House in Akulovka – rest in Karelia in a houseboat

In the last 10-12 years, Karelia has become an increasingly popular destination among active tourists. Dense coniferous and deciduous forests, more than 27 thousand rivers, about 60 thousand lakes, 8 large waterfalls, two reserves and a national park – all this attracts nature lovers to the picturesque region of Northern Russia. In the republic for numerous tourists open the doors of more than 550 hotels of different categories. One of them is the“House in Akulovka”,positioning itself as a country mini-hotel for family holidays.

 

 

Hotel Location

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“Ladoga Skerries” – a new national park, occupying an area of 1220 sq. km and located in the south of Karelia, – is one of the most attractive places for lovers of active pastime in nature. It is on the territory of this protected area that the“House in Akulovka”is located. The nearest settlement to the hotel is the tiny village of Kokonniemi.

The name of the mini-hotel is associated with Akulovka – a tract located next door. This hilly area, covered with dense coniferous and deciduous forests, is an ideal place for travelers looking for privacy, tranquility and remoteness from the bustle of city life. However, the hotel “House in Akulovka” is not isolated from important tourist sites that can be reached by road (the distance is indicated in km):

• Rauhala – nearest village – 8,5;
• Lahdenpohja – district center – 9.9;
• Sortavala – 43;
• the nearest railway station to the hotel in Hukoyamyaki – 5.54;
• Petrozavodsk – 87;
• center of St. Petersburg – 230;
• Priozerske highway – the nearest highway – 3.48 km north of the hotel.

“House in Akulovka” opened its doors in May 2017 Tourists get to the hotel on the Leningrad highway through Lahdenpohja. From Rauhal the path continues to the lake Pönstynlampi. Then you should turn from the Priozersk highway to the south and follow by Lake Mummonlampi to the garden association “Vitamin” and the Akulovka tract.

More information. From Rauhal to the hotel can be reached by a shorter way. However, experienced travelers are advised to use the safe route described above.

Review. Vadim Sevastyanov, St. Petersburg. Rested in the “House in Akulovka” with friends in June last year. We chose this hotel because of the remoteness and the opportunity to spend three days surrounded by Karelian nature. “House in Akulovka” also attracted with its excellent location. Hotel on the water – this is the first time in our practice. Sometimes the house would sway. It was as if we were on a small ship. We lived in a hotel in the middle of the white nights. Sensations in nature are quite different when compared with the white nights in St. Petersburg. Quietly, the blue sky is reflected in a calm lake, there is practically no wind. Who definitely should not go to these places and stay in the hotel “House in Akulovka”, so it is lovers of luxury hotels and service on the system “all inclusive”.

Room and service features

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The hotel is a small complex consisting of two wooden houses. One of them is located closer to the shore. It is connected to the land by a bridge that esses into a wooden staircase. The second house is about 100 m from the first. It is surrounded by a lake. Very close is a tiny island on which branching pines grow. Both houses, located on the water, consist of several rooms:

• hall with fireplace heating sauna;
• a living area with a large soft sofa and two armchairs;
• kitchen, equipped with everything that is required for cooking;
• a dining area with a wooden table and six chairs;
• two bedrooms, each with a large double bed, 2 bedside tables and 2 table lamps;
• comfortable bath with compact shower.

Each of the houses of the hotel is designed to accommodate six vacationers. The kitchen is equipped with an electric hob, microwave and kettle. A spacious refrigerator is available for food storage. In the kitchen there is also the necessary set of dishes, in the bathroom – towels, hairdryer, a set of cosmetic and hygienic accessories.

Importantly! Registration of accommodation in the hotel “House in Akulovka” begins at 15:00. Arrival time must be reported by phone in advance. Check-out is possible before 12:00. Children’s and extra beds are not available at the hotel. Smoking is prohibited. Pets are allowed.

The total area of the premises in each house of the hotel is 96 sq. m. Thanks to the panoramic windows in the bedrooms, vacationers can admire the natural landscapes: coniferous forest located on the shore, sky and lake, which change color depending on the time of day and weather. The cost of living depends on the season. The price for 1 day for one guest in November [y] is from 20 thousand to 23 thousand rubles.

Hotel services

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The main thing for which tourists come to the“House in Akulovka”is communication with nature and active recreation. At the same time, guests are not deprived of service, without which modern travelers can not do:

• both houses have multi-channel satellite TV;
• a small parking lot is available for cars; the service is free for guests;
• on the island there is a barbecue area with barbecue and firewood;
• the hotel can be reached by means of a transfer on the lake; passengers are delivered on a boat operated by an experienced captain;
• bicycles can be rented if desired;
• at the reception, fans of fishing get the necessary equipment for their favorite activity, having ordered the service in advance;
• to explore the islands, you can rent a motor boat; experienced specialists conduct briefing among tourists on driving a vehicle.

Note! The hotel does not have access to the Internet, as well as such traditional attributes of recreation as a swimming pool, children’s and sports grounds, a room for board games and a gym.

Review. Elena Dorofeeva, Tver. My husband and I have long wanted to relax in a quiet place on the shore of a beautiful lake. In the summer of [y], our dream came true. The hotel “House in Akulovka” was chosen together with friends – a colleague of my husband and his wife. We were attracted to both the place and the conditions. The house in which they settled turned out to be very cozy, clean, with spacious bedrooms. The kitchen is quite large. We brought the products with a supply for three days of rest, as we knew that there were no shops, cafes, or markets nearby. We rented bicycles and explored all the surrounding areas. Karelian nature is distinguished by modest beauty. But this is what attracts those who know how to appreciate not bright colors, but naturalness. Three days of vacation is very little. Next time we will certainly come here, in the “House in Akulovka”, for a longer period.

Meals at the hotel

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For lovers of luxury restaurants and gastronomic delights, “House in Akulovka” can be a big disappointment. Guests prepare their own meals. Therefore, the necessary products and semi-finished products should be brought with you. A big mistake of inexperienced travelers who come to the hotel for the first time and have not previously studied the information is to rely on markets, supermarkets, cafes or canteens.

However, if necessary or desired, you can make a trip to Lahdenpohja. In this small town there are several cozy cafes where tourists are happy to get acquainted with the taste of simple local dishes:

• “Runduchok” is a gastronomic institution decorated in a marine style; for lovers of original alcoholic cocktails there is a bar;
• “Lahdenpohja” is a small café serving Karelian dishes; thanks to the wooden interior and soft dim light, a homely atmosphere is created in the hall;
• “Margarita” is a gastronomic institution that offers several varieties of pizza;
• “Ten” is a tiny café, “hidden” on Gagarin Street;
• “Zam-Zam” is a cozy bistro where shawarma and oriental dishes are served;
• “Karelian pancake” is a place that is suitable for adults and children; in the menu – delicious pancakes and sweets;
• café of the farm “Akulovka”, rich in fish dishes;
• “Viking” is a cozy café-bar where you can order delicious burgers or drink kvass, as well as Czech, German or Karelian beer.

Important! Tourists vacationing in the hotel“House in Akulovka”need to calculate in advance how many products will be needed for the holiday period. This will allow you to depend less on the need to leave the territory and go in search of a place where you can have lunch or buy something to cook.

Activities in and around the hotel

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Tourists come to the “House in Akulovka” not for the sake of a variety of leisure. The choice of entertainment in the hotel is noticeably limited. However, this does not upset active tourists who will always find something to do during the holiday:

• take a steam break in the hotel’s compact sauna;
• go cycling or hiking in the nearby scenic surroundings;
• relax at the tables on the spacious terrace, where in the warm summer months you can even sunbathe;
• rent a small motor boat Yamaran, which can accommodate up to 6 people, and go to explore the islands scattered around the territory of Lake Ladoga;
• prepare a meat or fish barbecue on a specially equipped site.
• collect mushrooms in nearby forests and on the islands of Mükerikkö, Verkkosaari or Rahmansarari;
• rent equipment to go fishing on the shore of the lake.

On the island next to one of the houses is a small sandy area, which in good weather turns into a beach. On the territory of the hotel there are no entertainment specifically for children. Therefore, parents should take into account this fact and take their child on vacation if he shares the interests of adults and is ready to spend a few days in nature. The range of activities for young guests of the “House in Akulovka” does not differ from what is offered for adult vacationers.

Attractions in the vicinity

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Directly next to the hotel “House in Akulovka” there are no objects that may be of interest to tourists. However, the immediate and remote surroundings are rich in natural attractions:

• rivers: Pötkja and Mijnalanioki;
• lakes: Pönstasnlampi, Metsolanselkja, Mummonlampi;
• Islands: Papinsaari, Wasikkasari, Osaari, Jurinsaari, Malkiasaari, Ukonsaari.

If you wish, you can go to Lahdenpohja. In this small town with a Finnish name there are many interesting places for curious travelers. Several objects located in Lahdenpohja are most in demand among tourists:

• the ruins of the Lutheran Church, built in 1935; the author of the project is Karl Engel; the Finnish architect managed to create a majestic temple that could accommodate up to 3 thousand parishioners; now on the territory of the church among the high walls there are sculptures of the Museum of Angels; figures made of wood cause sincere interest of connoisseurs of art;
• Rauhala manor, built in the Art Nouveau style at the end of the XIX century; the building now houses a sawmill;
• St. Elias Church, which is a small temple with a bulbous dome and a low belfry; in the inner hall of a religious building can accommodate up to 100 people;
• “Owl Mountain” – this is how the name of the rock Huukhkanmyaki is translated into Russian; during the war with the German fascist invaders inside the mountain was the headquarters of the Finnish army; now the former bunker has the status of the Military History Museum and is available to visitors;
• – Pekke Sikiyo, an old abandoned mill located on the Aurajoki River
• St. Valentine’s Chapel, which was completed in 2005; the authors of the construction are architects P. Sergeev and D. Sokolov; the wooden temple looks like a bell tower; the chapel was erected in memory of Valentin Chuiko, Lieutenant General of the FSB, who died here in a plane crash in 2004;
• Koivumaki Manor, reminiscent of a medieval fortress in architectural style; the building was built at the very beginning of the XX century; a distinctive feature of the structure is powerful walls and a roof, along the perimeter of which there are protrusions of a toothed shape; the mansion was originally owned by a local manufacturer; now the estate is in an abandoned state.

More information. Almost all of these objects are included in the excursions offered by travel companies and private guides. Events can be booked in advance or at the hotel. Most travelers staying in the “House in Akulovka” prefer to explore the sights of the surroundings on their own. Among the travel companies offering excursions in the Lahdenpokh district, there are three well-established companies: “Nord-kayak”, “Kalev-Tour” and “Star-Tour”.

Excursion programs

Among the travelers there are always those who want to expand the opportunities and not limit themselves only to rest on the territory of the “House in Akulovka”. For this category of tourists, several excursion programs developed by the above-mentioned companies are offered:

• sightseeing tour of Lahdenpohja;
• quad bike ride on forest trails;
• a trip to the island of Valaam with a visit to the Transfiguration Monastery;
• a trip to Cape Kurkiniemi, which is a picturesque rocky shore; from here you can admire the colors of Lake Ladoga for a long time; the name of the cape is translated into Russian as “crane”;
• bus excursion to Ruskeala waterfalls, located 78 km north of the hotel; the height of each of them is from 2 to 4 m; four waterfalls are formed by the Tohmayoko River.

The duration of the event is from 2 hours to one day or more. All excursions start in Lahdenpohja. The cost of events in [y] is from 1.5 thousand to 5 thousand rubles The most popular excursion is “Boat trip to the Ladoga skerries”. A fascinating event is offered by the trout farm “Akulovka”, on the territory of which the hotel is located. The tour includes several stages:

• visit to the trout farm;
• boat ride;
• fishing on the lake;
• feeding animals on a farm inhabited by sheep, huskies, goats, ducks, piglets and geese;
• lunch on the shore by the fire; on the menu – a delicious soup made from fish caught by tourists; You can relax in the gazebo, standing next to one of the houses of the hotel.

Pay attention! The cost of the excursion together with the costs of walking, fishing, lunch, visiting the animal farm and fisheries is 7 thousand rubles for one tourist. The price is valid in [y], the Group departs from the café of the farm “Akulovka” in Lahdenpohja. Tours are held from 10:00 to 16:00. Departure in this period of time – once an hour.

Review. Gennady Severtsev, Pskov. The hotel “House in Akulovka” is the best option from what we – four colleagues who decided to spend a vacation in nature – saw on different sites when we were looking for a secluded place on Lake Ladoga. Lovely service staff. Separately, I want to note Natalia at the reception. She helped us with the choice of routes in the vicinity, suggested interesting excursions and places for fishing. In food, we are unpretentious. They made do with what they brought from home. In the evenings we enjoyed riding a motorboat. The lake became especially beautiful during sunsets. We recommend “House in Akulovka” to everyone who appreciates pristine nature and active recreation.

Modern tourists are increasingly trying to spend their holidays not in luxury hotels, but in places where you can escape from the bustle of the city and immerse yourself in communication with nature. “Housein Akulovka”will certainly satisfy the desires of this category of active travelers. The level of service in the hotel is not inferior in quality to the hotels of the republic, which have won the trust of vacationers. Home comfort, modest beauty of Karelian nature, a lot of exciting activities and rest on a picturesque lake – all this awaits tourists who have chosen the “House in Akulovka”.