Harriniva Aurora Domes hotel review - Muonio, Finland

Seeking out the aurora borealis can be something of a hit-and-miss affair – the timing is on the wire – but at the newly opened Harriniva above the Arctic Circle on Finland’s western border, you’ll be, at the very least, warm and toasty.

Specialist geodesic dome designers Freedomes have sited a pair of bijoux all white hi-tech igloos by Lake Torassieppijarvi in Muonio’s Pallas-Yllästunturi National Park. The completely insulated interiors are predictably Scandi-chic with a reindeer and husky fur-theme to drive home the illusion of remote adventurism. The entire north-facing section of the dome is sheathed in reinforced glass, all the better to catch the shimmering northern lights which, thanks to the region’s low light pollution, is best seen in early April.

Between sessions monitoring the sky for signs of light, the open wood-burning stove provides comforting heat, especially since the toilets, bathroom and sauna are located a distance from the domes.