Finnish Eco-Agrotourism Association – ECEAT Finland

Iloranta Oy

Location

‘A place of rest and wellbeing’ on the shores of Lake Iso-Roine, 35 km from Hämeenlinna
Language(s): Finnish, English

services

information about the destination

Iloranta catered for its first paying guests in summer 1937 as a film crew shooting in the village of Rukkoila was accommodated in local farmhouses. At Iloranta, mistress of the house Elin looked after the guests and served them traditional dishes from Hauho. Soon Iloranta was a boarding house for summer guests, and Elin became an entrepreneur.

The following generations continued her work. In 1980, the farm gave up its livestock, and the new ‘Learning in the countryside’ school camp programme was audited. By now, Iloranta has hosted school camps for around 40,000 children.

Today guests are welcomed by Samu Lescelius, the fourth generation to offer hospitality at Iloranta. Samu started his career as a sports instructor, and consequently exercise has become a major part of spending holidays at Iloranta.

The vision of Iloranta is to be ‘a place of rest and wellbeing’. Elements of holistic wellbeing include the calming rural environment, clean and tasty local foods as well as versatile possibilities for exercise and outdoor recreation.

The former cowshed is used as a venue for special occasions and meetings, and celebrations can also be organised in the old threshing shed. We can cater for large groups (up to 120 people at celebrations and 50 to 80 at meetings). The main building, which is more than a century old, houses the dining room and some guest rooms. The Apple Orchard wing has 10 double rooms of a hotel standard, with a sports hall and a gym on the ground floor. In the farmyard, we have the ‘Red House’ built in the 1950s with 10 guest rooms, as well as five cabins.

Our restaurant serves authentic local foods from Häme region and Hauho. We source our ingredients from local producers and pick mushrooms and berries in the forest, and our fish comes from Lake Iso-Roine. The orchard has fruit trees, currant bushes and rhubarb, while the vegetable garden provides such produce as lettuce, herbs and pumpkins. Around 10% of our ingredients are organic and 10% to 30% are local foods, depending on the season.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner are served from our buffet table. At each meal, we serve traditional foods from Häme, including home-made cheeses, savoury bakes, rye bread made with our 100-year-old starter and malt bread. The ‘Viking Ship’ is used as a venue for Iron Age feasts for prebooked groups.

Full board is available in 27 rooms, five cabins and a large 19th-century outbuilding. The total number of beds is 112. In summer, guests can also spend the night in our old outbuildings (no conveniences). The main building and the venue for celebrations are accessible.

Surroundings and activities

Iloranta has received many certificates of honour and recognitions related to nature conservation as well as preserving rural landscapes and the culture of Häme.

Hannula/Rantamäki, a protected ancient monument and traditional rural biotope site is located between the farmyard and the shore. Sheep and calves graze around Iron Age burial grounds. In Rantamäki area, we have a lean-to shelter, campfire site, peat hut, cooking pit and a “Viking ship”.

There is plenty of room for running around, playing and having soccer and basketball matches outside the farmhouse. We also have a tennis court. On the beach we have a volleyball court, picnic tables, a pavilion as well as a smoke sauna, a sauna with a wood-burning stove, and a sauna heated with electricity.

You can also make friends with animals at Iloranta. In summer, we look after two horses and two cows, while a handful of sheep, a rabbit and a hen are with us round the year, in addition to our dog and cat.

Activities in Iloranta:

  • you can familiarise yourself with traces of the Ice Age and signs of climate change on the self-guided Ice Age/climate change trail (around 3 km). Guided tours are also available.
  • you can make friends with farm animals under guidance. You may get a chance to help feed the sheep.
  • outdoor games (including basketball, tennis, soccer, bocce, table tennis, beach volleyball, floorball, ice hockey on the lake ice)
  • two rafts for 15 persons, for example for catching crayfish
  • a fishing guide’s services, angling and winter fishing
  • SUPs for supping on the lake at your own pace
  • in winter, ice swimming, snowshoeing, skiing, a pole sledge, skating on the lake ice
  • the four lean-to shelters near the farmhouse are available for outdoor lunches and coffee breaks, making pancakes on a campfire and overnight stays.
  • hammocks in the quiet of the forest
  • darkness tours in the threshing shed (for example, visitors can test their night vision with different impulses) and a six-metre climbing wall.
  • during the summer holiday season, guests can book massages and a beautician’s services
  • pre-booked school camps and groups can bake rye bread made with a starter that is more than 100 years old
  • guests can borrow boats, canoes, bicycles and winter sports equipment
  • courses (for example, a crafts weekend)

In the local area:

  • rentals of bicycles, rowing boats, canoes/kayaks
  • guided nature excursions
  • marked hiking trails (Vähäniemi recreation area 10 km)
  • horse-riding (for example at Mustilan Farmi 4 km, Aulangon ratsastuskoulu Oy 22 km)
  • ski tracks and tour skating (Hauho 6-7 km)
  • treatments, a health spa (Hauhon Ilona 7 km)

Directions

Iloranta is located 8 km from Hauho.

  • Train: Hämeenlinna railway station, 36 km
  • Bus: Tampereentie (Road 12), 5 km
  • For more information about arriving both for motorists/cyclists and public transport users: https://iloranta.fi/info/saavutettavuus
    You can also contact Iloranta about booking coach transport organised by a local transport company.

Opening times and prices

  • Open: year round, advance booking.
  • Prices: Single room EUR 150/person, double room EUR 120/person, depending on the season. The price includes full board, evening saunas and all the equipment and services of Iloranta.
    Breakfast EUR 8, lunch EUR 17, dinner EUR 25
    Bonus for ECEAT Finland members and visitors arriving without a motor vehicle or a flight: We can offer transport from/to the nearest bus stop.

Our actions for the environment

  • When managing our forests, we respect biodiversity and promote the conservation of species. Your host fells trees by hand, transports the trunks without damaging the soil, and leaves decaying wood in the forest as necessary.
  • We maintain heritage landscapes, respecting biodiversity and natural cycles.
  • Old garden and heritage plants are cared for around the main building and in the pastures.
  • We maintain bird nesting areas by means of feeding and bird boxes.
  • Forest roads and woodland paths are used for nature excursions and outdoor activities to avoid damaging wild plants.
  • Individual temperature control in each room, 10 heat pumps and one geothermal heat pump.
  • A pressure switch regulates the water flow in all facilities. As renovations progress, we will instal ‘green taps’ that save water.
  • We order laundry detergents, toilet paper and dry ingredients for the kitchen in large batches.
  • We use water-based paints.
  • Surplus building materials are reused and finally recycled.

Cultural actions

  • We participate actively in developing sustainability in agritourism/the KESMA 11 project.
  • We maintain the rural environment and keep all timber and log buildings in good condition.
  • We use heritage items and surface materials in our interior decoration.
  • We serve traditional dishes from Häme at each meal.

Future

  • We will ensure that the cultural heritage of Hannula ancient monument and traditional rural biotope area will also be preserved in the future.
  • We are planning to instal solar panels
  • We maintain and promote the vitality of the local community: we strive to make purchases from local traders, and use local guides and attractions in our activities.