Things worth knowing about your cottage holidays

Rental period

The minimum rental period in the summer (high season) is one week: from Saturday to Saturday. The prices of the cottages are per week and per cottage. In winter (except in New Year's time) and in low season the minimum rental period is three days. When the rental period is less than one week, the rental price is calculated per days (for instance three days and two nights).

Arriving and leaving
The lease is always from Saturday 4 p.m. to Saturday noon. Please leave the cottage in the same neat condition you like to find it on arrival.

Drinking water
You can fetch drinking water from shops or service stations, if there is no well available near your cottage.

Driving instructions
Before the beginning of the rental period you will receive directions to the cottage or the owner, who will take you to your cottage. Please inform the owner of your approximate arrival time.

Outdoor toilets (earth closets)
Most of the cottages do not have flush toilets but earth closets, privies. They stand somewhat apart from the cottages. In the earth closet you use e.g. lime chloride instead of flushing with water.
The owner will provide your earth closet with the chloride and arrange that the container is emptied.

Fishing
From 1.1.2016 fishers aged 18–64 years have to pay a fishing management fee, except for angling with a hook and line, ice-fishing, and herring fishing with a rig, which are free of charge. The fishing management fee entitles you to lure fishing using one rod, reel and lure in the whole of Finland, except Åland islands or areas where fishing is prohibited. For other fishing methods and for fishing with more than one rod 18-64 year old fishers need to pay the fishing management fee as well as have permission by the water owner.

Fittings
Finns live very close to nature. For this reason they keep their summer houses simple - often quite intentionally. The area in sq.m. quoted in the description of the cottage always comprises the total surface area of the cottage (except veranda). In our cottages smoking is not allowed indoors.

As the cottage is private property it is the taste of the owner which decides the interior decoration.The furniture is simple and often there are no wardrobes.
Beds are often narrower and harder than in a city apartment. In many cases there are no closed bedrooms, but just alcoves or sleeping galleries.
Bunk beds are common. In most cases the bed-quilt is not an eiderdown but a quilt in a cover. Bedlinen and towels are not included in the rent. At some cottages is it possible to rent them from the owner with extra fee 14.90 eur/person.

Grilling
Add to the close-to-nature experience by using the outdoor grill. The type of grill varies at the cottages, some owners provide also the gas or charcaol and at some cottages you need to bring those yourself. You can buy charcoal and lighting fluid at service stations and at most markets.

Holiday cottage prices
Holiday cottage prices (per week including VAT 10%) are in two categories:
High-season: from the middle of June until the middle of August
Low-season: from the beginning of May until the middle of June and from the middle of August until the end of September

In cottages that are suitable also for winter use, the price category in winter is usually the same as in the high season in summer.

Number of persons
The number or persons stated when booking should not be exceeded. Please remember that children also count as persons. The maximum number of persons allowed is specified for each cottage.

Open fireplace
Many holiday cottages have an open fireplace. Sitting in the late evening by a fire is a one of the highlights of the cottage holiday. There is firewood ready for use at the cottage, but notice that the wood is not necessarily chopped.

Pets
Pets are allowed only by agreement with the cottage owner. No quarantine is required before entering Finland.

Rowing
A rowing-boat almost always goes with the cottage. It can be used for fishing, for visiting other shores and islets or simple for enjoying the idyllic lake scenery.

Shopping
Market days are a stimulating experience. Besides finding much fresh food in the market, this is also the place where you get to know people and their way of living especially well. In smaller places market days are simple and on a small scale. Buying your food from the farmer next door can also be fun and quite an experience for the children.

“Showers”
Every cottage is right beside a lake and a sauna always belongs to the fixtures - and this combination constitutes your “shower”. You wash in the sauna room and take a “shower” from a bucket or have a dip in the lake. This is an extremely old Finnish tradition which you will quickly learn to enjoy.

What to take with you
When going to a holiday cottage you should bring with you bed linen and towels, as well as toilet paper and soap and shampoo.
All cottages are equipped with tableware, cutlery and kitchen utensils, and there are also blankets or bed-quilts and pillows.

Reservations:
Saimaatours, Kirkkokatu 10, 53100 Lappeenranta, Finland
Tel. +3585411 7722 ( English )
e-mail: saimaatours@saimaatours.fi

Kuopio

K450 Karttula, Petäinen lake, 2-6 pers.

K451 Karttula, Iso-Lauas lake , 2-6 pers.

K453 Karttula, Iso-Lauas lake, 2-8 pers.