To help increase the chance that I would view the northern lights during this trip, I decided to book reservations for two nights at Aurora Pyramids in Köngäs in Finland, as each individual cabin is equipped with a large glass pyramid to view the sky from the comfort of being inside a heated area.
Aurora Pyramids in Köngäs in Finland. Hotel Review.
I arrived too late to check in on site because I had just driven almost four hours from Kiruna in Sweden — where I walked 4.7 kilometers to get to the airport to pick up the rental car…
…so I checked in for my stay at the front desk of Hullu Poro Hotel in Levi before enjoying an excellent meal of traditional Finnish food at Ravintola Ämmilä, which the woman behind the front desk recommended. That the restaurant was only meters away from that front desk was certainly a bonus.
A total of eleven cabins with glass pyramids are on site; and few were occupied during my stay.
The cabin itself had a wooden lounge chair, a regular wooden chair, and two small tables on the wooden porch outside. The pyramid area was located in the rear of the wooden cabin.
On the left side of the cabin after walking through its front entrance is a vestibule which is an open closet with two hooks for coats, a fire alarm, a large mirror…
…six hangers, a fire extinguisher, and an ottoman of sorts which opens up…
…and contains extra bedding and linens.
The Bathroom
The bathroom is located to the right of the entrance of the cabin inside of the vestibule. The door on the left is to the main bedroom area of the cabin. The bathroom is equipped with a sink, a vanity with two drawers, a soap dispenser, a box of tissues, an illuminated oval mirror, a small closed trash receptacle, two small hooks above the trash receptacle between the vanity and the entrance to the bathroom, and a shelf that had one large towel and one hand towel. A roll of toilet paper is on the right side of the vanity under the shelf with the towels.
As the soap dispenser that was mounted on the wall did not work properly, having two tubes of shower gel helped. Two tubes of a combination of shampoo and conditioner were also provided. I have never heard of the brand of these products, which was Diverse.
The shower area was one of the goofiest designs I have seen in years: the infamously inexplicable European partial partition — which was curved and could be moved, similar to a door — right next to the toilet with the push button flusher at the top of the tank. A floor mat towel was folded and available on the toilet. A large squeegee is provided to help clean up the inevitably drenching mess from showering.
The shower area itself has both a rain shower head overhead and a sprayer — as well as knobs to turn on the water and adjust the temperature. The water pressure and temperature were good — but as expected, the water splashed everywhere.
A roll of some type of thick paper towels, an electric hand-held hair dryer, and extra towels were located in the top drawer of the vanity.
More extra towels were supplied in the bottom drawer of the vanity. The floor of the bathroom itself was heated, which was quite useful in the Arctic temperatures.
The Main Area of the Cabin
Upon entering the room, one encounters a shelf with seating — and beyond that shelf is the bed and a flat screen television.
The bed in the main area of the cabin was actually two twin beds; and it was quite comfortable. We slept well in the bed.
The layout of the room was similar to that of the Hilton Helsinki Strand hotel property, where I stayed seven years ago.
Hanging off of each side of the bed above a plush rug was a remote control…
…which controls different positions of the bed.
Stowed under the bed was what appeared to be an electric heater. It was not needed, as the room was quite warm despite the outside temperature being -8.7 degrees Celsius, which is approximately 16.34 degrees Fahrenheit.
The temperature and lighting for the entire cabin can be controlled by a small touch screen that is mounted on the wall. One window on the north side of the glass pyramid is heated in case the window is covered with any snow, ice, or fogging that could potentially block the view of the northern lights — should they appear.
A dresser and a small table were on one side of the cabin.
On the dresser was information about Aurora Pyramids — as well as two books called Hullu Poro Feelings, tastes and sounds, as one book was in English and the other book was in Finnish.
Also on the dresser were two picture frames — both of which showed the same message: one in Finnish; and one in English:
The Power
of the Aurora PyramidStaying under the Pyramid’s golden peak will crown you with the cosmic energies which give you a connection to the universe and its healing power.
The copper wells embedded in the floor helps remove excess cosmic radiation from the Pyramid.
Meditating and sleeping in the Pyramid will help you relax, focus on your thoughts, balance and cleanse your energy centres.
The Pyramid will make you shine like a bright shining star.
You can feel the power of the magical sky of Lapland right here!
#LightUp Your Aura @AuroraPyramids_elvesvillage
I even liked the view of the top of the glass pyramid directly from the bed.
Kitchenette
The climate control unit is above the entrance to the main area of the cabin; and a small kitchenette is located in the southeast corner on the right of the entrance which is equipped with a sink, a cutting board, and a coffee and tea station. On the shelf above the sink is enough glassware and plates for four people.
The drawer contained enough silverware for four people.
Under the drawer inside of the cabinet was a miniature refrigerator.
Inside of the cabinet under the sink and adjacent to the miniature refrigerator was extra bedding, a garbage can, a scrub brush, and a towel.
Views
The pyramid itself offered the only views to the outside…
…while the porch outside the front door opened to views to the west…
…and south and east of the cabin.
Breakfast
Breakfast was included in the room rate at the Tonttula Elves Village Café & Restaurant, which also included a souvenir shop and the reception desk itself.
One can drive or take a short walk through the arctic tundra to get from one of the cabins to the main building.
Despite the seating arrangement to encourage guests to enjoy breakfast with each other, very few guests showed up for breakfast, which was only available for one hour between 8:00 in the morning and 9:00 in the morning.
Christmas music played as we dined among the festive gifts that were for sale. The experience was rather unique and yet cozy. I truly enjoyed both the food and the ambiance.
Miniature sausages; bacon omelettes with tomatoes, cream cheese, and butter; and beans in tomato sauce were in the heated metal chafing dishes. Assorted fresh fruit and crackers were also available.
A sign wishing a “Good Morning start your day with a grateful heart and a positive mindset!” was among the oatmeal, stewed blackberries and strawberries, dry cereals, and assorted condiments on one of the buffet tables.
I usually do not particularly care for salami; but I enjoyed multiple servings of the porosalami or reindeer salami, which is the darkest of the meats on the left as shown in the above photograph.
Smoked salmon and assorted cheeses and eggs were also part of the breakfast buffet.
Although näkkileipä — which is a traditional crispy rye bread in Finland…
…as well as croissants and assorted breads were available, my favorite was the traditional dark Finnish bread on the left in the above photograph.
Even a waffle iron was available where guests can prepare their own homemade waffles…
…as well as all sorts of different toppings for the waffles — or breads, or anything else that was offered at the breakfast buffet, for that matter.
On the walk down the road back to the cabin after breakfast, we heard deep sounds that almost sounded like cows mooing — but they were sheep! They had plenty of room to roam and plenty of food to eat — but they wanted to be petted, which is unusual for sheep. We obliged; and they loved the attention.
Final Boarding Call
Whether or not I was able to view the northern lights, I enjoyed my stay at this hotel property, as it felt quiet, comfortable, clean, and cozy. Members of the staff were incredibly nice, polite, friendly, and accommodating. I highly recommend staying at this lodging option when in the Levi area of the Laplands of Finland.
The total cost for the room for two nights was $803.66 in United States dollars, including all taxes and fees. At $401.83 per night, this was one of the more expensive lodging options for which I had ever paid — but was the experience worth the price?
Well, just before I was to I pay for it with my Chase Sapphire Reserve credit card, I received one offer that if I booked my hotel reservation through Chase Travel for the first time, I would receive $100.00 cash back; and I received another offer that I would earn 20,000 bonus Ultimate Rewards points. I am not sure whether those offers “stack” — that is, I can use them both for the same reservation — but if they do, I will have spent a total of $450.00 for both nights after redeeming enough Ultimate Rewards points to get the total cost of lodging down to $550.00. That means that I will have spent $225.00 per night in cash in total after redemption of Ultimate Rewards points.
This hotel property is located off of Ounasjoentie or Highway 956 in the Laplands of Finland.
Aurora Pyramids
Rakkavaarantie 5
99130 Levi
Finland
+358 40 714 8879
Aurora Pyramids
Palosaarentie 30
99140 Köngäs
Finland
+358 16 6510 500
Free parking is available on site…
…but despite what I paid for lodging at Aurora Pyramids, was I able to see the northern lights? Was the investment worth the experience as other less expensive lodging options were available?
Well, unfortunately, once I arrived and settled in, the forecast from multiple sources for seeing the northern lights that night was not all that good…
All photographs ©2024 by Brian Cohen.
