Somevaari

On our autumn holiday last October we visited the Meri Hotel Spa in Kuressaare and had a chance to talk to their very experienced doctor, Helvi Koppel. She introduced to us the variety of treatments they had for different conditions. (home page)I felt slightly frustrated when I realised I should have come here two years ago when I broke my ankle very badly. The process in Finland did not go altogether well and my ankle is and will remain stiff. Aku Eronen and doctor Helvi Koppel. In March 2015 I fell on a slippery road while I was walking to work in the morning. I broke three bones. The local hospital did a wonderful job putting the pieces back together and sent me home after a few days. For six weeks I had a cast and walked around with a pair of crutches. Or mostly, I sat on the sofa because walking was so difficult. I got some instructions for doing gymnastics and I tried to follow them closely. So far, so good. The problem arose, when the cast had been removed and I was supp...

Kun lapsenlapsilta oli enää muutama päivä kesälomaa jäljellä ennen koulujen alkamista, isoisänä mietin, mikä olisi mukava tapa juhlistaa sitä. Koska sää oli ollut epävakaata lähes koko kesän, katseeni kääntyi vesipuisto Serenaan. Siellähän on myös suuri sisähalli altainen ja liukumäkineen, eikä niiden käyttö ole säästä riippuvainen. Siis Serenaan! Päätin, että nyt otetaan ilo irti kunnolla ja varasin myös 6-8 hengen mökin meille. Hirsimökki oli kohtuuhintainen ja erittäin hyvin varusteltu. Astioiden ja liinavaatteiden lisäksi siinä oli mm. takka ja saunakin. Kuinka ollakaan, meille sattui vierailun ajaksi kauniin aurinkoiset ja lämpimät kesäpäivät! Pääsimme nauttimaan siis myös ulkoaltaista ja ulkotilojen lukuisista liukumäistä jäätelökioskiakaan unohtamatta. Voi sitä lasten riemua! Joka mäestä melkein piti laskea kerta toisensa jälkeen! Kaikkein hurjimmat jätimme vielä väliin. Ehkä muutaman vuoden kuluttua kun tytöt kasvavat. Kaikista huimin kokemus oli tilaamani vaijeriliuku...

HAIKKO MANOR – EXPERIENCES FOR ALL THE SENSES The summer holiday was about to end and the weather had not exactly pampered holiday makers. We needed a small break from everyday life. We turned our eyes to Haikko Manor in Porvoo, less than an hour´s drive from the capital. Haikko manor.  The combination of a beautiful, historic environment and a modern spa was just what we needed. The present manor house dates from 1913 and stands as a majestic crown in a scenery of parks and seashore. Inside you find old-world charm: it is easy to imagine the refined ladies with their long dresses going in the stairs and girls gracefully holding their parasols while strolling in the park. For art-lovers there is plenty to look at in the manor, and if you want more, the atelier of the famous Finnish painter Albert Edelfelt is nearby. He painted here for 24 summers in late 19 th and early 20 th century. You can find big posters made of his most iconic paintings here and there in the pa...

All the older generations of Finns have probably heard the Saarenmaa walse, which praises the white nights and the beauty of summer nights in Saarenmaa.  We headed there, too, for a week in June, not so much attracted by the white nights, but by the very reasonable prices of spa holidays. We had been planning to stay in our home country and were counting the costs of accommodation when we noticed a newspaper ad of one week spa holiday for a much cheaper price. We made a quick decision and were on our way just a few days later. We were met in Tallinna harbour by our Estonian guide, Anneli. During the bus ride she told us what to expect in our destination. After about two hours bus trip we boarded a ferry to the island of Muhu and from there to Saaremaa island and its capital, Kuressaare. Our hotel, spa hotel R üütli, was in a wonderful place on the seafront, next to the medieval Bishop´s Castle, just a short walk from the centre of Kuressaare. We indulged in spa life: ...