Finns prefer familiar stays, but Finland offers unusual alternatives

Finns often choose familiar, affordable accommodation when holidaying at home, but the country also has more unusual places to stay, Yle reports. The broadcaster presents a selection of distinctive options, from a cabin beside bears to an apartment designed for adults.

Two ends of the market

Self-service hotels have grown in popularity in recent years, with travellers drawn to lower prices and fewer services or smaller rooms. At the same time, new, more expensive hotels have opened in Finland, a trend influenced in particular by the growth of short-term rentals such as Airbnb.

Finns are more likely to spend money on accommodation abroad than at home. For domestic holidays, they generally prefer chain hotels or cottages, said Timo Lappi, chief executive of the Finnish Hospitality Association Mara. Spa breaks are perhaps the most typical domestic holiday investment, he said, while more expensive experience services in northern Finland are aimed almost exclusively at foreign visitors.

A cabin beside the bears

Villa Ursus, a triangular cabin made of untreated boards, stands beside the bear enclosure at Ähtäri animal park. Reached by climbing more than a dozen steps, it has a large window facing directly onto the enclosure.

The cabin is open from early summer until the first frosts, when the bears are not hibernating. In summer, guests may be offered a “bear guarantee”: the bears are active in their enclosure at night rather than staying in their den.

A cabin above the treetops

A cabin sits at the top of the 20-metre Häähninmäki observation tower, on an outdoor recreation area on the boundary between Hankasalmi and Konnevesi in Central Finland. The tower was completed in 2020, eight years after the Hankasalmi Camera Club built a public-use wilderness hut in the area.

The cabin can be booked for up to two consecutive nights, while remaining open to everyone during the day. Overnight stays have proved popular: October was almost fully booked, as were November weekends. The fees cover maintenance costs for the recreation area, which was built through volunteer work. In good weather, the tower offers views of up to 25 kilometres.

An adults-only apartment in Lahti

Only69Lahti, a rental apartment near the centre of Lahti, is restricted to adults and marketed as a play space and sauna for grown-ups. Its features include swings, a dance pole and adult toys.

Owner Tinka Mäkinen rented the space more than a year before Yle’s report, despite having no clear plan or money for a major renovation. Most guests are couples looking for time together, and some book the apartment as a surprise gift for a partner. Many are aged 30 to 50.

The apartment is on the upper floor of a stone building, reached by steep stairs. Mäkinen said guests appreciate that there are no quiet hours and they do not need to worry about disturbing neighbours.

Colourful accommodation in Pispala

In Tampere’s Pispala district, the colourful Olo-tila apartment is on the ground floor of a 100-year-old wooden house, opposite Rajaportti, described in the report as Finland’s oldest public sauna. The building has previously housed, among other businesses, a butcher’s shop. The apartment is decorated in colour from floor to ceiling.