I thought I’d review this one whilst the crunch of the snow is still fresh in my head; it’s the Arctic Treehouse hotel and rather a different affair to the little London rooms I’ve been trying out recently. Actually, in terms of room size, not so very different, I suppose, but the Arctic Circle location is wildly exciting and there’s a piece de resistance in the room that really seals the deal when it comes to spectacular views.
I was toying with the idea about going to Lapland last Christmas but couldn’t quite decide whether it would be magical or dreadful; did I want to go there with two small children and queue up to see Santa in temperatures so cold that my nose hairs would freeze" Were the kids too young to appreciate it" Would we get there and find that Santa World (TM) was basically like an IKEA warehouse with elves in, a huge queue of parents drunk on mulled wine snaking their way around the cavernous, echoing space whilst children swung between wildly different moods and nerve-shattering music piped in from speakers in the ceilings" I still can’t answer that actually, because I didn’t end up going to Lapland en famille; instead I was there on a press trip with the beauty brand Lumene. Seeing Santa wasn’t on the agenda, but we did drive past Santa Claus Village and thankfully it seemed to be more Disney than IKEA. Appropriately…red. From outside the high, inpenetrable walls I could just abou...