoming ambiance more than made up for it. Don't miss out on the Phoenix, Bear, or Eagle Nest suites for a stay filled with wonder and warmth!

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“Great location, disappointing hotel experience”

We were very much looking forward to this trip (a trip of a lifetime). Although its a couple of hours in a car (South) of the airport at Rovaniemi we wanted to experience the 'authentic' Finland at Christmas. The transfers organised by the hotel to/from the airport were very good. Arrival at the… more

We were very much looking forward to this trip (a trip of a lifetime). Although its a couple of hours in a car (South) of the airport at Rovaniemi we wanted to experience the 'authentic' Finland at Christmas. The transfers organised by the hotel to/from the airport were very good. Arrival at the resort was at night and the reception staff were ok, not exactly welcoming. We got the impression that they didnt really want to speak English with us. Upon arrival, they told us that our itinerary (which we had meticulously planned out with them over several emails in the prior months) had changed and we were given a new schedule. This was for the activities we had planned for the trip i.e. ice fishing, dog sledding, reindeer rides, northern lights etc). Our accommodation was one of the lodges near the front entrance of the hotel. The lodge we had was nice and warm, clean and had 3 bedrooms, two bathrooms, kitchen and lounge. There was a log burner fireplace but no logs and no ability to light a fire. Even though this was self catering there were no shops to buy food and supplies from. There were some gift shop items but really no way of using the self catering facilities. The meals in the hotel were nice, but overpriced for what they were. The staff in the restaurant were perfunctory. The worst part really was the lack of organisation with the activities. When we turned up the first morning, we were told, rather abruptly, by the reception staff that we were to sit and wait for the guides to tell us what was happening. When we turned up for the dog sledding we were told that it had been cancelled and we should have been told (?) We received no emails or texts or even a knock on the door to the lodge. When we turned up for the reindeer trip we were told that we had missed it and when we said we were working to the times given us our new itinerary they didnt believe us until we produced the paperwork and then they apologised and drove us down to the event in one of their cars. I did talk to some of the other guests during our stay and my conclusion is that this hotel is better set up for groups (from Spain and France) than for family groups (from England). The location is lovely but the lack of friendliness to us meant it felt like a very long and disappointing week.

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