Ski-Inn PyhäSuites

Excellent location in the middle of the slopes, walking distance to a couple of lovely restaurants and can walk down to the centre of town but a bit of an uphill hike back. Small but tidy apartment, suited our family of 2 adults 3 little children, easy on site parking & ski lockers. Only minor negative points were that we couldn't get the sauna to work, nor the dishwasher, a manual or some simple instructions for each would've been really useful. And strangely the balcony lights cant be turned off (all apartments had them on).

After searching for a while for a weeks break in January stumbled across this resort. Firstly we all thought this was great value and the snow reports looked great. Other reviews in general were positive so we thought we’d give Finland a go. Booking for a group was easy enough and we settled for Pyhä suites as it was ski in ski out. We flew into Kittilä from Gatwick and were collected with no issue. Transfer was just under 2 hours but the scenery ate up most of that time. We were greeted by our lovely rep at reception on arrival and given our packs which included lift passes and a map. A short walk to the accommodation which was clean and tidy and ideal for a group of 4. This included fridge, dishwasher, 2 bathrooms and a sauna. Perfect for a weeks getaway. We also had drying facilities for all our kit after a day on the slopes. We walked down on day 1 to the ski hire shop who were very helpful and we were all out on the slopes in no time. The runs are swept and bashed daily so the whole resort was immaculate every morning. Snow was good, around 70cm at the top and 50cm at base. We enjoyed 5 days of powder out of 7 which to be fair was amazing. Main lift opens at 8am and all the others at 10. The resort is open until 5pm but early and late are floodlit as daylight hours are minimal. There are a couple evenings a week with evening skiing too. There’s a good mix of runs for all abilities and some challenging black runs for the more advanced. The runs aren’t huge but we found the place really quiet and didn’t ever wait for a lift. There are 2 gondolas and plenty of T bars and button lifts dotted around. We stopped on piste most days for lunch, hot chocolates or local food which was all very nice and I didn’t feel it was too badly priced when compared to more conventional resorts like Austria or Switzerland etc. The local supermarket is well stocked as we cooked for ourselves most evenings. We found everything we needed however, most of the accommodation is half way up the Fel so it’s a good 15-20 walk back up the hill with shopping. We did see a few taxis but we chose to Walk. We ventured into the main hotel restaurant one of the evenings and the food was excellent. Service great and beers tasty too. There’s also a bar with pool table etc at the bottom of the hill open later which we used a couple of times. There is plenty to do if you want a day off the piste. Skidoo hire, reindeer or dog sledding to name a few. Overall the stay was amazing. All the staff were helpful and pleasant. The skiing was top notch and we’ll definitely return as we didn’t see the northern lights as we had snow and clouds most days so that’s as good a reason as any to return.

The apartments are well appointed, fairly modern fittings, especially the kitchen. Such a bonus to have a dishwasher (our ski chalets before haven’t had one before), and dishwasher tablets, washing up liquid, sponge/brush, tea-towel, bin bags, toilet and kitchen rolls, etc provided too. The beds are very comfortable. Having the toilet separate to the shower/sauna room was useful. Soundproofing between rooms wasn’t great - we were woken by the neighbours next door and/or above using their toilet each morning. The suites are also on a common corridor; we experienced people talking loudly on their way in/out, children shouting, plus the stomp of ski boots up and down the corridor, and from the floor above us, early morning (from 7h) and at night (22.30/23h). The Pyhälinna chalets don’t have this corridor arrangement - we’d try to book there if we came again, even though the rooms appear more compact. A bath would’ve been welcome, but I think you have to book Pyhälinna for that, same as wood burners. The ski lockers, waxing bench, and a handy laundry were on the first floor. Most people seem to leave their ski stuff in their rooms. Our room was one of the furthest from the family slopes. We managed to ski back to the car park but it’s a stretch to say our apartment was ski-in. The short bit of road up from the car park to the front door was a bit steep, and usually icy - we and others slipped and fell a few times (mostly in snow boots, not ski boots). Cars were also seen wheel-spinning on the ice, so take care there! The short path to the apartment building was also steep and a struggle to get up, especially in ski boots. They do grit it periodically, but it felt safer when there’s fresh snow. The building has a back door - exit-only, no keycode pad - which is less steep. The rooms have a keycode pad, same as the building’s entrance, so no need to worry about losing/finding keys. All in all a lovely apartment, but too little soundproofing and not the best location within resort for us. If we came back to Pyhä again (too much of the resort was inaccessible for us as little-confidence second-time skiers especially as most chair lifts were closed, so we might go elsewhere next time) we’d probably book at Pyhälinna even though those rooms are more compact, just so we don’t have corridor noise and also so we could more likely ski up to the door.

I love this location. Pet friendly and kid friendly! A sled and fire wood are available for your unit. The in unit sauna, washer, and winter gear dryer are awesome additions! The heated floors and kitchen cabinets are my favorite Finnish touch - but iitala plates and bowls just made my entire stay that much better. Quality all around. The ladder to the loft was a bit scary but expected for a loft, sofa turned into a bed for the family member who couldn’t use the stairs. Loved the stay, the location at the base of the ski resort provided plenty of activities and within 2 hours or less there were plenty more activities! Will be visiting again. The staff at the restaurant (where we checked in late after visiting Santa) was very accommodating and friendly! Super helpful.