: Magazine eScan NS | Special Theme | Ten Destinations to Visit in Sweden in 2022
O D TI AN A i IN INL M T S F DE T IN 022 P I 2 TO VIS IN TO m he
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Autumn glory at Seaside Glass Villas.
Experience the magic of a winter wonderland, 365 days a year From cruises on a real icebreaker ship to snow safaris and island hopping, SnowCastle Resort offers unique once-in-a-lifetime experiences in Kemi, the most south-western region of Finnish Lapland – every day of the year. By Ndéla Faye | Photos: Kemi Tourism Ltd.
Located by the Bothnian Bay, the Kemi region of Sea Lapland is known for its longstanding history of building snow and ice castles, and the tradition continues each year with the building of the SnowCastle and the SnowHotel during the winter months. Inside the SnowCastle Resort’s main building is SnowExperience 365, an indoor snow and ice exhibition. Visitors can step into a real-life winter wonderland, where everything is made out of ice, complete with intricate ice sculptures – as well as a slide and a restaurant, built entirely from ice. 82 | Issue 138 | January 2022
A small town within a town “We provide our guests with a resort where they can find everything under one roof. We call it a small town within a town,” says Koutonen. The resort is within walking distance of Kemi’s town centre. The town itself is well connected to Oulu and Rovaniemi airports, and a one-and-ahalf-hour flight away from Helsinki. The resort’s heated à la carte restaurant, Lumihiutale (which means ‘snowflake’), serves the very best of Arctic delicacies, and offers diners breathtaking panoramic sea views. “For our business clients, our seaside restaurant can also be trans-
formed into an event space or meeting rooms. In the summer, the restaurant is the perfect place to enjoy the summer midnight sun, and in the winter, visitors can enjoy the starlit sky of the polar night. Because of its panoramic views, some guests might be lucky enough to get a glimpse of the northern lights,” explains Susanna Koutonen, CEO at Kemi Tourism. Ice floating.
