Tips for your cottage holiday

Yllas Travel offers almost 500 splendid cottages, making it easy to find just the one for you.

Finland is a lovely country offering plenty of unpolluted natural areas and lakes. But Finland is also a modern industrial country so that complete silence and the peace of the wilds may sometimes be hard to find. Consequently, some sounds from agriculture and traffic may be heard around rented cottages.

All our holiday locations are quality rated, making it easy to select the place answering your requirements.

Confirmation, route and payment
Means of payment
Check-in and check-out during a week-long stay
Prices
Number of occupants
Notification on the arrival time - essential to ensure a successful start!
What is included to the price
What to take with you
Cleaning
Sauna
Fishing licenses
The owner of the cottage is there to help you

Confirmation, route and payment

When you reserve a cottage, we will send you a confirmation/invoice, together with written instructions for reaching the location and the owner's name and address.

Means of payment

Payment must be made as an SEPA payment (IBAN account number and BIC bank code). Sorry, we cannot accept cheques. We accept payment by VISA or Mastercard (but not Visa Electron). Please, give us by phone, fax or letter (NOT email!) your card number, the 3-digit CVC/CVV number on the back of the card (where your signature is) and the expiry date (month and year).

Check-in and check-out during a week-long stay

The check-in/check-out day during the high season is generally Saturday and the minimum stay is one week. With a week-long stay, the cottage will be available to you from 16 o'clock on the day of your arrival until 12 o'clock (noon) on the day of your departure.

Prices

The prices of cottages vary according to the time of year and type of cottage. For lake- or seashore cottages summer is the high season (weeks 25-32) and holidaying at these location is the cheapest in the spring and autumn. The most expensive time for the cottages at ski resort is generally the late winter to early spring period (weeks 8-17), Christmas and New Year.

Number of occupants

The maximum number of people using the cottage must not exeed the number of sleeping places indicated in the description or what is agreed when making the reservation. If the description says 4+2 pers., for example, then there are beds for maximum 6 persons (2 of them are e.g. a top bunk or a sofa bed or mattresses and are the most suitable for children.

Notification of arrival time - essential to ensure a successful start!

You by yourself must notify the owner/caretaker of the cottage of your time of arrival, either by phone or e-mail well in advance.

What is included to the price

The rental includes unrestricted use of the cottage and sauna. Cottages have normal furnishings as well as crockery, eating and cooking utensils. Fuel, wood and electricity are also covered by the rental (if not otherwise mentioned).

The running hot and cold water mentioned in the cottage descriptions most often comes from a nearby well. The running water quality might not be as good as that of municipal (town) water. You often either fetch drinking water from the owner/caretaker by yourself or the owner brings drinking water to the cottage in canisters.

Many cottages also have a TV. Please, remember however, that there are no cable TV networks in the Finnish countryside and that the quality of picture may not be quite as good as in town.

What to take with you

Cottages have mattresses, pillows and blankets. You must bring sheets, pillowcases and towels. In many cases, bed linen can be rented through Yllas Travel or from the cottage owner (price from €10 per person); this will include sheets, a pillowcase and hand and bath towels.

Washing up liquid, spices (pepper, salt, etc.), toilet paper and kitchen rolls are not included in the rental.

Cleaning

Did you know that you can enjoy your holiday to the full right up to the last day without having to clean the cottage at the end of your stay? You can book the final cleaning either in advance from Lomarengas (price from €45) or from the owner at your holiday location.

If you book final cleaning or it's included in the price, you just need to wash the dishes, take the garbage out to the garbage bins and take empty bottles and beverage cans with you or collect them together for example in a plastic bag. If you have moved furniture, please put them in their original places. If you have rented bed linen, please leave them stacked on the top of the bed. Take the foodstuff you have brought with you or put them in a garbage bin.

However, if you wish to carry out the final cleaning by yourself, please remember at least the following rules: rugs or carpets should be vacuum-cleaned, the cottage should be vacuum-cleaned, floors should be wiped over with a damp mop, tables and surfaces should be wiped with a moist cloth, bed linen should be aired outdoors, crockery and cooking utensils should be washed, the sauna and WC should be cleaned and all waste should be taken to the collection point.

Sauna

Almost all cottages have a sauna. For introduction to sweat baths see the website of The Finnish Sauna Society.

Fishing licenses

It is easy to start fishing in Finland. Angling with a hook and line and ice-fishing are exempt from licenses under public rights of access.
A new Fishing Act, came into effect from the beginning of 2016. According to it, you can buy fishing licenses for one year (39 euros), one week (12 euros) or one day (5 euros). By doing that, you can fish with one fishing rod and lure all around Finland. This includes lakes and sea areas. You can buy these licenses from R-kiosk.

In addition, lure fishing with one rod is free of charge for people aged under 18 or over 65. Other types of fishing always require fishing licenses also from them.Keep your receipt when fishing to show to a fishing inspector, if necessary.

See also our "Everyman's rights" Everymansright_web.pdf.

The owner of the cottage is there to help you!

If, during your holiday, you discover something is missing or the service needs improving, do not hesitate to contact the cottage owner. Do not allow your holiday to be spoiled due to some fault of problem which your host will be able to put right immediately.

If the fault or problem is not properly attended to, you can call Yllas Travel, tel. +358 306 502 580. Open Mon-Fri at 8.30 am-5 pm ans Saturdays at 10 am - 6 pm. In addition to our normal opening hours we will answer to our special service number +358 400 425 739 on certain days mentioned in the booking confirmation. Please, check the code number of the cottage or the reservation number ready before you call.

Welcome to a successful cottage holiday!

If you have some questions, please contact us!