Glass Igloos of Finland
If these photos don’t make you want to stay in a glass igloo… nothing will…
You had me at glass igloo
When I first saw a photo of the glass igloos of Kakslauttanen in Finland, I was entranced, and immediately dreamt about staying there. So when I did the Auxiliares Program in Spain, I figured it was the best time to tick that dream off the list. I mean, who can resist falling asleep with nothing but stars and, if you are lucky, the northern lights visibly over your head?
But hey, rather than waffle on about our stay there, we figured our photos are much more enticing…
Feeling pinspired? Hover and click on the images to save them to your Pinterest boards!
#BedroomGoals
There’s nothing like waking up to sunlight softly streaming through snow-capped pine trees…
Whilst it looks cold on the outside, the inside is heated and toasty-warm…
Glass Igloos at night
Mesmerising by day, the glass igloos look magical at night, lit up amongst the snow and the stars…
For those a little shy for the glass igloos, you can stay in rooms completely made out of snow!
If you want the ultimate white wedding, why not in a glass chapel, surrounded by a white, winter wonderland?
Husky Safari through Lapland
You can also arrange fun activities at the hotel. The Husky Safari is an absolute must! Not only is it a chance to get the adrenaline racing, it’s also one of the best ways to see the undeniable beauty of Finnish Lapland.
Want to read more about our Finland adventure? Check out our post!
Winter Wonderland
We are normally beach people and prefer the warmer weather, but seeing the sun rise through the snow-covered trees was absolutely magical and swayed me to embrace the cold and the forest. It really felt like we were in a fairytale.
The Finnish Sauna – Getting in touch with nature… literally
Did you know that the word Sauna is the only Finnish word that has been internationally accepted in other languages? It seems appropriate, as it is quite the pastime. If you want the true Lappish experience, you should sit in the heated room, naked, until it becomes unbearable. Then, and only then, you should run outside and roll in the snow. It’s said to have wonderful health properties, such as improving blood circulation, but I’m pretty sure we all do it just for the rush.
Guy and I are not ones to miss out on experiencing the local culture, so off we went, to our respective saunas (they are segregated for each gender), and into the snow we jumped. I was more concerned about slipping on the ice and knocking myself out, naked, than how cold the snow would be, but I did it, and kinda loved it! It’s a very invigorating experience, and I ended up making naked snow angels, giggling at the oddity of it all… twice (sorrynotsorry for the visuals!)!
Snow fun!
For those who are still very in touch with their inner-child, you’ve got plenty of opportunities to make snow angels and have snowball fights in fresh, soft powder…
Food, glorious food!
There are no cooking facilities in the glass igloos, however, the onsite restaurant makes up for that with delicious meals. They aren’t cheap, but the taste of a delicious, warm meal on a cold evening is priceless… Depending where your accommodation is located, you can enjoy a drink in the glass igloo bar.
The Northern Lights
If you are very lucky, you might even catch the fascinating and awe-inspiring aurora borealis (northern lights). The aurora is a fickle thing though, and only appears when the skies are clear and electrically charged particles from the sun collide with gases in the earth’s atmosphere. Luckily for us, we got a glimpse…
Unfortunately for us, it was still quite a cloudy night, so the glimpse we got was so fleeting and quick, I didn’t have time to properly set up my camera, so the photos didn’t turn out as great as I’d hoped (we happened to just be walking back to our igloo from the restaurant when we saw them). We also briefly saw it from our igloo in bed (a moment I’ll never forget!), but the clouds quickly covered it up.
Are you convinced? Is staying in a Glass Igloo at Kakslauttanen on your bucket list? If so, you should definitely start saving and start booking! These igloos are pretty popular and I booked our accommodation close to 10 months in advance (and got the last one!). When you are there, don’t forget to take the obligatory selfie! 🙂
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Finally somebody who’s been there! I’ve drooled over that Pinterest image too. It looks amazing, another one for the bucket list!
Thank you Alyson! It is definitely worthy of being a bucket list item!
omg I am sooo jealous! This has been on my list ever since I saw it on buzzfeed or refinery 29 one of those sites. I want to see the northern lights so badly. I’m moving to London this summer so I trip to Finland will be lots easier
How exciting! London will be a great gateway to see the Northern Lights! We totally recommend booking a night at Kakslauttanen!
Unreal!! It seems such a LOOOOOOONG way from the arid, RED Australian Outback where I spend a lot of time!! I’ve actually only seen snow 3 or 4 times in my whole life but if I wanted a snow overload, this is where I’d do it – especially if the Northern Lights came to the party as well!
Oh, it is at the other end of the landscape spectrum, I’m sure! We really want to visit the Australian Outback one day (which is a lot closer than Finland!). Where about’s are you based?
I’m so jealous! I’ve wanted to stay in those glass igloos since I first saw them on Pinterest. I’m trying to convince my family to go there for Christmas this year.
DO IT! It was a really unique experience and if you get some good weather, you might be lucky enough to get in the sights of the Aurora right from your very bed. Uber cool.
I’ve seen these igloo hotels on my feed for years and I’m dying to stay in here. The husky safari makes it the ultimate winter getaway!
The husky safari was AMAZING, so much fun and really anyone can do it. Hopefully one day you get to visit!
Omg you got to go! I’ve seen this place everywhere! I would love to do the glsss igloo but it’s good to know that there are more private options.
Hi Victoria, yeah the privacy is definitely an issue for some. Not everything is Insta-worthy…
Wow this is amazing. We have an ice castle in Edmonton, but it’s very different compared to this. I love winter activities like. But not sure about the whole naked sauna and rolling in the snow thing (naked). Although I’ve been in Canada for a really long time and should have gotten used to the cold, I still wear a sweater in 10-degree celsius weather. This will be added to my growing list of itinerary when travelling through Europe.
Winter is fantastic for all sorts of outdoor activities and you sound like a pro already! The naked sauna is a little daunting but when in Finland, right? Thanks for commenting!
What an exotic looking experience! Does it get cold inside the igloo? I would imagine that the sun coming through the glass might actually heat it up a lot. Thanks for the advice on booking in advance!
Hi Astrid, it’s heated inside the igloo so not too cold, quite toasty actually. But the igloos are set within a forest area within the Lapland so it stays VERY cold outside of the igloo and never gets too hot inside!
Epic! I had no idea that you guys had done this! Kakslauttanen is my bucketlist item too – I was in Finland in February of 200 but as a solo backpacker it was hostels for me – still an incredible atomsphere, and I can’t wait to go back. I completely missed the northern lights, missed this igloo experience & missed the husky safari – so definitely need to plan another trip & do it right this time!!
The Northern Lights were so hard for us to catch as well, it was like a NASA space launch – everything had to be just right. In the end we were beaten by the weather/conditions but it didn’t stop us from enjoying the rest of the Lapland!
Love, love, love this. I’ve seen it somewhere before. I think it was a video. This is simpily incredible. The photos look awesome and who doesn’t like the snow…well sometimes people like me who are from Canada lol…This is on my to go to list for sure!!!
This is awesome. It reminds me of winter in Jasper, except without the glass igloo. Which is a really neat concept. Would love to have the opportunity to sleep in one. I used to live more north so seeing the Northern lights was something I really enjoyed, and seeing this is making me miss it.