Kuerkievari KuerHostel in Akaslompolo

The staff is incredibly friendly, helpful and flexible. The location is quiet and the trails go right next door. A bus stop with direct services to Kolari Train Station daily is nearby.
In practice, you have to book a taxi for a night out in the villages when the place is a bit far away.

Good place for night

As a retired couple, we have just completed a week (1-7 Feb 19) cross country skiing in the Akaslompolo area, Lapland in Northern Finland. We stayed at the Kuer Hotel located 2K from Akaslompolo.

The Kuer is a small family owned and run hotel hostel. From our first enquiry to our final departure, the hotel staff and family member/manageress, Mia (perfect English), could not have been more helpful. Mia advised on travel options, accommodation options and other fine details which helped to make our stay memorable and very pleasant. Not a skier? there are numerous other activities on offer.

We would rate our Kuer Hotel & Akaslompolo skiing experience up there with the best from Norway or Austria. It can be cold (-25C) but we adjusted our clothing very quickly and skied comfortably every day (recommend hand warmer packs and ‘smart wool’ thermals & socks which proved ideal). More than enough skiing daylight hours and head torch works for when it is dark.

Access to the 130k plus track network with generous flood lit tracks is virtually at the Kuer front door. The tracks are groomed almost daily and there are web sites for following real-time grooming up-dates and progress. The Kuer track section was normally groomed by late morning. The condition of the tracks is 100% with lovely skiing through wooded areas and a full range of graded tracks, ideal for both recreational and higher tempo skiing. The nearby groomed lake is great for beginners and the tracks were not overcrowded.

The Kuer hotel has ideal ski storage and waxing room facilities. Our double room was very well appointed with easy access to the dining area, I highly recommend the sauna, and the brilliant clothes drying cabinets which dealt with damp ski clothing within an hour. We were well fed and well looked after.

Travelling from Northern Ireland via Dublin, Helsinki and Kittila was a long day but seamless and hassle free. On arrival late at night we received a generous welcoming snack in our room. We budgeted for the not-so-cheap but speedy taxi option from Kittila airport to the Kuer hotel. Tiered, dark, cold, late arrival and baggage laden it proved to be money well spent.

If you want bars, night life, disco, a crowded noisy buzz and possibly a hang over the next day the Kuer hotel may not be for you, stay in Akaslompolo.

The Kuer is peaceful, beautiful, off the beaten track but easily accessible. Perfect for family, individual or team-training skiing. I rate the Kuer 10/10, providing an excellent cross country skiing location and experience, we will certainly consider going again.

This review is biased since we know the owner, so adjust your opinion accordingly.

We stayed on KuerHotel for six nights in March. The place has two sides, hotel and hostel. Hotel rooms were clean and seemed recently renovated. Our room had twin bed, small fridge, TV and nice sofa in addition of basic hotel room utilities. Hotel side has also nice lobby area with board games and TV, two saunas and three driers for wet / sweaty clothes.

Kuerkievari overall offers:
- Great home made lunch and dinner (12€ and 18€)
- Cafe to grab snack and drinks (incl. alcoholic beverages)
- Snowshoes (15€ / day)
- Home made pastries
- Awesome scenery and possibility to view aurora borealis from the yard
- Ski and motorsled tracks leave from the back yard
- Lovely and always friendly staff

Kuerkievari doesn't offer:
- Bad mood
- Bad food