Arctic Aurora & Wellness Escape in Finnish Lapland

Aurora Queen Resort opened for the 2021 winter season with 14 glass-ceiling igloos, with plans to expand in later winters. Each igloo has its own bathroom and is built with the glass roof and panorama windows angled at the sky, so the northern lights or the midnight sun are visible without leaving bed. The materials throughout are high-end — this is a comfortable hotel room with a glass roof, not a camping pod.

There is also a Panorama Sauna Suite, which combines the same glass views with a private sauna. The wellness side of the resort is small but real: a fitness room for weights and cardio, and a sauna for after a day outside.

Activities are the main event. In winter you can book a reindeer safari, husky sledding, a snowmobile tour, a guided snowshoe hike, aurora hunting, ice fishing, horseback riding or ice karting; snowshoes can also be rented if you'd rather go out on your own. In summer the snow activities give way to hiking and long light evenings under the midnight sun.

The restaurant serves Finnish dishes made from local ingredients, and the lounge bar has wines, cocktails and spirits. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are available, and the kitchen handles vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free requests.

Getting there: fly to Helsinki, then connect to Ivalo or Rovaniemi, and take the direct bus that runs to the resort's yard. The resort team can help with arrangements if you contact them in advance.

What makes this different from a typical northern-lights hotel is the combination of the glass-roof rooms, a sauna and a fitness room on the same small property, plus an activity list that runs from reindeer safaris to ice karting. It works equally well for a couple who want to lie in bed watching the aurora and for someone who wants to be outdoors every day.

What's included

- Glass igloo or Panorama Sauna Suite accommodation - Private bathroom in every igloo - Access to the on-site fitness room - Access to the sauna - Restaurant and lounge bar on site - Direct bus service to the resort yard from Ivalo or Rovaniemi airport

What's not included

- Flights to Finland - Airport transfers other than the scheduled bus - Organised activities and excursions (reindeer safari, husky safari, snowmobile tour, snowshoe hike, aurora hunting, ice fishing, horseback riding, ice karting, snowshoe rental) - Meals, unless specified in your rate - Drinks from the lounge bar - Travel insurance - Personal expenses