Yesterday we explored a new nature trail nearby, the Klassarinkierros in Nuuksio National Park. We loaded the car full of people – us, the three kids (ages 4, 6 ,12), and my in-laws currently visiting – and travelled towards the park. Klassarinkierros is a 4 km trail going on a circle. At the very start there’s a small parking area called Valklampi, but yesterday we were surprised to see that that and the long road were packed with cars – many people had our very same plan! To reach the trail you need a car, as no bus reaches this deep in. Its location within the park and more information can be found here.

The trail was fairly easy, except for a short section where we had to climb smooth rocks covered by a layer of ice. The small children were confident and fast. The path was marked very clearly (not all are!) so they could lead the group. U’s phone battery ran out right away so she was forced to enjoy nature, thank you Universe :D.

I’m not a fan of swamps and open spaces, so I appreciated that the path went deep into the forest. For a good part we walked near a stream and the pond Kurjolampi. I like when we walk near water – although I was running a betting pool on E falling into – he didn’t, shockingly.

We were lucky enough to spot a beautifully painted sunset sky. It was a relaxing and wonderful walk, and we’d love to do it again in the summer. Maybe we will lit a firecamp in the firepit available on the path and roast a couple of sausages.

If you are a fan of family hikes, check out these posts:
Our walk at Repovesi National Park (Kouvola)
Walking the Hannusmetsä Nature Trail (Espoo)
The Nature Trail at Oittaa (Espoo)

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The cruise ship was Silja Symphony, the one with the best reputation for family trips. When we boarded the ship, we were welcomed by live music and few staff members. Our cabin was cosy and spotless. R was excited she could sleep near mommy for two nights and she started unpacking right away. Silja Symphony is fully wheel-accessible, served by several elevators, and has a wide play area for kids (with plenty of chairs for parents to relax, bonus points).

Whenever we had some time to kill, we would visit there. R could play with Legos, relax and watch some TV, dive in the ball pit. Everyday there would be a small scavenger hunt and a prize winner among participants would be drawn in the evening.

On the first afternoon, we had plenty to do. After unpacking, we visited the royal cabin the two guest princesses shared. R was very impressed and I loved all the details. I mean, look at the Little Mermaid’s sleeping buddy, it’s Flounder! The roses, the rose bud lights, the engraved fairytale tome… what a great touch. It made it all more real for the children.

Shortly after, we headed to the Princess bingo game, hosted by a very special guest: Sleeping Beauty. You should have seen the children’s faces when she made her entrance!

She greeted the small guests and proceeded asking the audience what made a good princess. She shared the most important qualities for a princess are kindness and courage. She taught girls how to curtsy like a pro. Playing the role was the talented Juhlaprinsessa and believe me, she was way more than a woman in a costume! She was graceful, sweet beyond measure to all the kids, and really interpreted her character. Totally spot on! We were out of luck, but other young guests won colouring books and princess fairytale books.

After a quick dinner, we enjoyed the puppet show “Goldilocks and the Three Bears” by the renowned company Teatteri Hevosenkenkä. It was so funny that the following day R insisted to watch it again. There were jokes, songs, and a nice underlying message about not being scared by others’ diversity.

After the show it was time to let off some steam at the children’s disco. We were let into the private dance floor and small kids. R had packed two costumes: Elsa’s dress and unicorn. She changed into the latter and pulled off some great moves! The song selection alternated children’s songs with nostalgic and new hits. It was priceless to watch the parents giving in and starting to dance along (guilty, I cannot help it if you put on Bruno Mars or ABBA). Harry, the Silja Line’s seal mascot, paid a visit for a limbo game.

It was close to bedtime when the dance floor cooled off. The Skidit team had planned a soothing moment to end the day. Sleeping Beauty read a bedtime story to her young fans. I had washed and changed R into her night clothes, so that I could put her to bed as soon as story time ended. She didn’t have an ounce of energy left and feel asleep with a contented smile on her face.

We woke up when the ship was approaching Sweden. From our cabin window we could see the iced sea waters and the archipelago surrounding Stockholm, all islands covered in white. We visited the Grande Buffet restaurant and could pick whatever we wanted for breakfast. We are Italian, so we look for sweet flavours in the morning. This is often an issue when we travel, as the offer is quite poor. Well, not on Silja Symphony. Beside eggs, sausages, bacon, and other rich flavory options, we found plenty of sweet ones: fruit, bread and jam, yogurt, cereals, muffins, crepes. With our bellies full, we headed towards our morning warm-up: a dancing lesson with the Little Mermaid to the sounds of Under the Sea.

We spent our day in Stockholm – I’ll leave that part for a separate post – and went back to the ship in the afternoon. We took a chance to rest in our cabin before having dinner at Grande Buffet. On the previous night we had grabbed a quick bite, but now we were ready to take it easy. The buffet had a kids’ section and R could pick her own food. I went nuts on the cheese table. The buffet had everything. Veggie options, meat, fish, cheese, a great selection of desserts (tiramisu in chocolate tarts! I should have bagged a thousand and run). When you travel with picky customers as kids can be, a wide what-you-see-is-what-you-get food selection can be a life saver.

Oh, did I mention kids could get ice cream as dessert? Genius!

After dinner, the Skidit team had planned some serious fun. R insisted to watch the Teatteri Hevosenkenkä‘s puppet show again, then we headed to the dance floor for another grooving session. She dressed up with her Elsa costume and danced like no one was watching (I totally was because she was so cute!). The Little Mermaid came to say hi and dance to a couple of songs. She’s R’s favorite princess, so she sticked close and stole more than a few hugs. And what better finale than Let it go playing? R pointed at her dress and commented excitedly “It’s perfect!”. The cutest and most full-hearted lip-sync interpretation followed. Priceless.

The Little Mermaid wrapped up the evening with a bedtime story. We were heading back to bed, when we heard some live music playing in the Skylight venue. I gave in to vacation’s spirit and allowed some more spins on the dance floor. The early shows for adult guests were family friendly and children were allowed to dance near the stage. The performing group Scandinavian Dancers entertained us with live songs and energetic dances.

Even though I enjoyed all our time on the ship, it was a nice surprise to be able to enjoy a show engaging the adult audience.

We spent our last night on the ship and when morning came, Helsinki was getting close. We enjoyed crepes and fruit for breakfast, played some more in the play area and packed. One thing is sure: we will never forget this magical trip!

What I loved as a parent

The planning and organisation was nothing less than perfect. Every activity was on time. The schedule left time to move across the ship, have toilet or eating breaks. We never had dull moments, yet we didn’t need to run around. On the second day, the organisers made sure we still followed the Finnish timezone: for example, the bedtime story was at 8pm (9pm Finnish time). Silja Symphony and its services are completely child-friendly. I’m a whiner when it comes to service, but I was so impressed by how kind and professional the staff was, a smile always on their faces.

A comment as an expat

I know many of my readers are international and they are probably wondering about the events’ language. All communications on the ship were given in Finnish, Swedish, and English. Most signs had instructions also in Russian. The night shows I watched were in English and performers were international. The Skidit’s programme was in Finnish, but during the bingo game when parents needed to help their kids, numbers were announced also in Swedish and English (which I really appreciated!). In other words, if your child speaks Finnish and you don’t, it’s gonna be fine!

The next cruise is happening in March and has “circus” as a central theme. Another taking place in June will be announced later: make sure to like the Skidit Festarit page to never miss their events and their ticket giveaways. I cannot but recommend you to join one Skidit cruise. Prinsessabileet has been an amazing family experience which overcame all our expectations and left us with precious and royal memories.

We were offered tickets to the Prinsessabileet cruise in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are mine and sincere: more on my working values can be found here.

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This hotel is perfect for kids

The staff at hotel Scandic Kouvola welcomed our family with open arms. At checkin, our children were offered colouring books and balloons. Our room was spacious and the kids shared a wide bed; one recurrent issues when we travel is them falling out of beds. This one had edges, it was perfect and everyone slept all comfy! The room had a TV with kids’ channels (in several languages), a ridiculously big shower (no need to play people Tetris while washing the kids!), and all comforts we needed. The breakfast offer made everyone happy and the restaurant had a small play area. We really enjoyed our stay and I regret stopping for one night only. I wholeheartedly recommend booking a room in this hotel if you are travelling with your family!

The Model Railway Museum

Kouvola is a railway town, in what better place than here one could open a Model Railway Museum? Semaforo hosts the private collection of Erwin, a Swiss expat who has lived in Finland for 19 years. The museum opened 10 years ago and its collection is unique in Finland. Erwin is truly passionate about model trains and, more generally about toys from the past. He showed us around and walked us through the incredibly detailed reconstructions. I was particularly impressed by his one model where 20 different train ran, managed by a 5000 line computer programme. Beside it being an accurate visual reconstruction, it was a small masterpiece of technology. All railway had sensors and the computer would react to unexpected obstacles and handle queues, stop trains in sequence, and resume circulation when the danger was eliminated. The trains were all different: some were Finnish, some not; some were reconstructions of old models, some were modern high-speed trains.

Erwin explained me there are about 5 millions model train hobbyists in US and about 2 millions in Germany. It definitely is a craft which requires different skills: painting, electronics, programming, and more.
Our kids appreciated seeing the trains moving (they loved the wooden train going above our heads!) and played with some of the toys made available to visitors.
I feel this is a small pearl of the town. Make sure to stop here and have a chat with the knowledgeable owner, who’s happy to share more about his collection and his passion of model trains.

Walking in Kouvola

The city center is small and everything was at walking distance, which was nice with kids. There is a wide pedestrian area which makes it safe to have a stroll around and the small ones can run free. We found a very nice and modern playground 200 m from our hotel, kids played and my husband and I showed our skills at throwing a frisbee (we don’t have any, apparently).

As you all know, E’s true passion are fountains and he found one to stare at (whatever keeps him still for 5 minutes!).

The action park

The weather held up as much as it could, but on Sunday rain came. Not a problem, as we had reserved the afternoon to visit Action Park, an indoor playground in a local mall. We had a bite in the food court and then a couple of hours inside the playground. Kids especially enjoyed riding the pedal cars and the upside house playground.

My husband and I even sneaked off to play a merciless table tennis match (I let him win). R tried to push me into the foam pit, but I moved at the last second and she fell instead. I laughed hard. She should work on her sense of humour instead. The place had plenty to do for all ages. There are small courts where one can play minigolf, table tennis, tennis, hockey, and so on. The space is compact and there’s only one way out, so parents can take few minutes off and enjoy some playing as well (don’t judge us!).

We really enjoyed our time in Kouvola. I later found out we had missed the Medieval Festival by one week. Make sure you don’t make our same mistake next year and save the date! Don’t forget Kouvola is also home to Tykkimäki, the third-largest amusement park in Finland, which we visited last year and look forward to seeing again (great attractions, little queues!). It was great to end our summer vacation with some extra family time in a quiet and welcoming place like Kouvola is. We will surely visit again next year. See you soon, Kouvola!

I collaborated with Visit Kouvola to write this post. Opinions are mine and sincere. Read about my transparency and work values here.

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We were invited to visit the town of Kouvola and the nearby region, approximately 150 km away from the capital region. This wasn’t our first time, as last year we had visited the spectacular amusement park Tykkimäki close by. However, we hadn’t explored the area and we were eager to find what we had missed.

We spent our first day in the incredible National Park of Repovesi. The sun was shining bright and we decided to walk the popular Fox Trail (5 km).

We left the car in the wide Lapinsalmi parking area. If you don’t own a car, don’t panic: there are cheap bus connections running in the summer. Before starting your walk, you can buy snacks or drinks from a local kiosk and use the dry toilet facilities.

I had studied the map and I knew our trail started with a ride onto the “Fox ferry”. We walked to the departure point, yet we were confused: where is the ferry? We double-checked the trail marks, saw a platform, yet no ferry on the lake. Well, apparently it was a man-powered ferry!

My husband and a fellow hiker carried our family to the other side of the lake: what an exciting start! The clock had hit noon already and we all needed energy, so we stopped under the fresh shadow of spruces and ate our packed lunch: rich sandwiches, cherry tomatoes, and tiny cinnamon buns.

We were ready to start our walk! The trail alternated parts deep into the pine and birch forest with open walks onto the Lake Kapiavesi’s rocky banks. It was not an easy walk (definitely not stroller-friendly, bring a baby carrier!) and we loved it. I am aware I get easily excited by new things, so I ran through my more trustworthy husband the question “Was this our best hike ever?” and he commented “Definitely one of the best”.

I think we were mostly impressed and engaged by the diversity of the trail. Personally, I love going deep into dense, humid, and mushy woods, and there were long segments like that. I love to stand in the middle of a forest, turn all around and feel there’s no end. The kids and I pressed our hands onto the soft moss that was covering the whole forest’s floor, smelled trees and plants, carefully walked over roots, pointed at berries of different shapes and colours. I told them elves (tontut) and fairies populated the forest and we pointed at things in nature and wondered how they’d use them to hide, sleep, or dress up. Then, just like that, the woods opened again and we’d find ourselves walking on big rocks few inches from the clear waters.

Near the lake, we could hear the loud calls of the local red-throated diver and other birds chirping. Watching the deep blue waters of the lake over the clear sky was mesmerising. There is no “official” beach along the trail, but you can dip your feet or legs in some points. Some tracts of the trail were rocky, the area is famous for high cliffs and for the light red granite rock rapakivi. There was plenty of elevation, too. In the second half of our hike we had to climb up a steep hill, but the view we found on top was worth the effort: utterly breathtaking. We stood on a plain rock and oversaw the woods, the lake, and the immense sky.

Here and there, we found information posts which shared more on the history and the natural heritage of the site. The whole trail was very well maintained and marked. It took us 3 hours and a half, we had to take few breaks, but we and the kids all made it! We spared the little one (now 3 years old) a couple of kilometers by carrying him in our baby carrier, but the oldest (now 5) managed well on her own. In the end of our walk, we were supposed to cross the lake through the famous suspension bridge.

Picture borrowed from rimmalaura.com

Unfortunately the bridge was closed for repair, but a small boat was carrying visitors back and forth every 15 minutes. We sat at the picnic area and ate a fruit snack, while waiting for our ride. Some families were grilling their lunch on an open fire available to visitors. When the boat arrived, we climbed onto it and it quickly transported us back to the parking area. We made a stop at the kiosk for ice-cream and then said goodbye to the beautiful park of Repovesi. We rode towards Kouvola eager to see more, with our hearts well-rested and full of beautiful family memories.

I collaborated with Visit Kouvola to write this post. Opinions are mine and sincere. Read about my transparency and work values here.

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After packing our bags and leaving our apartment, we headed to the port close to Maretarium and waited for the ferry to bring us to Varissaari, a small island facing Kotka. The island is connected through a ferry service going every hour (at :00 sharp) and the trip takes 10 minutes. The service is privately offered and it’s expensive (a return ticket is free under 4 years of age, 8 euros for an adult and 4 euros for a child aged 4-12).

We spotted a swan and its family.

In old times, Varissaari was a military post, hosting ammunitions and providing a first line of defence for the town. Nature on the island is raw, but a thin trail guides visitors through a tour of the shore (a couple of km only) and info posts share details of the island’s history. There are mostly ruins, nowadays. On one side of the island, we could observe close the birds nesting on the rocks, exciting! Standing on the ruins, you can throw the look far away through the wide Baltic sea.

There is a small beach and it’s possible to swim. The restaurant also rents boats, a sauna boat, and surf boards. Weather was not friendly, so we resolved to play hide-and-seek , kids wet their feet and played with sand.

The island also hosts a modern restaurant called Vaakku, which won our hearts as the best eating restaurant in our trip.

To the day, I am still dreaming of their asparagus creamy soup. The restaurant has a beautiful sea view, and seats both indoors (with a huge glass wall) and outside. It regularly hosts concerts and events, so you may wanna check their programme beforehand. Food was excellent and affordable, even considering the ferry ticket on top.

We had started our trip with a walk in the nature of Valkmusa and we ended it breathing some more nature. We went back to the car, ready to go home. But we had yet one stop to make before doing so. After all, we didn’t have dessert.

Another great find of this holiday was the Waffle Bar Teelusikka, a cute cafe serving the best waffles I have ever had! They are custom, which means you can top them with whatever you like. We treated ourselves right before going back home.

We’ll miss you, Kotka! If you haven’t visited this side of Finland, wait no more. We really enjoyed the family trip and had plenty to do and see. Among other things, the area is famous for its “Sea days“, which will be held at the end of this month this year! There’s much to do for everyone and many free activities for the whole family.

I partnered with Visit Kotka-Hamina for this series of posts. Opinions are mine and sincere. Read more about my transparency values here.

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Walking towards Hamina’s City Hall.

We used most of our third day to visit Hamina, a town North-East of Kotka. Hamina is smaller than Kotka and very easy to walk around. The centre is a lovely patchwork of historical small buildings, all coloured in pencil-tones. In some ways, it reminded me of Porvoo. Few main roads start from the square and get crossed by other, placed on concentric circles.

The centre is full of old lovely buildings.

We were a bit disappointed when we found most central shops and cafes were closed on Saturday afternoon. Most attractions require a visit outdoors (statues, buildings’ exteriors…), so I find it mandatory to plan your visit when weather is favourable.

Hamina’s fortress.

The crown jewel of Hamina is the fortress, build in the 18th century and recently restored. Today, the fortress mostly hosts events. It’s definitely one of Finland’s most powerful historical site and a must-see. We had lunch right inside the fortress at Ravintola Kamu!.

The entrance of Kamu!.

The restaurant is quite unique and I would definitely recommend a stop here. The food offer was not strictly typical Finnish, but more of Italian inspiration, and we liked it (and we are Italian, in case you didn’t know). The restaurant had all children’s accessories and even a play area, which we always appreciate as it spares everyone stress during the wait for the food.

Kamu!’s play area.

We took our time with lunch and later spent the remaining hours walking around the centre, admiring the architecture and enjoying the quiet. At some point, we walked right into a playground and the kids could let off some steam there.

To be fair, I don’t see Hamina as a great travel destination for families with small children. In general, I found the town quite “unprepared” for tourists. I was especially puzzled by the restrictions with opening times of cafes and shops during high season. There are no indoors attractions and you mostly walk around. I could picture it as more suitable for a couple’s romantic getaway. If you are travelling nearby, I would advise to make a stop in town to see the fortress and eat at Kamu!.

After our visit to Hamina, we went back to Kotka to play in one of the beautiful parks. The town has invested many resources in renovating and building parks on natural sites. They are really impressive and we regret we didn’t have time to see them all.
Jokipuisto was quite close to the apartment we were staying at and it was a work of art.

We were lucky as all flowers were blooming and the park was full of colours. The place was quiet, except for the delicate sound of the waterfalls. I took some time alone to immerse myself in the atmosphere and meditated on the banks of the stream. The kids played in the small playground and in the “plant tunnel” near the river.

Katariina’s park was also very impressive. We didn’t have the chance to walk through all of it, but stopped at the skating ring. We had thought ahead and brought the kick-scooter and bike (well done, us). The playing structures are brand new and the park has a beautiful sea view.

The salmon fishing spot I mentioned in my first post (Siikakoski) is also work in progress to become an urban park.

The parks of Kotka are a premium attraction for families with small children and I warmly recommend to visit more than we did. To read about them, you can explore this post.

We felt a bit sad in the evening, thinking the next day was the final in our trip and we felt there was much more to see. Come back in few days to find out where we went on our last day (spoiler: it will include our favourite eating places!).

I partnered with Visit Kotka-Hamina for this series of posts. Opinions are mine and sincere. Read more about my transparency values here.

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Vellamo, outside view.

As soon as we entered, we were presented with the majestic view of several boats displayed in the grand hall. The permanent exhibitions collect traces of history of the region and Kotka, a town by the sea. Kotka lies at the mouth of river Kymi, a 200 km long river connected to water basins up to 600 km away. In the past, the river presented a chance for lumbermen to transport logs to Southern Finland. Thanks to the commercial opportunities, several wood factories and paper mills opened towards the end of the 19th centuries and called in workers and their families from other areas of Finland. The town of Kotka was founded.

Entering Vellamo.

Today, Kotka is an important port in the Baltic sea, with a strong role in commercial routes to and from Russia. It is still a proud sea town, with its beautiful city centre living on an island. Vellamo celebrates all this, along with more of the past and recent Finnish history.

Another interesting chapter of local history concerns the Karhula glass factory. The factory was founded in 1889, few years after its competitor, internationally known Iittala, started its business. After World War I, Karhula absorbed Iittala and dominated the national market for decades. Vellamo hosts a rich exhibition of glassware, and covers the history of the glass factory, as well as profiles of its most successful designers.

Design is a part of Finnish international reputation. It was really interesting to learn more about its history. Karhula kept producing design items under the Ittala brand, while the main plant turned to gross production and affirmed as national bottle and container manufacturer, until it closed in 2009. The renowned Finlandia vodka bottle was one of their makings.

The best of Vellamo can be found in the hall. Several real boats and ships are displayed and tell a story. Others can be observed in small scale models or reconstructions. Yoiu can study ancient items recovered by ships sinked in the Baltic Sea. There’s even a raft from a rescue operation, reminding of the current migrant crisis.

From the perspective of a parent of small children, this is by far the smartest museum I have ever visited:

• all the centre is stroller-friendly (and you can borrow strollers from the museum);
• they implemented gamification in most exhibitions and children get to play while learning;
• several play areas are distributed throughout the museum.

We adults were allowed to focus on the tour and kids didn’t get bored. Most displayed items can be touched; our children could play inside a boat and an old FIAT car; the collections of historical toys contained many pieces they could try and play with.

During summertime, Vellamo offers daily non-stop workshops for kids and even free-of-charge tours for kids aged 6-10 (in Finnish). The centre regularly hosts events for children. You can find more about their activities for young visitors on the their dedicated webpage.

I should mention you can access the centre with the Museum Card (museokortti) if you own one. If you don’t, entry fee is really small given what the place offers (10€ adult, 0€ under 18).

The centre hosts the nice restaurant Laakonki with view on the bay. You don’t need a museum ticket to access it. We enjoyed their buffet lunch, kids liked the food and we parents got to rest our eyes on the scenic view of the sea.

Vellamo is a must-see in Finland, not only in Kotka. I can highly recommend it as a great activity for the whole family. You can find more information on Vellamo in their website, or peak at their offer on their Instagram feed and their Facebook page.

I partnered with Visit Kotka-Hamina for this series of posts. Opinions are mine and sincere. Read more about my transparency values here.
Read the other posts about our trip: 1.

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This year we made a resolution to explore Finland more and share its beauty and its hidden treasures. On this weekend we are visiting the region of Kotka-Hamina, about 130 km from the capital area where we live. If you wish to follow our trip live, head out to my Instagram account. And if you wish to see much better pics, make sure to follow the official feed of Visit Kotka-Hamina.

Valkmusa National Park

We started our holiday by driving to the Valkmusa National Park. Now, nature is the best aspect of Finland to enjoy. Finnish people themselves are children of the forest. Life here is tightly connected to raw and sometime rough nature. On the other hand, you don’t have to be an expert explorer to experience natural beauties, as most parks and forests have well-maintained trails, grilling stations, and picnic areas. There’s plenty of easy trails for families (2-4 km). Nature trails (luontopolku) are one of our regular family activities and we often walk the same trail in different seasons, to witness its natural cycles and spot new details.

Walking the Simonsaari nature trail in Valkmusa.

There are few car parking spots to leave your car in Valkmusa. We walked the 2,5 km Simonsaari trail, which was suitable for both children. About half-way there’s an observation tower and a picnic area, where we had lunch and rested.

We crossed many open areas and only a minor portion of this trail went deep into the forest. We saw cloudberry plants for the first time up close. If you visit in late summer, bring a basket along as this place is mining field for blueberries (which can be freely picked in Finland).

After our family hike, we had an hour to kill before checking-in into our accommodation and wandering we discovered the hidden pearl of cafe Villa Monkholma. The owner shared her exciting story. She left a hectic and successful career in the capital area to move to Kotka, renovate and re-open the cafe 3 months ago. The building used to host a restaurant in the 90s, but was closed and stayed so for years.

We were served good coffee and ate homemade cinnamon cookies. In front of the cafe we could hear the rumbling waters of river Kymi. The area is known as the best salmon fishing spot in Southern Finland. We also found out that the town of Kotka has recently started the project of building a park there.

Kids were mesmerised by the view and the sound of water. We sat on the rocks and simply watched the river flow.

We then headed to our rental, rested, and drove to Kotka to visit Maretarium, the local aquarium hosting Baltic fish species. We could observe up close many of the fishes we usually eat (sorry, fishes). As a bilingual family, we appreciated that the lady at the ticket office handed us a list with Finnish-English-Italian translations of all fish names (I’m so gonna use that for shopping as well).

The aquarium regularly hosts children’s events and has a room with some fish-related games, toys, and activities. The most impressive part was the theatre, where one can pause, sit and watch a big tank with fishes swimming up close. The tank glass makes fishes seem at hand reach. Kids could sit close to the glass and watch carps and trouts swim by. At the very end of the place there are a couple of snakes and frogs to watch up close.

We ended our first day by visiting the local restaurant Wanha Fiskari, just behind Maretarium. We had a chance to eat local fish courses. I appreciated the restaurant offered several meal options for kids (and not only meatballs and fries or pasta bolognese).

They offer typical Finnish food (kotiruoka, “home food”) and I particularly liked my salmon soup. If you wish to taste Finnish cuisine, that’s a good place. We found it  expensive, though, so be advised.

What a day! We didn’t have any energy left and we went to sleep happy and excited for the days ahead. I will share more on Kotka and Hamina in the upcoming days here on the blog and live in my Instagram feed. If you cannot wait, you can jump to the official town’s website and look up activities and places yourself. Stay tuned to find out more about this beautiful region of Finland!

I partnered with Visit Kotka-Hamina for this series of posts. Opinions are mine and sincere. Read more about my transparency values here.

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We were blessed with sunny weather, but it was windy and we were afraid it would be too cold to play outside while wet. A pity, given what the resort offered:

But here comes into play the best side of this place: there’s plenty to do inside as well. For readers who don’t know our family well, we visited with two toddlers aged 3 and 5. The dressing rooms are quite big. Be advised you need a 2 euro coin (which is returned) to use the lockers and store your valuables safely. If you forget, you can still change a small bill at the shop. The rooms are close to the pools and we went back and forth several times with no fuss to leave or get our phones or wallets. The dressing rooms had everything I needed with kids: spacious showers, complimentary shower gel and shampoo, plenty of space to seat and move, few hair-driers. There was a sauna but we didn’t use it. Toilets were very clean. Dressing rooms are accessible with strollers. After getting changed, we were presented with this:

There are 3 main pools, with different depths and temperature. We started from the children’s pool, warmer and provided with a couple of slides suitable for small children.

E coming down from the small slide in the children’s pool. Depth here is about 30 cm.

R having fun on the other slide of the children’s area. We could relax and watch from the poolside, as depth here was about 50 cm.

I found courage to try the wild stream (villivirta) and made the fool decision to keep my prescription glasses on… and I lost them at the first turn. The staff was kind and tried to help me. Luckily a kid and his dad took the matter in their own hands and went scanning  the stream for my glasses. I was so grateful! Thinking back, I take full blame for the inconsiderate choice, but I would advise the resort to put very clear and luminescent signs strongly advising people to take glasses off. I hadn’t visited a waterpark in over 15 years and excitement doesn’t play well with common sense. There were nice hangers for glasses near the bigger slides, but I didn’t connect the dots that I may need them for the stream as well. Access to the stream and bigger slides should be restricted (or guarded) in case a lone kid gets strange ideas.

After so much fun we realised time had flew, and went for a late lunch to the resort’s restaurant. I noticed few families were eating their packed lunch in the picnic areas, which is allowed by  park’s rules. The food court serves as a cafe (coffee, tea, juice, some buns, sodas, ice creams…) and as a fast food restaurant.

There are 4-5 meals including burger, soda, and fries. Also a small salad buffet was displayed. Choice was a bit limited. On a positive note, the kids could spend time in a play area while we waited for our food.

The restaurant’s play area.

After eating we were ready to dive back into the water. The kids had grown bold and wanted to try bigger slides and deeper pools. E was completely reckless and swam all around like a fish, refusing any support!

Basically Aquaman.

Stepping up from the children’s pool.

R is usually more cautious, yet she found courage to dare. I was so proud of her! We spent a good half hour with her attempting to swim short distances in the 1,5 m deep pool.I instead realised I’m officially old and have zero tolerance for thrills. If you are better than me, know that the three indoors slides are very exciting. I wish I could travel back in time and had 20 year old me try those.

After over 4 hours, we went to get changed and left the park. Kids protested but they couldn’t stand straight anymore (and later slept 12 hours, win for me). We all agreed we had a fun family day and that it was the perfect way to start summer holidays.

What’s the final verdict?

The good stuff

• plenty of attractions, you can easily fill the whole day and make kids of all ages happy;
• clean and functional dressing rooms and facilities;
• bringing your own food is allowed;
• fun granted with any weather;
• huge parking space,
• kind staff and good customer service.

Could be better

• entrance tickets are pricey (note that kids younger than 4 don’t pay) and there are hidden costs (parking is 5 euros, food is expensive);
• some surfaces are slippery and kids are not the best at listening to “don’t run!”;
• potential danger could be notified better (forbid access to certain areas to younger kids, warn not to wear glasses, …).

Over all, we recommend Serena for a family day, with any weather. You can find more information about the park on its website, its Facebook page or its Instagram feed.

This post was fruit of a collaboration with Serena waterpark. Opinions are mine and sincere. Read more about my work and transparency values here.

The post Fun family day at the waterpark of Serena Resort appeared first on The Elephant Mum.

Do you want to have a taste of our day? Check out our vlog:

The park is big and offers a wide range of activities, for all ages. My kids are now 3 and 5 years old respectively and we could enjoy almost all attractions. For us adults, it was a liberating experience. We got to shamelessly jump on trampolines and dive into the “foam pit”. Sorry not sorry! It’s a unique feeling to get to move freely as you did when you were a child. I don’t recall the last time I could jump without fear of falling or getting hurt!

Kids loved especially the car track: simple fun but effective! E was too small but we got to ride it together. We also spent plenty of time in the skating area, where R tried a kick scooter for the first time and E sat and rode on a skateboard for a good hours, up and down, back and forth. There may or may not be CCTV footage of me crashing him into a wall by mistake. Mother of the Year, ladies and gents! He’s totally fine, the place is truly safe (and the wall told a story that I was not the first to make this mistake).

We tried plenty of ball games. There is even a game arena dedicated to young children with a small basketball court, a football and a hockey one:

There the kids could play safely and with no timing. They were able to take part to the “adults’ attractions” as well. My husband simply could not leave the basketball court, where he had to dunk a ball in each basket once in less than a minute. He claims he succeeded once, but no one was there to witness.

Daddy’s favorite.

There were plenty of choices: baseball, football pinball, golf, bowling, rugby, and more. All games were timed and mostly required for you to hit targets and beat point records. My favourite was the football pinball, where I had to kick soccer balls and hit targets. I couldn’t get enough of it!

We found two separate playing areas for smaller kids. One is provided with a small foam pit and climbing walls. There, parents can easily supervise children, as there’s only one way in and out. The other area includes some soft play and simpler games:

Kids liked both, but since the rest of the games were truly accessible to the whole family,  we had our best moments there. I felt it was truly fantastic! Before visiting, I was afraid we would have to split our time between different areas of the park and take turns in having fun. It was a pleasant surprise to find out all attractions truly suited all ages in our family!

Food positively impressed us. There was an in-house restaurant and practically the only option available. Usually food is not the best in such places as they don’t suffer competition and therefore have no motivation to improve. Well, our expectations were exceeded at Superpark Espoo. I ordered “pasta bolognese” for the kids and (a) it was not spaghetti (big win! There’s no such thing as spaghetti bolognese in Italy!), (b) it was rich and tasty, (c) the kids loved it and they have authentic Italian standards. My husband asked for a hamburger and they grilled it on the spot. I requested a goat cheese salad: they grilled my goat cheese and the salad was truly rich. I usually don’t enjoy eating salads but this was exceptional. And coffee tasted great, more points for you, Superpark!

Overall we spent over four hours in the park, which is quite a record with small children. We were crashed in the end, but happy and satisfied with the family quality time we had. I suggested to my husband that we go back without the kids for a date night sometime and get to play and challenge each other. I am even considering bringing my own team from work for a team day here!

I give Superpark a sincere 5 stars out of 5! It is rare to find places truly suitable for the whole family. I loved Mother’s Day’s programme as I got to do something with my family and at the same time I fully enjoyed it myself.

We visited Superpark Espoo but there are several other parks all over Finland. Superpark is great for a single fun day, but you can check out also their summer camps and regular courses. To get a closer look, give Superpark Espoo’s Facebook page a thumbs-up or follow the parks’ Instagram page.

Thank you for the splendid Mother’s Day, Superpark! We will visit again soon!

This post is a joint collaboration with Superpark. Opinions are mine and sincere. Read more about my work values here.

The post My great Mother’s Day at Superpark Espoo appeared first on The Elephant Mum.