Heat it up

A travel blog is not worth its name if it does not advocate something. So here is my take on travel: we need more saunas.

Of course, you would expect that from a Finn. But here is my take on the best sauna areas in the world:

1. Rauhaniemen kansankylpylä, Tampere (rauhaniemi.net) (photo)

Their website sucks but they do have the best sauna in the world. It’s large, and you can choose from cool to steaming hot since the sauna has four levels of seating. Perfect with kids. Swimming available in a beautiful lake.

2. Mondorf Domaine Thermal (mondorf.lu), Luxembourg

This place has about a dozen saunas with Finnish names (it wasn’t me...). The perfect place to explore what we Finns call German sauna culture (swimming suits are not allowed but anything else goes). Swimming in an apparently natural warm and salty source available.

3. Uimastadion, Helsinki

A public swimming paradise built in the ‘40s for the Olympics that only took place in 1952. This is how saunas should be for a real enthusiast: small and tight. They have a website organised by the city but let’s not get into that.

Park life

As I’ve said earlier, I don’t particularly like boutique hotels. But whenever I find a smaller independent hotel that pleases me, I’m more than happy to spread the word. I found one in my own hometown.

Park Hotel in Turku, Finland is a very strange but profoundly entertaining hotel. The building itself is a jugend-style villa in the western centre of this beautiful small town. The hotel is a stone’s throw away from the main railway station, which is a big plus. The central market square can be reached in 15 minutes by foot.

The rooms are all unique. I advise to book early and to go for one of the more expensive rooms. They come with full-blown last century kitsch furniture with a lot of detail and a balcony opening up to a beautiful park. The only thing you'll hear are the the birds singing.

There is a small and cosy breakfast and an excellent sauna that you’ll have to reserve beforehand. The reception houses a well-stocked bar and no-nonsense staff that will cater for your strangest desires without blinking.

I also like the social media advertising of this hotel. They emphasise that conductor Leif Segerstam is one of their regulars. He is known for his regal behaviour in Helsinki restaurants. If they can house him, they can house anyone.