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This story will appear in the March ETA print magazine, publishing March 16.
I’m hanging on for dear life as Janne Honkanen, the owner of Octola Private Wilderness in Finland’s far north Lapland, zooms us into a skidding drift on a frozen lake. Finding crazy adventures in the Arctic Circle was my goal, and I have succeeded to the extent that I am about to puke. And I’m supposed to drive next.
We’re in a custom-designed, two-seater, 1.6-liter turbo Toyota Yaris GR sports car that’s specially modified for ice drifting (each tire has 360 gripping studs) that’s slip-slidin’ away as I hang on and reconsider my stomach contents and which items on my bucket list make me truly happy.
“We like to give our guests unexpected experiences,” Honkanen says with a laugh, and he’s really not kidding. His ultra-luxurious yet homey 10-room lodge (with an added two-bedroom villa) has it all to create an ultra-happy escape at any time of year, from winter’s electric snowmobiles to reindeer-pulled sleighs, fast-racing dogsleds and ice fishing to summer’s horseback riding, ATV touring, paddling and more – all on nearly 1,000 acres of private land to play across. Plus, all the merriment is achieved with a negative carbon footprint, a strong focus on sustainability and delighted smiles. And of course, there are saunas and ice-cold plunges along with fine locally-sourced cuisine: the winning combination every Finn swears is the key to happiness.
And they should know. Finland is constantly touted worldwide as the home of the happiest people on earth, despite their living in a place where winter in Lapland (and even down to Helsinki) is called “polar night” and summer “the Land of the Midnight Sun.”
In winter, this place is magical, with a dreamy, snow-covered landscape both unfolding with views for miles when the sun is up and bowing to eye-popping Northern Lights on display during the super-dark nights. Those dark skies also mean gazing at the Milky Way stretching across the sky, an especially fun pastime when done at the lodge’s Ice Bar with a warming cocktail in hand. It really is a place to find an otherworldly happiness, even with some adrenaline-fueled nausea.
Octola is so exclusive and remote that it has a waiting list for booking a stay, and its guests (that include the ultra-wealthy, royalty and A-listers) also all agree not to reveal exactly where it is located. But taking a quick Finnair flight from Helsinki to Rovaniemi is the way to find this astonishing place; and luckily, Rovaniemi is also the place to find the home of Santa Claus!
This place at the geophysical location of Lapland’s Arctic Circle is called Santa Claus Village, where visitors flock from everywhere to meet the Big Red Guy. Busloads of excited families turn up every day and join the queue to meet Santa and Mrs. Claus, plus their elves and reindeer, then step onto the Arctic Circle line located in the center of the village. It’s a slightly surreal juxtaposition to Octola’s serene exclusivity, but a must-do if the kids are along for the trip.
Helsinki, Tampere and Finding More Finnish Happiness
For most Americans, travel to Lapland begins and ends in Helsinki, its capital city and the home base of Finnair, the national airline. Angelenos can fly nonstop from LAX on the award-winning carrier. Splurging and taking this bucket-list 14-hour trip in business class makes sense, especially with the launch of the airline’s much-lauded lie-flat seat/bed. That innovative seat makes the long-haul flight a painless experience, although adjusting to the 10-hour time difference is bound to bring a bit of jet lag into the mix.
Helsinki offers a window into understanding Finnish happiness by taking a deep dive into all the cultural, natural and culinary aspects of how people thrive here. Start the adventure at The Hotel Maria, a recently opened and beautifully designed five-star hotel. From its gorgeous rooms and convivial Bar Maria, featuring chandeliers that evoke huge icicles to the elegant dining found at Lilja restaurant, this is the sophisticated heart of Helsinki.
Then wander down to the waterfront’s Allas Pool complex, the year-round collection of chilly swimming pools paired with warm saunas where the Finnish sauna-equals-happiness theme continues; you’ll even find a sauna in a cabin on the nearby Skywheel Helsinki Ferris wheel!
See Oodi, the absolutely amazing Helsinki library, where you might learn that Finns are taught Swedish, English and Finnish as children, explaining why everyone an English-speaking person meets speaks their language, then take in a concert at the Musiikkitalo just steps away. As you wander, recognize just how stylish Finns are. They have winter coats that are completely cool and still keep them warm, then when they peel off layers, even more uniquely Finnish fashion looks emerge, on both men and women.
Every restaurant seemingly has a sleek, distinctive architectural and interior design and excellent localvore menus – try Ravintola Jason for an elevated meal created by Michelin-starred chef Jari Vesivalo, and don’t miss Löyly, the scenic waterfront eatery with its own sauna for a post-prandial soak. Take in all the gorgeous architecture around the city, too, especially Finlandia Hall, designed by Finnish architect Alvar Aalto, and find beauty on every block.
To get a feel for the true beauty of Finnish life, I joined a bespoke Girls’ Guide to the World solo guided tour created by founder Doni Belau along with Routes of Nordic Women, her female Finnish partners. Their “Nordic Queens” group tour is specifically designed “to uncover what makes Finnish women tick and what we might learn from the happiest women on earth”; plus, they offer tailor-made tours as well.
I started my quest to understand that happiness at the Hobo Hotel, a hip spot in Helsinki’s city center, where their Corner Suite made me giggle and feel like I had stepped back into a groovy mid-century fantasy complete with a bright-blue sunken living room pit. That cool joint’s location made it easy to catch a morning train to Tampere, the lakefront place known as Finland’s favorite city. There amid the excitement of concerts, pro sports, museums, restaurants and parks I met with Routes of Nordic Women tours founder Päivi Viherkoski and Miia Huitti, a Sustainable Happiness Coach and consultant, for tea and conversation.
“The happiness of Finnish women is deeply rooted in close relationships, nature, health and freedom,” Huitti said. “Balance, peace and living authentically are at the core of Finnish happiness for us all.” Those all seemed like life goals for everyone to me, not just women in this welcoming Nordic country.
Viherkoski added that art and creativity are also a fundamental part of their contented lives, as she and I continued exploring beyond Tampere, with a stop at iconic Finn design brand (and female-created) Marimekko and fascinating visits to Serlachius Museums in the artistic countryside hotbed of Mänttä. Boasting many female artists, curators, administrators and docents, Serlachius is an excitingly creative center that even offers a stunning lakeside Art Sauna to visitors, designed to elevate sauna life into an immersive cultural experience.
Back in Helsinki, and with the sleek city-center Hotel U14 as home, it was time to meet accomplished Finnish women, including Mia Saari, the U14 hotelier and restauranteur who changed the face of Helsinki living. “Finnish women understand that happiness comes from having a full life,” the fascinating and elegant entrepreneur, mother and wife explained over dinner in U14’s Version Eatery, where locals also gather.
My last personal encounter on this unique travel tour of meeting the women who exemplify Finnish happiness was at the Ivana Helsinki atelier, where since 1998 two sisters, Paola and Pirjo Suhonen, have created a highly successful synthesis of fashion, music, film and more. “There is something really different and special about the idea of women from different cultures meeting here in Finland and sharing stories of their lives, with an idea of making everyone’s life better,” Paola mused. “It makes us happy to be a part of it.”
Bringing back memories of wild adventure from the Arctic Circle as well as incredible women willing to generously share their life experiences equals unexpected bliss for me on a bucket-list adventure, in a place where happiness abounds. Give Finland a try, it might just work its magic on you, too.
- Jenny Peters
