We visited Apukka Resort, just outside of Rovaniemi, Lapland for four nights in November. This was such a bucket list experience for us and it particularly meant a lot, because this is exactly the type of trip we thought would be logistically impossible to do with coeliac disease. But this trip turned out to be completely possible and with a bit of upfront research, we had the most incredible time!
The whole trip was filled with “pinch-me” moments; here are some of the incredible experiences that we had:
- Sleeping in a luxury glass igloo cabin, which meant we could lay in bed and look up at the stars and northern lights,
- Driving a sled pulled by huskies through the forest and getting to meet the husky puppies,
- Taking a “polar plunge” in a frozen lake and warming up in our private lakeside sauna,
- Driving snowmobiles through the icy forest,
- Taking a sleigh ride pulled by reindeer under the northern lights.
In this post, we’re going to share how we planned this trip to make sure I was kept safe as a coeliac and how we found incredible food. Maybe you’ll get the confidence you need to book that aspirational trip you’ve been thinking about, so you don’t miss out on bucket list experiences because of gluten!
How we researched and booked our gluten free stay
- Researching the country:
By researching in advance, through reading blogs, Tripadvisor, etc. we could tell that Finland is a country with a high awareness of gluten and people know that it’s a common allergen. It’s quite normal for restaurants and cafes in Finland to label gluten free options on menus and supermarkets have well stocked free-from sections. This gave us the confidence to continue our research. For more tips on how to research your destination in advance, read our Gluten Free Travel Tips.
We planned to visit Helsinki first before travelling on to Rovaniemi and this really helped put our minds at ease; generally, big cities are easier to find gluten free options than more remote areas, so we knew if we found Helsinki difficult, we’d need to stock up on essentials to take up to Rovaniemi with us. This time also helped us understand the culture towards allergies and intolerances and learn some basic terms in Finnish to help us communicate.
We had an incredibly positive experience in Helsinki and it really put our minds at ease, proving that our research was correct; gluten free options were widely available in Finland and people were very willing to help make sure food was safely prepared.
We therefore didn’t feel a need to stock up in the Helsinki supermarkets before heading up to Rovaniemi (we did buy a lot of snacks, but this was more out of excitement around the amount of good gluten free options available)!
2. Researching the resort:
We started by reading the hotel’s website to see if and how they talked about dietary restrictions. The menus for the hotel’s two restaurants have clear markings for gluten free (and also lactose free and vegan) and the vast majority of options are gluten free by design. The FAQs on the website also have a question about whether food allergies can be catered for and the response is “Yes, without any problems. If possible, provide us the information of your special diet in advance so that our professional kitchen staff can make sure that they can cater your allergies and special diet the best way possible.”
Sadly, there were no reviews on Google Maps or Tripadvisor for gluten free at Apukka, which is normally the next step in our research, but we had enough confidence from our read of the website to continue the process of booking.
3. Speaking to the hotel:
From our initial research, we had a good feeling that this trip might be possible to do gluten free, so we went ahead and contacted the resort’s customer services team prior to booking to confirm whether they could cater for a gluten allergy. They were very helpful and responded quickly confirming that this was something they could accommodate, so we decided to go ahead and book.
4. Choosing the accommodation:
we booked a room that included a kitchenette to give us piece of mind. Since we knew from our research that Finland was generally going to be good for gluten free, we had confidence that in the worst-case scenario, we could at least get the bus to the centre of Rovaniemi and find a supermarket to buy GF pasta if we got desperate. We also had loads of snacks leftover from our time in Helsinki (we definitely overestimated how much we’d eat on the overnight train). We barely used the kitchenette in the end because we had such a positive experience eating at the hotel restaurants, however, it was reassuring to have the option.
5. Communicating during our stay:
We did find throughout our time in Finland that not many people understood the phrase “coeliac disease”, and our pronunciation of the Finnish word “keliakia” was clearly not very good, but communicating it as a “gluten allergy” worked just fine. We had brought our Finnish language translation card, in case we had difficulties communicating, but found we didn’t need to use it much because everyone spoke such good English and were happy to help.
As I always do when eating at a restaurant, I made sure to mention my “gluten allergy” to the waiter/waitress every time I went to one of the hotel’s restaurants. I asked all my usual questions around how the food is prepared, is there a separate area for preparation, a dedicated fryer etc. and I felt generally quite comfortable. As shown on the website, the restaurant menus listed which items were gluten free so it was easy to choose what to have and it was a relief not to have to search through a massive folder of allergens as is common elsewhere.
6. Asking for clarification during our stay:
We had a slight issue on our first night where the risotto I ordered arrived with a deep fried mushroom on the top; I asked the waitress if it had been fried in a dedicated gluten free fryer and she didn’t know. She took my plate away as a precaution and the chef made me a new dish without the mushroom on top, just to be safe.
I found this experience quite scary since it made me doubt the restaurant’s allergy controls and felt like a real near-miss experience; had I just been served something unsafe? Could I trust the restaurant with future meals? With this being the first night of the trip and there being very few other options in the area I was really worried about what I’d do for the rest of the stay. So I emailed customer services later that evening to query it.
The Guest Relations Manager responded the next morning apologising for the confusion and they reassured me that none of their fried items contain gluten and therefore the original dish would have been safe to eat. He said that gluten free diets are common in Finland and all food allergies are taken very seriously. He said the waitress removed my plate as a precaution because she wasn’t sure and he assured me they would roll out additional training to ensure all staff were informed of the allergy controls in place in the kitchen. It was a 10/10 response and after this conversation, I was really able to relax and enjoy the trip, knowing I could trust the menu labelling.
To me, this really shows the importance of advocating for yourself and asking the question if you’re feeling nervous or uncomfortable about something; had I not sent that email, I would have been nervous about food for the whole trip, and that’s definitely not how you want to feel when travelling!
Restaurants at Apukka Resort
Apukka has two restaurants; Restaurant Aitta, the main restaurant at the hotel, and Restaurant Kota, the specialty restaurant.
Restaurant Aitta: buffets
Restaurant Aitta is split into two sections; the more formal á la carte dinner area and the more casual buffet side, which serves three meals a day.
The Apukka Resort lunch buffet was a real surprise to us! Usually buffets are risky places for coeliacs due to the high cross contact risk. However, almost all of the food served at this buffet was gluten free, with all dishes having clear allergy labels and dedicated serving spoons and from what we observed, people were being good about not “double dipping” spoons so I was comfortable from a cross-contact perspective.
We tried lots of traditional Finnish food; meatballs in creamy sauce with mash potatoes and lingonberries, old man’s reindeer soup, smoked salmon casserole and sweet berry quark. It was so nice to warm up from the cold outside with some hearty meals and get an insight into traditional Finnish food!
The breakfast buffets were also very good with a dedicated omelette station and clearly labelled buffet. We ate at the buffet every day and I didn’t get sick.
Restaurant Aitta: á la carte
We really enjoyed our evening meals at Restaurant Aitta; the menu is full of traditional Lappish food, it’s cooked well and almost all of the menu is gluten free! We ate here for three nights, trying something different each time. We really enjoyed all our meals and would definitely recommend this to other coeliacs!
Some of the things we tried here were; wild mushroom risotto, arctic char with dill, reindeer with mashed potatoes and lingonberry and lamb with black current sauce.
Restaurant Kota: smoked salmon dinner
Restaurant Kota is the hotel’s specialty restaurant serving smoked salmon cooked on the fire. This was such a special meal – the type of experience I never thought would be possible with coeliac!
The artichoke soup was lovely and the smoked salmon was so good. They also made me a special gluten free lingonberry cheesecake which was incredible. The traditional kota building, complete with open fire, created a beautiful atmosphere making this such a special experience!
Would we recommend Apukka Resort for coeliacs?
Yes, absolutely! Our stay at Apukka was a truly special experience between the incredible accommodation, bucket list activities and friendly atmosphere. Not only could I eat safely throughout my stay, the traditional Finnish food was actually part of the experience and I tried so many different specialties that all tasted incredible!
We would 100 percent recommend Apukka Resort to anyone wanting a luxury but still authentic Finnish experience in Lapland.
We hope you found this guide helpful and have a great trip to Lapland! You can read more about our trip to Finland in our Helsinki gluten free travel guide.
Buy our favourite Finnish language translation card (use code JESSANDMARTIN for 10% off)
Jess and Martin’s Gluten Free Travel Guide 
Leave a comment