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The perfect evening routine for the best nights sleep – at Break Sokos Hotel Flamingo

For International Sleeping Day, we spent a night at Sokos Hotel Flamingo to experience the perfect night of sleep! Sleep is so important, and while many of us are home at the moment, it is a great moment to challenge your sleeping patterns and figure out the perfect evening and sleeping routine. And then reward yourself with a fancy hotel night away, when things are back to normal – and have the best sleep ever.

Hotel Marski by Scandic – experience #Finnfulness in Helsinki

Marski by Scandic is my parents’ favourite hotel, for several seasons. It’s right opposite of Stockmann, so a great central location, the tram to our apartment leaves in front of the door and there is a taxi line during the nights, so my mum has great entertainment when she can’t sleep. But over the years, it really needed an overhaul, and it finally got it – and is now the first Scandic Signature Hotel in Helsinki. Marski now fully embraces all the oddities, phrases and curious facts about the Finns that resounded throughout the land. 

Dinner Date & Staycation: Lapland Hotel Bulevardi

Helsinki has a bunch of really special hotels, and the newest addition to those is the Lapland Hotel Bulevardi that just opened in early 2019 – and it brings, as the same says, a piece of Finnish Lapland to the Capital. Using the heritage of the North to create a unique design experience is really quite the undertaking, and they succeeded magnificently. The care for detail prevails and it really is not just staying over at a hotel to have a place to stay, but a way to get a glimpse into Sami culture, in a way that feels natural and not kitschy at all.

Sokos Hotel Vaakuna: Time Travel in Helsinki

Where one should stay when in Helsinki is probably one of my most-asked questions. I have family coming over, one of them being a history teacher – so I wanted to recommend a place that has a story to tell. There are countless possibilities and places, kinds of accommodation, and what kind of place feels best is something so subjective. What’s undeniable though is that there are not all that many places that have a lot of character to them, hotels can often be generic and pragmatic, but often lack charm and uniqueness – but the Original Sokos Hotel Vaakuna is different. Opened in the 50s for the Olympic Games in Helsinki, it still managed to retain the vibes from the era, even after the extensive renovations they just concluded. 

Kemi: Olokolo or the Snowhotel?

Kemi up in Lapland, right at the Gulf of Bothnia, is a place of magic: it’s home to the Snow Castle – yes, a castle and hotel completely built of snow and ice. Also, have you heard of the Olokolo?

Helsinki: Best places to get some work done

Freelancers, students, visitors who need to get down to business: this post is for you. I enjoy my home office but on days where I really need to get things done it’s the safer option for me to be away from my sofa and fridge. Here’s my part one of the best cafés and workplaces in Helsinki. Criteria? Mainly coffee and wifi.

10 Things that have changed in Finland in 10 Years

10 years ago today, I landed in Helsinki to start my exchange program, which was supposed to be one year. Many years later, I am still here, and I couldn’t imagine myself being anywhere else. I always get a little melancholic on this day, and think a lot about how things have changed, how I have evolved and what things are like today. 10 years is a long time, and both Helsinki as a city and Finland as a whole, has changed a lot. I asked around a bit and put my mind to it – here are 10 things that have changed here in the last 10 years. Not all good – but mostly things have changed for the better.

Guide for a memorable Juhannus & Midsummer at Haikko 2020

I’m not gonna lie, Midsummer always gets me. After all these years, and being super content with my Finnish life, the FOMO is heavy around Juhannus. For us foreigners, it can be a tricky time. We don’t have the strong traditions, the family mökki, the associations with Midsummer, the stories of our youth. It doesn’t have this presence in our mind and calendars, so by the time we notice that it’s midsummer time, cabins are unavailable and rental cars all booked up. While last year was particularly difficult for me, I’m more than happy with the plans for 2020, just getting out of the city and being away, just for a little bit, taking a deep breath and start to actively make my own Midsummer memories.

Best places to enjoy Blinis in Helsinki

The best time of year is Blini season! January marks the month that Bliniviikot are all around the city, which means many wonderful restaurants have the wonderfully buttery Russian delicacy on their menus. The Finnish interpretation is made with buckwheat flour and baked in a cast-iron pan until crisp and sinful, and is served with a variety of different toppings, along the sides of smetana, red onions and pickles.