Welcome to my post-series called “Quick review”. These are not as long as regular posts, given that they are very specific and I don’t want to pretend to know more than I do by writing a 3000-word post based on that one time I took that one bus company’s bus. These posts simply express my own opinion based on my limited experience with a company. I hope my experience helps you decide whether or not that specific company is for you! In this “Quick review” I will review the Finnish Nolla cabins.

Nolla Cabins are a Finnish invention. They have two main selling points: One, they don’t produce any carbon emissions (Nolla means zero in Finnish) and two, they have a huge window from which you can admire the surrounding nature. Currently you can spend the night in one on Vallisaari or Isosaari, two islands near Helsinki.

Context

I slept in a Nolla Cabin in Isosaari, an island an hour to the South of Helsinki. We visited the island in early September 2020 and I shared the cabin with my mother.

Wow-factor: 10/10

10/10. That’s all I have to say. Here’s a quick video from inside our cabin:

The view from each cabin is a little different since you see the beach from a different angle, but they usually all have really nice views.

Quality of sleep: 10/10

We slept really well. The beds and pillows were super comfortable, and the cabin stayed surprisingly warm even at night and when it was raining.

There are no curtains so you can’t keep sunlight from entering through the large window. Finland is the land of the midnight sun, which means you should bring a sleeping mask!

Comfort 9/10

The beds are super comfortable! The wooden cabins feel cozy and inviting and there is usually a nice rug keeping the floor warm. The Nolla cabins themselves are great, but I had to deduct a few comfort points because of some practicality issues.

Practicality 6,5/10

It’s no surprise that a zero-carbon-emission cabin cannot possibly have all the equipment of a regular hotel room or apartment. To put it bluntly, the cabin is basically a glorified tent.

• There are no bathrooms in the Nolla cabins, but you can use the ones in the sauna just next to the cabins. This is pretty common in Finland, but it’s good to know what to expect.
• No running water. Again, you can fill your water bottle at the sauna.
• You need to bring your own bedsheets or sleeping bag.
• The cabins aren’t very big so there isn’t a lot of space for your belongings.
• You can charge a phone but that’s about it. The solar panels on the roof produce enough electricity for the two USB ports inside the cabin but you can’t charge anything bigger (like a laptop). This is not necessarily a deal-breaker but it’s worth keeping that in mind and bringing your own backup battery / portable charger just in case.

Yet despite all this I had a fantastic experience! I think all these “negatives” really aren’t that bad, and going out of your comfort zone is absolutely worth it on this one.

I also want to add that there is a stove in the cabins! We didn’t use it because we didn’t have any food that needed to be cooked, but it can be useful.

Cost: about 160 euros per night.

This cost can seem high, but here’s what’s included:

• Transport to / from the island (about an hour each way)
• The cabin for one night for two people
• Access to a semi-private sauna.

I usually like paying as little as possible on accommodation and using more money on experiences. However, in this case the two go together. The price may seem a little high considering the lack of a bathroom, running water, and electricity, but seeing what’s included it’s not much more than a regular hotel – and the unique experience makes it absolutely worth it..

What to bring

• Food. There are no shops on the island. There are a few restaurants but they’re not always open, so I wouldn’t count on that.
• Sheets / a sleeping bag. They’re not included in the cabin because washing bedsheets produces a lot of carbon emissions – and that’s not what you want.
• An eye mask. For the midnight sun. If you’ve never experienced it before, just trust me.
• Water bottles. You can get water at the sauna but you still need to put it somewhere.
• A swimsuit. You can go to the sauna and swim at the beach afterwards!

Booking your stay

Disclaimer! Everything I’m going to say is based on my best knowledge, but the cabins in Isosaari are still very new – not to mention that Nolla Cabins as a concept is only a few yers old. Things might change. If you’re booking a trip and the website you’re booking on says something different than what I have said here, go with the website’s information. There might be more/ less/ different boats and boat schedules. Just make sure to double check the times and locations.

If you’re interested, you can book your stay at a Nolla Cabin here. So far the site only exists in Finnish, so I’ll guide you through it. When you click the link you’ll get to a page called “Kohteet”, which means destinations. Scroll down to find pictures of two people on the beach along with the text “ISOSAARI” 1-7. You have to pick which cabin you want to book specifically (we stayed in #3 and all the pictures you see were from that one). At time of writing you can only book cabins in Isosaari but more may be added to the website.

Click “LUE LISÄÄ” to find out more about the cabin and book your stay. What follows is a rough translation of what’s on the website:

What the Nolla cabin website says about Isosaari

“Isosaari, an island home to a 100-year old fortress, is situated roughly half an hour from Helsinki’s Kauppatori. The island is one of Helsinki’s archipelago’s outermost islands and is a very interesting site, both culturally and historically. The island is near the city but free of its noise, and it has a restaurant and an open sauna.”

Getting to Isosaari

The boat ticket should be included when you book the cabin, but make sure to check in advance just in case. The boat leaves from Kauppatori at 2PM in the summer and 4PM during fall.

You have to leave the Nolla Cabin by noon on the day of your departure and be at the pier by 12:30-1PM (summer) or 3PM (fall) to get back to the mainland.

The site also explains that you need to bring your own bedsheets or sleeping bag and leave the cabin as clean as it was when you got there.

To book, simply select the date in the calendar on the page and click “VARAA NYT”, which means “book now”.

Would you like to sleep in a Nolla cabin? Do you have any additional questions? Tell me in the comments!

You can find more quick reviews here and more posts about Finland here.