Aurora Mountain Lodge

Fitted with glass ceilings above the bed, the Aurora Suites at Aurora Mountain Lodge are built for one thing: watching the sky without leaving the room. The lodge sits near the small village of Lannavaara, in the mountains of Swedish Lapland, well off the region's main routes. Guest rooms fill the main lodge building, while a scatter of cabins stands a short walk away, giving arriving guests a choice between hotel comfort and something more private. It is a quiet base, built for cold, dark nights and long summer light in equal measure. A restaurant and lounge serve meals and drinks on site, and a sauna and spa area gives guests somewhere to unwind after a day outdoors. The lodge keeps a husky camp and horse stables on the property, and guests can arrange activities directly from there. Norrbotten's terrain does the rest: forest, open sky, and little artificial light to compete with the aurora overhead. Rooms are simple rather than showy, which suits the setting. The northern lights remain the main draw, and the lodge is built around seeing them, from the glass-ceilinged suites to the open lounge areas where guests gather in the evening. It is not a large property, and that scale keeps the pace unhurried.