Rajan Loma: Rent a summer cottage
If you're going to Eastern Finland, don't book a hotel, rent a summer cottage instead and get to know the local habits! You can rent a cottage with all the facilities either for a whole week or just a weekend, although in summertime many prefer lending their cottages for a whole week rather than just a weekend.
Going for a summer cottage is the Finnish way of spending your summer holidays / weekends. Many families have their own summer cottage, young people ofter use their parents' cottage and some prefer to rent one in a different scene every year or return to the same one year after year.
Summer cottages are almost always situated on lake shores. And what are you supposed to do there? Go to sauna at least once a day, eat grilled sausage or beefstakes, swim, go fishing, sunbath, read a book, drink (too much) or whatever you like to do :)
Summer cottages can have a toilet ouside in a separate small building, or all the facilities inside the cottage neat and clean. That's how I prefer them ;)
Here's pictured the cottage we were in in August and the information how to book it. Rajan Loma is a small "summer cottage village" consisting of 6 cottages, a sauna by the lake as well as a traditional savusauna "smoke sauna" which they heat for hours with the smoke coming in; when it's hot enough the smoke is let out and bathers go in. It smells good and the steam is soft. You're warmly recommended to try! The owners are a bit older couple already and will take a good care of you :)
