Savalen - Christmas at Savalen
Jenny Shaw - Dec 11
I was concerned that having read all the rave reviews on this site and TripAdvisor in researching the holiday that the experience itself could disappoint. I was wrong. These four days were some of the best of our life and a magic experence with the children. I don't want to share too much about the small details that made everything so nice as I think they can almost become a spoiler. What I will say, is the Santa visit was swiftly eclipsed by the fantasic experiences of the sleigh ride and the dog sledging.
The accomodation is excellent and the swimming pool is kept at 32°C which makes it possible for the children to enjoy longer swimming sessions that they would at our chilling public pools.
The Activities Abroad staff were easy going but efficient. Nothing was too much trouble and the children were the centre of each activity. Sufficient clothing and equipment was always avaiable even in the smaller sizes.
As for Savalen, there is nothing else there except the hotel, apartments and Santa's house. Set in breathtaking scenery, you feel transported to somewhere very special. The perfect antidote to commercial Christmas.
My friends expressed concern about the five hour transfer. In fact this was one of my favouruite things. The movies kept the kids quiet, the scenery is amazing (we even saw wild elk en-route) and I cannot ever remember sitting down for 4 hours in the week before Christmas before. Someone else even made me a cup of tea. Bliss!
Finally, my six year old actually caught a fish which was then cooked for his dinner. The look on Daddy and Thomas's face was my best Christmas present this year. Just great!
Other reviews about this trip...
Belinda Crooks-Burns - Dec 09
"Overall Holiday Rating: Excellent. Savalen was the most wonderful place for my children and me to experience our first white Christmas. Being so far away in Australia the staff at Activities Abroad w...."read
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Jennifer Potter - Dec 09
"Overall Holiday Rating: Excellent. We had the most wonderful holiday and will remember the grandchildren's faces when they met Father Christmas for ever. Most enjoyable activity? Father Christmas, S...."read
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Tanya Holt - Dec 10
"This was a truly excellent experience. I had hoped to have fun with my 5 year old, but this exceeded my expectations wildlly. The adventure is as much for the adults as it is for the children. The loc...."read
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Julia Sturgeon - Dec 10
"Your local representative Elf Peeg was absolutely fabulous. Not only was he great with the kids, but when our flight was cancelled due to bad UK weather, he was constantly on the phone trying to make ...."read
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Katrina Nurse - Jan 11
"The manager/owner at Savalen was fantastic - nothing too much trouble and dealt brilliantly with the challenges of the cold weather that threatened to disrupt a few activities The guy who played the e...."read
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Gaynor Newman - Jan 11
"I will post a full review on TripAdvisor but for anyone that wants a quick, brief review, I hope this helps.
First time with Activities Abroad, first winter snow holiday, travelling as a single paren...."read
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Shiulie Torkington - Jan 12
"We live in the Middle East, so we were looking for an extra special pre-Christmas trip where our daughter would meet Santa, and we could try some winter sports. This was perfect. We were a little daun...."read
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Lisa Dunn - Jan 12
" Had a fantastic time. Activities are great and pitched just right for a family holiday.
Amy the rep is very helpful - nothing is too much trouble.
Meeting Santa was the highlight of the ...."read
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Nicola Clayton-Bailey - Jan 12
"A wonderful adventure for the whole family. Everything was very well organised and the Activities Abroad rep. at the hotel (Amy) worked so hard to make sure that each day ran smoothly and all&nbs...."read
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Barbara Williams - Feb 12
"An excellent trip, magical for children and adults alike. special thanks to Amy and our elf who worked very hard to make our trip perfect. We all loved every minute of it....."read
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