A day in Kotatieva

We also visited last Saturday, and took the bus, waited ages outside, to get in, it was a free-for-all. Everyone rushing to get skates on then having to walk down stairs, with ice skates on with no hand rail down was dangerous. Spent an hour maximum, nothing to do, then 30 euro to get back to Rovaniemi. Expensive day out and I do not recommend it.

We spent most of the day at Kotatieva, and it was wonderful addition to our trip. We spent most of our time to ice skating, and even though the weather earlier in the week had been rough - leaving the ice a bit uneven - the experience was still wonderful. What really made the day stand out was the staff. Every person we interacted with was genuinely friendly and eager to help, whether it was offering tips about the best sections of the rink or checking in to make sure everyone was comfortable. Their kindness added a cozy, welcoming feeling that easily made up for the minor imperfections on the ice. All in all, we had a great time and would happily return. Kotatieva has a charming atmosphere, and even with a few bumps on the rink, it was a delightful place to spend a winter day.

Our experience at Kotatieva Rovaniemi was extremely disappointing and frankly unacceptable. We drove two hours from Sweden specifically to visit this place, mainly for ice skating, and what we found upon arrival was shocking. A large part of the park was essentially unusable — not officially closed, but completely covered in snow, with paths not cleared at all and impossible to access. There was no prior notice that more than half of the park would be unavailable. This is misleading and unacceptable. If a resort in Lapland cannot properly handle winter weather, then it simply should not operate — or at the very least, it must clearly inform guests in advance when large sections of the park are closed. Closing over half of the park without notice is a complete disgrace. The equipment situation was equally poorly managed. The skates provided to my father did not fit, and the staff’s suggested solution was absurd: waiting for other visitors to finish so he might try another pair. After only 10 minutes on the ice, we requested a refund. Although it was granted, it was done with clear irritation and a total lack of professionalism. The way the refund was handled felt deliberately disrespectful. I received a €50 bill, and the remaining €9 were returned entirely in tiny half-cent coins — an unnecessary and degrading way to treat paying customers. My brother and I felt forced to stay because our tickets were prepaid online by card and we understood there would be no refund. Unfortunately, his experience was just as bad: the skates were too small and extremely uncomfortable. To make matters worse, the entire place looks and feels like an active construction site. The entrance door consisted of plastic sheets, the stairs leading down were dangerously slippery with no anti-slip grip whatsoever, and overall safety and maintenance standards were shockingly poor. As someone who truly loves ice skating, I did not enjoy a single moment of this experience. What is advertised as a winter resort in Rovaniemi turned out to be misleading, poorly organized, unsafe, and absolutely not worth the time or money — especially after a two-hour drive. I strongly advise others to reconsider visiting until basic maintenance, safety, transparency, and customer service are taken seriously.

Unfortunately this was a disappointing day out. Most of the skating area was closed, leaving a very small run none of it through the woods as advertised. The sledging hill was pretty much non-existent with no safe walking route so my son got knocked over and hurt himself. The reindeer ride involved going round a small track twice, pulled by one very reluctant reindeer. One of us had to get off in order to complete the ride. The restaurant was nice however, with a nice meal served by friendly staff. Considering the price charged for all this, I cannot recommend to anyone. I will be contacting the management for a refund.

Absolute shame. False advertising!!!!! I was wrong not to listen to the negative opinions, they are unfortunately all true. Everything is a lie in this park, nothing matches what is sold. Run away. The park gives the impression of being totally abandoned. Construction machinery is present everywhere, the facilities are degraded and no activity resembles what is advertised. The environment is sad, poorly maintained and absolutely not suitable for families. We paid €625 for 6 people and almost nothing worked. The so-called skating track in the forest is non-existent. It’s actually a tiny snow-covered path that turns around, which has absolutely nothing to do with the description made on their website. The toboggan run is just as disappointing, extremely short, to the point that we had to run with the toboggan to get the kids to slide. The carousel with the sledge spinning, our daughter sat in it and there was a pack of cigarettes and you smoke rolled... Great games for the kids. To top it all off, we paid an extra fee to access the sauna and jacuzzi. The space is tiny, surrounded by waste and construction equipment, and does not make you want to stay there at all. When we introduced ourselves, we were simply told that the sauna and hot bath could not heat up which we had to wait, because it was very cold that day + snowstorm. Given the conditions, we then asked for a refund of this activity, which is about 40 € per person since the service was never provided. The person was very unpleasant, we were told that a person in charge was coming, we waited a long time but he never came. Finally, we were asked to send an email to get our money back. Of course, this email was not answered and no refund was made. We were not asking for a full refund, only for a paid activity (Sauna) but impossible to use. Even that, they were not able to do. Although given the nullity of the Park we deserve to be fully refunded, we stayed 45min. In conclusion, this park is misleadingly advertised, offers dilapidated facilities and assumes no responsibility towards its customers. A deplorable experience that I strongly advise against. I will not hesitate to give my opinion everywhere because it is really disrespectful to treat your customers like this. Try the Lapland Winter Park instead, it is the great luxury next to Kotatieva...