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amandap837
This was with out a doubt the most organised and amazing organised thing I have ever done on a holiday. We did a private trip. An elf (annalina) picked us up from Santa's village, and it was perfect from then on in. My son chatted to the Elf all about Elf magic, lives etc. We at Jollukka and went to Elf School, went inside a trolls house, decorated gingerbread cookies, roasted mashmallows, met a troll, went to meet Santa and much much more. My son was so beside himself he ask me 'mummy is this a dream or is it real' I told him it was real and I have never seen him look so happy or be speechless - he was blown away. This is the best money I have ever spent on organised activity/progam on a holiday and it will stay in our, and our child's memory for life. Amazing.
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Sandra186621
It was a trip of a life time with my husband and my 9 year old son, just magical from start to finish It was for 2 nights staying at the Sky Hotel Rovaniemi which was not that far from the airport. Trip was very well organised by Sunway and we had a lovely Elf guide called Peppermint with us during the whole tour. Lots of funfilled activities including snowmobiling, husky rides and reindear rides and lots of tobogoning. The visit to Joulukka, the magical forest is where we had our visit with Santa Clause and it was just wonderful, our son was dumbfounded. We were shown through Santa's command centre and shown the elfs workshop and we went to elf school where we got the chance to decorate ginger cookies. We visited Santa Park where we had dinner and show and a chance to see Santa again and do a bit of shopping. We went to Santas Village before leaving for the airport on the last day and had free time to browse and shop. This was a magical place where santas post office is and where we crossed the Artic Line on the Artic Circle. All thermal clothing and boots were supplied so there was no chance of getting cold. Would recommend this trip to anyone. We are all children at heart. Magical magical magical.
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102brads
this was a trip that the kids will remember forever. The tour built suspenseful excitement from the elf bus pick up, through the drive through the dark candlelit forest, to the arrival at Santa's workshop and elf school. Adults may find a visit here a bit antiquated, but what made the trip memorable for my wife and I was the excitement and intrigue experienced by our children. For once, they were near speachless with awe during their personal visit with Santa. They also enjoyed sledding to pass time while other families were visiting with Santa, trekking though the woods with a troll, then earning their elf school certificates after completing "peaking in through windows to check on who's bad or good" training, and cookie decorating. Although this was a very enjoyable experience, I do find it to have been a bit overpriced, but who can put a price on memories right? I've heard for a more budget friendly visit with Santa and attendance to elf school, Santa's Park is a good stop (managed by the same people), although it may be less personal as you may have to deal with the crowd. Note for Joulukka if you're reading this, I recommend printing certificates with names on them and having an elf or Santa sign them by hand. No offense to the troll at elf school, but, not the most impressive penmanship when hand writing names on the hard earned certificates.
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ADXBS
We booked the Dream of Joulukka package.This was really a magical experience for our young children. The coach ride to the location is already quite intriguing as you wind through the magical forest in the northern winter darkness. The first stop was Elf school were the children participated in elfish activities. This was held in a hut heated and lighted solely by a fire and candles so it got quite smoky for a short while, but the resident troll took care of that. The next stop was a bit disappointing. This should have been roasting marshmallows over a fire and drinking hot chocolate. Again, the fire was the sole light source and since it was reduced to embers we were pretty much in complete darkness making the marshmallow roasting and chocolate drinking more of a challenge than a relaxing interlude. The final step in the tour was the visit to Santa's Control Center. I won't tell you much not to spoil the surprise but it is really well done and the kids were in heaven. The only thing I would strongly suggest is to make sure you have warm clothing as you walk outdoors between activities and you may also have to wait outside the Control Center if there is more than one family group. Bathroom facilities are limited but it is after all what you would expect in a forest. All in all, combined with the visit to Santa Claus Village, it was all and more of what we expected of our trip to Rovaniemi!
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RoutaRescueTeam
Joulukka is by far the best place for santa claus visits in Rovaniemi, the atmosphere is so different from the purely commercial "Santa Claus Village". Kids adore this place!
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ALV2012
This was just magical - even the drive there on a road getting smaller and smaller into the snowy wilderness felt special. The command centre is beautifully done and Santa himself utterly believable. The only complaint I would have had is the group was too large for the price we paid (about 8 families) and there was a lot of standing around in the cold - albeit with a fire and hot chocolate. One of elves was fabulous - the other not so, the same elf was also at Santa Park the following day and her companion at the Elf school there was significantly better. The Elf school element is pretty much the same as at Santa Park for much, much less money.
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JerseyJennInShanghai
Our family LOVED our time at Joulukka. My children, 7 and 10, were totally captivated by Elf Jimmy and Thumppina the Troll. My 10 year old was "questioning" things about Christmas, and this brought Christmas sparkle back into his sweet eyes. It is a low key experience, but the activities, the setting, and the personalities of our elves were all amazing. Truly a magical Christmas experience. Don't miss it if you are in Rovaniemi and have children.
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Atheracm
If you want to experience the magic of Christmas, then I highly recommend booking tours at Joulukka when you are in Rovaniemi. We went to the Christmas Celebration on the 24th of December, and on the 27th to the Dream of Joulukka and the Guardians of Lapland (with a private meeting with Santa in between).If you are looking for Hollywood Christmas bling, then you will be disappointed. The venue, elves and entire experience is understated and rustic with soft candles and fire-light. The best way I can describe the venue is that the buildings look like gingerbread houses. It is exactly how I always pictured Santa's home.The elves are soft spoken and child-like and really enchanted the children. They answered the children's Christmas questions so well that it promoted the magic of the season - did you know that elves only get pointy ears after they are 500 years old! My eldest has decided she is going to go back and become an elf - only very kind people can do that!We met the real Santa Claus and spent an hour with him. He was regal and wise and very gentle with my children (3 and 7). My children were so in awe of him that it was the quietest they had been all holiday. They could not believe that Santa knew the names of their cats, their favourite TV programmes and all their school and extra-mural interests! It is an experience I will treasure for the rest of my life.I love everything about Christmas and the whole Joulukka experience just blew me away. It is expensive (the South African Rand to the Euro is 15:1!!), but it is definitely the best money I have ever spent on a holiday. You are guaranteed to have a small, intimate tour away from the crowds. Close your eyes to the price - you cannot put a price tag on this experience or on the wonder on your children's faces.For people with children (and they can be of any age) or if you love Christmas, I would encourage you to visit this dreamland.
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ShellB442
Dear Shell B,Thank you for taking your time to write the review. Elf Jimmy sends his warmest regards to the little ones and they were a delight and so full of life. Elf Jimmy will remind Santa to wipe his feet next time when he visits you ;)Very merry Christmas to Your family and hope to see you again.Elf Elfiina
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CockneyBrum
Dear CockneyBrum,Thank you for taking time to write such long review and helping us in giving some good feedback! You are absolutely right saying our booking system is not updated as we had not designed it for such rush of individual travelers rather than groups of travel agents (invoicing). However, we have now taken a step further and are able to charge credit cards upon phone orders and also we are renewing our website to a more modern online booking system later this year.Thanks a lot for your visit and have a look at our website or email us for more information of our new programs for summer 2013 and winter 2013-2014! We absolutely loved your photos and your feedback, thanks a lot and we hope to see you with us again soon!Yours,Tumpiina Troll and Lottiliini Elf
