Rovaniemi, Finland, has long claimed to be the hometown of one Santa Claus.
And now, this far-north town transected by the Arctic Circle will be home to a luxury boutique hotel worthy of the bearded one.
Rovaniemi is a popular tourist destination, with a wealth of legitimately terrific outdoor activities (some involving reindeer) along with a full slate of Santa-centric attractions — like his namesake village, with its “North Pole” post office. The city’s accommodations, however, have lagged.
That will change with the mid-November debut of the Arctic TreeHouse Hotel, 37 high-end rooms at the SantaPark complex designed by Helsinki architecture firm Studio Puisto. The standouts are five “Arctic Glass Houses,” with floor-to-ceiling windows looking into the Finnish forest or, ideally, onto spectacular nighttime displays of the Northern Lights.
Ready to go? Santa season lasts, unsurprisingly, through Christmas. If your interests focus more on the aurora, popular sentiment gives the edge to the coldest, clearest nights — in January.
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