Little Miss Adventures samples the icy delights of the world’s coolest restaurant on an Arctic adventure to Finnish Lapland.

DRESSING for dinner takes on new meaning in Finnish Lapland.

If planning to dine in Snowland’s Lumimaa restaurant, leave the little black dress and heels at home.

Warm layers (preferably made of wool) and sturdy boots are essential if you don’t want frostbite nipping at your ears, fingers and toes.

Almost everything inside – including the walls, floors and ceiling, the tableware and dazzling sculptures adorning the entrance – are made of ice extracted from the adjacent Salmijärvi Lake. Up to 60 metric tonnes of ice is harnessed each year.

Construction of the igloo restaurant, situated in Rovaniemi ‘s Pöykkölä district, starts in November and takes four weeks to build using snow cannons. Traditional Lappish buildings, lean-to campfire spots, a Lappish kota (BBQ) hut and traditional nili food cache can are also be found on the Snowland grounds. Before we tuck into dinner, my children test out beds of ice, blanketed with fur throws.

Inside the restaurant up to 270 guest bottoms are kept dry and reasonably warm on wooden seats covered in reindeer pelts. Storm lanterns strung from the frost-encased ceiling and candles on the tables flicker warmly, adding a truly festive ambiance to our icy domain. It’s Boxing Day and we’ve plenty of Christmas cheer still to enjoy.

My gloved hands are soon gripping a cup of traditional hot spiced wine known as Glogg, while soft drink is ordered for the Little Misses. In hindsight, a hot chocolate would have been better. We sip and marvel at our crystalline surroundings for a few minutes more, but eventually the sub-zero cold starts to bite and we become impatient for the first course (of three) to arrive. Thankfully, it’s a warming bowl of creamy tomato soup, served with a basket of crusty bread and placed on a thick wooden board to help insulate it. The next welcome course is a hearty beef stroganoff – a favourite winter dish in these Nordic climes. The atmosphere turns convivial once again as the conversation focuses less on our frozen toes and more on the wonders of our five-day Arctic adventure.

Tonight’s meal is the unforgettable final highlight of our Bentours’ Christmas in Lapland tour.

The Little Misses have had the white Christmas of their dreams having spent the short winter days and long nights catching perfectly formed snowflakes on their tongues, picking snowball fights with elves, listening to fireside fairytales, making friends from around the world and decorating almost a forest of fir trees.

Friendly husky dogs, sleds, snowmobiles and sleigh rides, a trip to Santa’s forest hideaway for a few elf selfies as well as a meet and greet with the man with the flowing white beard and presents to give have enthralled us. We’ve survived temperatures as low as -28° C and we’re now officially life members of the Arctic Circle Club – with the certificate to prove it.

It’s been an endless procession of firsts for our family now also sporting reindeer driving licences and diplomas from Elf School where we learned the secrets to elf espionage at Santa Park. And while the Northern Lights, which regularly dance above Santa’s hometown of Rovaniemi, eluded us we’ve still managed to witness the enchantment of their ethereal light at the Arktikum Science Centre and Museum where Lappish culture and history is displayed across several levels.

In a year or two my children will grow too old to believe in fairytales, but I am quite certain that the magic of this Christmas will stay with them, and me, forever.

Trip Notes

Getting there: Fly to Rovaniemi via Helsinki with Qantas (13 13 13, http://www.qantas.com.au) and Finnair (1300 132 944, http://www.finnair.com).

Stay: The 4.5 star Santa Claus Hotel is located in the centre of town, within walking distance to an ice skating park, shops and the riverside. http://www.hotelsantaclaus.fi/en.

Book: The Christmas in Lapland tour with Bentours,1800 221 712, http://www.bentours.com.au. The 1.5hr dinner in an igloo is optional and costs around $238 per adult and $168 per child.

Play: Enjoy a host of snowy activities from dog sledding to snowmobile adventures with Lapland Safaris. They’ll also kit you out in essential winter clothing for the duration of your stay. http://www.laplandsafaris.com

For more information: http://www.visitrovaniemi.fi/

AS resident south-east Queenslander’s, we’ve done a few theme parks in our day – Sea World, Movie World, Wet’n’Wild, Dream World, WhiteWater World, Underwater World – over and over again.

There’s no doubt that my family thrills to the sounds of blood-curdling screams, G-forces, cuddling oversized cartoon characters and shaking the flippers of salty sea lions. In recent years we’ve also tried to broaden our theme-park horizons a little to include Legoland in England, Santa Park in Finland and Disneyland – both in Paris (disappointing because the rides kept breaking down) and Anaheim in the US (the original and the best).

So when we recently stopped over in Hong Kong on our way back from Europe, like bloodhounds, we instinctively began sniffing out the next  themed attraction to add to our collection of heart-stopping/warming experiences.

Hong Kong’s own Disneyland obviously held great appeal to Misses Seven and Nine, but having ‘been there and done that’ (and with mixed reviews) we chose to follow the advice of new friends and venture to the much-lauded Ocean Park, 2012 recipient of the prestigious biannual Liseberg  Applause Award.

We were vastly rewarded with our choice as we soon discovered Ocean Park rolls all our Gold Coast favourites into one – only on a much grander scale.

Originally opened in 1977 and significantly upgraded in 2005, the park offers more than 80 attractions and is situated on a headland overlooking pretty Aberdeen on the curvaceous south side of Hong Kong Island.

Easily accessible by bus or car and dedicated primarily to marine life conservation, on presentation alone Ocean Park is a stand-out. The park is beautifully maintained with some of the cleanest public toilet facilities I’ve ever seen (always a parental concern where large crowds gather). Even special guide dog latrines are provided.

And while the marine exhibits also proved first class, the park’s location adds significantly to its tourist appeal.

As you’d expect the park is split into themed zones. Aqua City at The Waterfront on the park’s lower level where you first enter, features an attractive lagoon with dancing fountain which becomes the setting for the popular 360° water screen night time show Symbio, a visual tale of two fighting dragons accompanied by special sound effects, lighting, fireworks and music. The Waterfront is also where you’ll find a shopping plaza and the world’s largest aquarium dome.

The octopus-inspired Grand Aquarium is where we join our first-fast moving queue. As we descend over three levels, the attraction reveals a multi-sensory experience that meanders between touch tanks representing tidal bays and exposed coral reefs, to large scale exhibits revealing alien-like creatures of the sea floor, a world-first swirl tank and a 13-metre viewing gallery showcasing 400 species of fish.

From Aqua City we wander to the Amazing Asian Animals zone to check out the five-star digs of Giant Pandas Ying Ying and Le Le, who don’t seem at all bothered by the posse of paparazzi watching them munch noisily on bamboo. Nearby Whiskers Harbour features a sea lion theatre and tame toddler rides, but after checking out the red pandas and rare goldfish exhibits, we head up a mountain via cable car (access lies beyond the carousel and nostalgic streetscape depicting Old Hong Kong in the 1950s, 60s and 70s). On the 1.5 kilometre route to the Summit, we’re treated to a spectacular glimpse of the island’s more tranquil, greener side. Although it’s winter, the sunny conditions and sparkling coastline of Deep Water Bay and its outlying islands soon have us regretting our short two-day stay.

While a funicular-style express train also connects the Waterfront and Summit in less than three minutes, visitors don’t enjoy the same stunning views. The cable car ride also presents us with an opportunity to get our bearings and appreciate the immense scale of the park which covers over 915,000 square metres of prime Hong Kong real estate.

From the Summit we have access to Thrill Mountain – home to the Hair Raiser roller coaster and the Whirly Bird (a perennial family favourite). This is also where we take a chilly Polar Adventure to the north and south poles.

Beyond the Rainforest, where we get soaked on The Rapids (a better option in the summer months) we follow directions to Marine World where we shuffle through the darkened corridors of the glowing Sea Jelly Spectacular (which aptly lives up to its name). In this zone, you’ll also find an open-air Ocean Theatre where dolphins and sea lions display feats of strength, speed and agility and meet fans who’ve paid extra for the privilege of a close encounter.

VIP experiences at the park also include the chance to become an honorary Pandas Keeper, dive with sharks, snorkel with the fishes and make a date with a penguin (although bookings need to be made at least two days in advance). Groups of six or more can even book a VIP guided tour of the whole park – a sneaky way to beat the queues on busy days. Next door to Marine World, we make our final foray into Adventureland, where there are more stomach churning rides and outstanding sea views to sample.

To really see all of Ocean Park you need more than a day, but, if you can’t spare that, we certainly proved you can pack plenty of fun into one.

Getting there: Cathay Pacific is Hong Kong’s international carrier; it flies daily from Australia to Hong Kong. Phone 131 747; see cathaypacific.com. Qantas also operates regular flights between Australia and Hong Kong. Phone 13 13 13; see qantas.com.au.

Park admission: A single entry costs around AUD$60 per adult and AUD$30 per child. Children under 3 free.

Food – There is a range of international formal and informal dining and cafe-style options as well as snack foods available.

Opening soon – Aussie visitors will recognise some familiar faces with this year’s opening of the Park’s new Adventures in Australia attraction. An all-weather water park, with 13 waterslides, is scheduled to open in 2017.

For more details see http://www.oceanpark.com.hk

Spring is a great season to experience a family snow holiday.

Our four Michelin mini-mes are rapidly shrinking as jackets are unzipped and scarves unwrapped. Despite the snow on the ground, it’s t-shirt weather at Mt Buller, in Victoria’s alpine region.

The early spring conditions are just what’s needed to form positive first impressions with the first timers in our little group. It’s also removed concerns about how our newly tagged ‘Bunyips’, aged from four to six, will cope with the cold – leaving them to concentrate on their snowploughs and turns while making new friends in the Magic Forest beginner area.

Once the kids are geared up and settled into ski school, we – the parents – plan our day. We watch as fellow skiers and boarders pump the air on their final turns down Bourke Street, the main artery joining Buller’s northern and southern slopes. Fewer crowds in spring mean we can hop on the nearby Holden Express six-seater chairlift faster – significantly boosting the average daily winter run tally. Mt Buller has the largest network of lifts of all the resorts in Victoria with 22 (including four magic carpets), providing access to 300ha of skiable terrain suitable for beginners to advanced. Three terrain parks and two toboggan parks raise the fun stakes.

While the warm conditions has meant the snow is a little patchy in the remotest advanced skier areas – extensive snowmaking across the resort still provides plenty of exhilarating options for the more experienced among us. So while our novice snowboarder hooks up with an instructor, her husband and I set off in search of a little more altitude.

We meet back up for lunch. While the kids give their ski legs a rest and happily tuck into chips, carrot sticks and hot chocolates in the Buller Kids Centre, we slip out of our bindings and into a comfy lounge chair to brag about our newest mountain conquests and toast freedom from the kids with a plummy Victorian red.

On either side of us the resort curves over the lower sections of the mountain in a gentle avalanche of smoking roof tops. Much of the on-mountain accommodation (a mix of hostel style and self-contained apartments) is conveniently mingled with over 30 restaurants and cosy bars – ensuring a wide variety of apres-ski options. Top choices include The Duck Inn, which offers an early sitting for kids and Tirols Cafe for the best views of the Sterling Ranges, homemade pastas and burgers. Diners who love appreciate a fine wine list should head to Black Cockatoo at the Grand Mercure Chalet.

Free shuttle buses regularly loop around the resort and from the public car park. Heated footpaths make walking safer and easy. In essence, Mt Buller combines the top assets of its nearest rivals. Like Falls Creek, it has a community village atmosphere and like Mt Hotham, has a mountain-top setting that inspires the most inept artist to take up landscape painting. Being closest to Melbourne it’s the most accessible of all the Victorian ski fields – which is ideal for interstaters or day trippers who can be on the slopes within three hours of checking the snow report from their city desktops.

Our two families fit both categories – having flown and driven from Queensland and New South Wales respectively – and chosen to stay a 30-minute drive away in Merrijig at the Grand Mercure (now Sebel) Pinnacle Valley Resort, near the rural centre of Mansfield – where we’re handy to explore the region’s other attractions on a much needed rest day.

The resort is equipped for family holidaymakers year round. Our one-bedroom apartments come with laundry facilities, master bedroom with en suite, pull out sofa for the kids and kitchen (where we cook each night) – ideal for a week’s stay. Once the kids are in bed, we can retreat to the public fireside lounge located outside our rooms.

Surrounded by kangaroos and vast gardens we also find a playground, mini-golf course, games room (next to the on-site restaurant), outdoor pool (closed in winter), hot tubs, sauna, steam room, tennis courts and bike paths plus a lake with ducks to feed and fish to catch in summer.

For those who want to save the daily trek up the mountain (and additional daily resort entry fees) spring is when you’re likely to grab the best on-mountain accommodation deals too. Bed and breakfast rates average around $100 a night while offers abound for the kids to stay and ski free. Some hotel providers also offer a no-snow money back guarantee!

Trip Notes

Getting there: Mt Buller is a three-hour drive north-east from Melbourne via the Hume or Maroondah Highways.

Where to stay: The Grand Mercure Pinnacle Valley Resort is a member of the Accor Vacation Club. Separate two-bedroom chalets sleep up to six, 1800 033 214, http://www.pvc.com.au

What to do: Check out ‘Kids’ Week’ Sept 22-27 (2015). Events include snowman making competitions, scavenger hunts and a chance to meet Blake the Flake.

More information: http://www.mtbuller.com.au

Five great things to do off-snow

1. The Gnome Roam is a self-guided trail to find the little people who’ve made the mountain their home. Maps are available from the post office or clock tower. Our first clue of their existence was a red door leading into an ash tree (the Gnome Home), half way up the mountain along the main road.
2. For a gold coin donation learn how Mt Buller was transformed from a Cattleman’s run into a premier ski resort; and check out the vintage skis and sleds, old photographs, maps and other historical memorabilia at the ski resort’s National Alpine Museum.
3. Ski sore? For a little TLC head to the country’s highest alpine spa, tucked away in Mt Buller’s Breathtaker All-Suite Hotel. Treatments range from massages, body wraps to facials.
4. The ski resort’s 180-seat cinema in the Mt Buller Central building shows the latest movie releases. At the foot of the mountains, Mansfield’s cosy armchair cinema kept our kids – nestled in beanbags – entertained for another couple of hours.
5.   A 15-minute drive from our accommodation at Merrijig, the Mansfield Zoo is home to two rare white lions, camels, llamas, fallow deer, monkeys and more. It made the perfect afternoon excursion on our rest day.

Which city is best? Little Miss Adventures puts historic rivals London and Paris to the kiddie test.

The British and the French have never seen eye to eye and never more so than now following London’s claims that it toppled Paris as the number one city in 2013. But there’s no doubt that a successful Olympic Games the year before, July’s heatwave conditions, a home grown Wimbledon champion and a bonny royal baby all added to the English capital’s allure. Battling through the summer crowds in both cities that same year was our little family – my two daughters, their grandad and I – keen to see first-hand the famous landmarks written about in books and talked about on TV. It turned out that both cities made a big impression on the little ones.

London

London’s narrow streets, its quirky blend of old and new architecture, bright red double decker buses and post boxes drew eager attention as our train left Heathrow and eventually pulled into Paddington Station. Dragging our suitcases behind us we appeared as lost as a little bear from Peru as we searched for the exit which would take us to our nearby hotel. And it was here we actually came upon one of our favourite storybook (and now film) heroes, albeit his statue in bronze, sitting on his well-travelled suitcase beside an escalator which took us up to a shop with shelves overflowing with cuddlier versions of the marmalade-loving bear in his familiar red felt hat, blue duffle coat and Wellington boots.

After being cooped up for 18 hours on a plane, a walk through Kensington and Hyde Park gardens was the perfect way to stretch our legs and tick off a few more famous landmarks on our first day. Two of eight royal parks in the city, we traced the banks of the Serpentine Lake where we met a family of swans amongst the picnickers and horse riders. Kensington Gardens is home to the Peter Pan statue and where you’ll also find the Princess Diana Memorial Playground with its popular pirate ship. We eventually found ourselves under the immense bony shadow of a Diplodocus at London’s Natural History Museum. From walking with dinosaurs and digging up fossils to retracing the footsteps of man and understanding how life on earth began, adults and children alike will find the labyrinth of science and natural history exhibits mesmerizing. With entry to the permanent exhibits free you’ll be tempted back again and again as long as time permits. The Big Bus Tour gave us a chance to learn about the city as we later explored, plus we could also hop on and off at leisure to venture beyond the major roads – to watch the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace for instance or part with pocket money over seven floors of Hamley’s Toy Store on Regent Street. While she’s never read JK Rowling book or seen a Harry Potter film (yet), the boy wizard’s collection of wands quickly caught Miss Seven’s eye. “Do they work?” she whispered.

Our multi-day bus ticket also included a boat trip along the Thames River which took us passed Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre on our way to the Tower of London. Surprisingly, my daughters found the former riverside palace and prison’s gruesome history highly entertaining, but (not surprisingly) nothing quite captured their imaginations as much as the sparkly crown jewels on display. Dress ups have never been the same at our house.

 As well as a traditional high tea experience (enjoyed at department store Harrods) no trip is complete without a ride one of the world’s largest Ferris wheels. Situated on the South Bank, we soared high above the city on The London Eye – taking in the views of Parliament House as Big Ben chimed in one direction and as far as the freshly painted London Bridge they’d sung about at Kindy in the other.

 Before leaving London we squeezed in a visit to Legoland (in Windsor on the city’s outskirts), but left wishing we’d allowed ourselves more time.

Paris

Renowned as the world capital of high fashion and food Paris proved just as popular with my kids, especially Miss Seven who has just started learning French.

The heat and crowds didn’t deter us from conquering the summit of the city’s most famous icon, the Eiffel Tower. And we did it the hard (and most fun) way – tackling the stairs to the second level to avoid the longest queues for the lifts before taking the elevator the rest of the way up to see the famed city in all its well-deserved glory. A carousel ride (they are dotted all over the city) provided the first night’s thrills but a visit to Disneyland Paris – a 30-minute train ride away – was high on our agenda. Celebrating 20 years, it was as expected, a big hit with my little princesses. I wasn’t so impressed however;  having been to the original (and much bigger) Disneyland in California we noticed marked differences in the cleanliness, service and the quality of the rides. The girls couldn’t go on their favourite Space Mountain ride because they weren’t tall enough according to French law. Mechanical problems also plagued our visit – creating longer queues than normal on those that did work. To add to our misfortune an approaching thunderstorm (which never eventuated) shut down all the best rides for over an hour.

Summer queues were unavoidable even at the royal palace and gardens in Versailles but the girls killed time in line singing their favourite Barbie songs. Their impromptu busking earned them eight euros from an entertained crowd which they happily spent on souvenirs inside. This trip also proved an invaluable introduction to French history for Miss Seven who found herself discussing the demise of the monarchy during the French Revolution at school a month later. “Not more head chopping” quipped Miss Five, with tales from London’s Tower visit still fresh in her mind.

At the 850-year-old Notre Dame cathedral we hunted for a legendary hunchback and marvelled at the grotesque faces of the gargoyles; we tasted snails in the artist district of Montmartre and played beach games along the Seine. Sand is dumped along a section of the riverbank near the Louvre during the summer months to create the ‘Paris Plage’ complete with deck chairs and umbrellas for hire. We also found a water play area and sandy creche for the kids, plus eateries, musicians and ice cream vendors. Popular with both locals and tourists alike it’s a cool way to experience city life.

Often overlooked by visitors (which it shouldn’t be) is Paris’ Cité des Sciences et de l’Industrie which houses a Planetarium, la Geode (domed Imax theatre) and Cité des Enfants – an excellent interactive museum for children from two to 10 years and over which teaches them about the natural and hi-tech world around them. A visit here and a walk from the Arc de Triomphe war memorial down the Champs Elysees (while browsing in the designer shops) completed our visit to the French capital.