The owners are as beautiful as the vacation home they are offering. We are from the U.S.A. and had no idea what to expect when we arrived. We were warmly greeted by the son and made to feel right at home. XXX came over to collect the keys and laundry as we were leaving… she too, was warm and friendly, I liked her very much. The kitchen is well appointed and has everything you could need at a vacation home. The sauna/shower is beautifully constructed and accommodates a large number of people. Make sure you request towels and sheets. We did a lot of day trips from this location. The best day trips were to Turku for lunch and a visit to the Turku Handicraft museum. XXX We also drove out into the Turku archipelagos via Kaarina. We would have driven the Archipelago Loop but we didn't have a current ferry schedule. Many car ferries are free. My husband enjoyed going to the Finnish Tank Museum in Parola, near Hameenlinna. We also visited The Spy Museum and had lunch in Tampere. We hiked the national parks briefly. We used two grocery stores in Hameenlinna. XXX, XXX and XXX. Both are open until 9pm. Beer is sold in some grocery stores, but if you want wine or spirits, you need to find a state liquor store. We found a liquor store at the mall in Hameenlinna. I would strongly urge you to look carefully for pay stations anywhere you park. Paying a parking violation is a huge hassle many banks don't accept cash if you don't have an account with the bank. In Helsinki we were number 181 in line to speak with a teller to pay our fine… we gave up and asked our auto rental agent to handle it for us. I wish we could have spent more then a week at Vacation House Valkealammi. I loved the wood stove, the warm heated floors, outdoor cooking area, watching the moonrise over the lake, listening to the sounds of nature and basking in the fresh clean air. Hiking around the area I saw many species of birds, ducks, butterflies(6) plus deer and moose. This is a great vacation home… don't hesitate!

My husband and I rented this wonderful vacation house in early May. We enjoyed the solitude, hikes, bird & butterfly watching plus we made several easy day trips to see other parts of Finland. During our stay we visited Turku, Hameenlinna & Tampere. The weather was nippy so we enjoyed watching light snowfalls several times during our stay. The snow disappeared, but the peaceful solitude remained. We never heard a car, plane, phone or television the whole time we were there. The sauna / shower area is beautiful! We paid extra for our linen's, as is the custom in Finland - they were very nice. This vacation home is exactly as it is pictured. It is clean and well appointed. This is a great place for a large gathering, but works for a couple. The kitchen and outdoor cooking area has everything you need to prepare a great meal. The kitchen is well equipped. It has a coffee pot with coffee filters, toaster, oven mitts, dishes, cutlery, a large assortment of drinking glasses, pitchers, and flower vases. You may need foil, wrap, and trash bags. Everyone seems to leave their mustard behind, you will also find a few spices that were also left behind. The owner's son met us at the rental. He was very friendly as he showed us around the cabin and explained how everything worked in english. We met his lovely mother as we were leaving. She speaks better english then her son knows... :). I wish I would have asked them about their salt baths. A FEW NOTES: Towns seem to close around 6:00PM. Reminiscent of Minnesota 25 years ago. :) Wine & Liquor are sold in government regulated stores. You can buy beer in grocery stores & convenience store. The Kmarket & KSuperstore's grocery stores have anything you could possibly need. Pay to Park. We missed a pay machine while visiting a museum and got a ticket. The back of the ticket says that you can pay it at any bank, but most banks do not accept cash transactions, and if you don't have an account with the bank you have to draw a number and stand in line for up to an hour to speak with a teller who accepts cash. Watch the meters. Moose are every where, drive carefully! Turku has an excellent museum called the Luostarinmaki Handicrafts Museum which depicts what home life in Finland was like the late 1700's, early 1800's. We drove out to park at Ruissalo, then to Kaarina and took the free car ferry to the outer islands. We would have stayed for dinner but didn't have a ferry timetable.