Places of interest & services

All information is available at visitpuumala.fi. Here are some of our favourite picks:

Kayaking and canoeing

Our neigbors at Saimaa canoeing offer both guided and independent tours. From their website:

“Welcome to canoeing and kayaking on Lake Saimaa! We offer local, versatile, responsible and sustainable services from beginners to experienced and seasoned paddlers all year round.

Our location is very central for your adventures, at the heart of the Saimaa archipelago, in Puumala.

You have many choices: you can paddle independently and follow our new, exclusive Saimaa Canoeing routes with payable services, you can go on a guided trip, learn skills on a paddling course, rent high-quality equipment, enjoy peaceful accommodation on a private island or surprise your friend with a canoeing gift voucher.

We hope to see you soon!”

Biking

Information about Puumala biking archipelago route (62km)

You can rent both normal end e-bikes from Saimaabikes

Nature locations

Geopark locations

Hiking trails

Here are three outing trails that are close to our cottages:

1. Norppapolku


Lenght: 13 km (can be walked in 3 km, 4 km and 2,8 km epochs)
Terrain: Uneven, rocky.
More information here.

2. Okkola wellness path

Lenght: 1,5 km
Terrain: Easy, even terrain
More information here

3. Liehtalanniemi museum and trail

More information can be found here

Restaurant open 1.6. – 27.8.2023

We are happy to announce that our restaurant Niinipuu will open at 1st of June 2023 for the summer season. We will be open till 27th of August as follows:

Tuesday – Saturday: 11 – 18
Sundays buffet 12-15
Mondays closed

Á la carte and lunch from Tuesday to Saturday. Please see our menu here. Archipelago buffet on Sundays. No á la carte on Sundays. Mondays closed. Please arrive at least 1 hour before closing time.

See you in summer!

Paula

Paula Okkola standing in Okkola yard

Renting a cottage

We understand that renting a traditional finnis cottage (or “mökki) can be quite different experience than, say, staying in a hotel or resort. We have compiled a small guide here to help you through the booking process, how to get here and some tips how to spend your time in a cottage like a Finn would.

1) Booking the cottage

You have two ways of booking cottage: either straight from our online shop or by contacting paula@okkola.fi

A) Booking from our online shop

  1. Go to https://www.okkolanlomamokit.com/en/cottages/
  2. Scroll through the cottage options, find the cottage that you find the most appealing. For reference, you can look at our pricelist and the map of our cottage area.
  3. Use the calendar to pick the date of your arrival and departure. Add the cottage to your shopping cart by clicking “book”.
  4. Our partners offer a variety of activities & tours. You can find them on the cottage page under “tours, activities & rental equipment”
  5. When you are done shopping, proceed to checkout. You can add final cleaning or bedlinen to your order under “additional services”
  6. Fill out your personal info.
  7. Agree to the terms & conditions, found here.
  8. You can pay using your credit card, finnish internet bank or mobilepay.

All done! You should receive the order confirmation and automated welcome message to your inbox. If you encounter any problems, please don’t hesitate to contact paula@okkola.fi or +358 500 259 378

B) Booking using e-mail

  1. Send me an email to paula@okkola.fi. Please specify which cottage you are planning to reserve, for which period and how many persons need accommodation. If you do not have a specific cottage and/or period in mind, I am most happy to recommend you a suitable cottage depending on your needs.
  2. After you have confirmed your reservation, I will send you a payment link for the cottage to your inbox. You can pay using credit card, finnish internet bank or mobilepay.

That’s it! When I have received the rent, I will send you a confirmation e-mail.

2) Getting here

We are located 100 kilometers (1,5 h drive) from Lappeenranta airpot and 300 kilometers (4 h drive) from Helsinki-Vantaa. The nearest city is Mikkeli, 70 kilometers from our reception (1 h 15 minute drive).

We strongly recommend that you rent a car if you do not have one. There are car rentals in Lappeenranta & Helsinki-Vantaa airports, as well as in Mikkeli (70 kilometers from our reception).

There is also bus station in Puumala centre (9 kilometers from our reception) but you will need a taxi from there. Also, please note that our cottages are located 2-6 kilometers from our reception.

Our address is:
Ylössaarentie 35
52200 Puumala
Suomi-Finland

You can find additional directions and gps-coordinates here.

3. Staying in the cottage