Halo Igloos, Rovaniemi: Hillside and Riverside, Prices and Who They Suit

Updated 17 October 2026.

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At Halo, every igloo has its own sauna and its own hot tub out on the terrace, under a heated glass roof in forest well north of the city lights. It is built for couples and families who want privacy and dinner waiting on site, and it is no place to walk to town from.

Hillside or Riverside: which igloo should you book?

The two resorts sit about a kilometre apart. Hillside opened in late 2025 and is adults only; Riverside is the bigger, family-friendly site by the river. Every igloo on both sites has the heated glass roof, a private indoor sauna and a private outdoor hot tub, so the choice is really about company and setting. Having both a private sauna and a private outdoor tub in every single igloo is unusual among Rovaniemi glass igloos, which mostly sell sauna time separately or do not offer a tub at all.

What it costs on your dates

These are the lowest rates I found for two adults on six test dates, half board included.

Rates are Booking.com prices per night for two adults, checked on 15 October 2026, with a Genius member discount showing on some dates. Prices are for the 2026-27 season and change annually, so check current rates for your dates.

What a night includes

Breakfast buffet comes with every stay, and in the winter season dinner is included too: three courses from the menu at Hillside, a daily set main with buffet starters and desserts at Riverside, with a vegetarian option and a children’s menu. The igloo itself comes with the sauna, the hot tub, robes and slippers, WiFi, light cleaning and concierge help. Thermal clothing is not included, though snowshoes and gear can be rented on site.

Getting there and getting out

It is roughly a 20 minute drive north of both Rovaniemi centre and the airport, on the main road towards Sodankylä, and 10 to 15 minutes from Santa Claus Village and the Arctic Circle. There is no airport transfer in the rate; the resort points guests to local taxis, Uber or Bolt, and in winter you should book that in advance. A resort shuttle runs five times a day between about 9:30 and 16:00 from October to March, to Santa Claus Village and the city, at 10€ per person each way.

Will you see the northern lights from bed?

This far out there are no town lights around you, which is the real argument for the drive: a guest staying in November noted how little light pollution there is, and one in January saw the lights all over the property. The glass roof faces straight up, so a clear night works from the bed. Check the Finnish Meteorological Institute’s aurora forecast before you give up and sleep.

Riverside is brand new for winter 2026-27

Riverside’s opening was announced for 16 October 2026, with a welcome offer for stays to 30 November. Confirmed for the site: 39 igloos, Restaurant Vuolle, the Arctic Sky Deck for aurora watching with its sky exhibition, a traditional sauna complex with riverside sauna and ice swimming, and the Vikakongas trail starting at the door. An astronomy programme with a resident astronomer and telescope evenings is planned for the season. Guests in summer 2026 still saw building work, so this is a first season with everything that implies.

Who it suits, and who should look elsewhere

It fits couples who want their own sauna and a hot tub under an open sky with nothing to do in the evening but eat and look up, and families of up to four who want the same at Riverside. Look elsewhere if you want to walk to Santa Claus Village or into town, if you would rather have a proven resort than a brand-new one, or if 21 m² sounds tight. One guest at Hillside wanted an armchair and there was no room for one.

Other Rovaniemi glass igloos

SkyView Igloo Resort has 14 glass-roofed suites of 50 m² about 10 km from the centre, so more than twice the floor space of a Hillside igloo. Santa’s Igloos Arctic Circle sits inside Santa Claus Village with an aurora alarm, and you can walk to the shops and reindeer. Apukka Resort is lakeside, about ten minutes from the airport, with a large activity programme. Arctic TreeHouse Hotel has glass-walled suites on the Arctic Circle next to SantaPark. Arctic SnowHotel adds glass igloos to a snow hotel northwest of town.

How far ahead to book

Hillside has 26 igloos and Riverside 39, so it is a small place either way. By mid-October, Christmas week was already down to single nights on Booking.com, so Christmas and New Year dates go first. Families must book Riverside, since Hillside is adults only. The resort says booking direct on haloigloos.com gets the best rate, and Finnish tour operators sell it as a package with transfers and activities, which is worth comparing if you want the clothing and safaris bundled.

How I researched this

Facts come from haloigloos.com and Halo’s own booking pages in October 2026, opening news from Euronews and rustourismnews.com, guest-reported detail from Tripadvisor and Trip.com reviews between November 2025 and September 2026, and Visit Rovaniemi and Visit Finland for the wider picture.

Rates are from Booking.com on 15 October 2026. Nobody from Lapland Trip Planner has stayed here; the verdict is a researched comparison, not a review.

Common questions

Written by Ville Laukkanen

Ville is a Finn who runs Lapland Trip Planner. The site is a researched planning guide: hotel rates come from Booking.com listings and activity prices from the operators' own pages, each dated, and nothing is presented as a personal stay or trip unless it was one.