Katinen Manor House Hotel & Restaurant (Katisten Kartano) – Hämeenlinna

Katinen Manor House Hotel & Restaurant is in Hämeenlinna (Southern Finland), only 3 kms from the Hämeenlinna city centre and surrounded by 850 hectares of land and forest belonging to the Manor. The Manor is only an hour’s drive from Helsinki or from Tampere and is a great place for a holiday stay. Good golf courses are nearby (Tawast Golf Club is only 10 minutes drive) and skiing, fishing and a range of outdoor activities are easily accessible. The Katinen Manor House Restaurant is excellent and buffet breakfasts are provided for guests (the Restaurant is well worth a visit regardless of whether you’re staying at the Manor or not).

Katinen Manor House Hotel has 23 twin rooms and while in the past the Manor has been marketed only to groups arranging conferences or banquets, from 2013 on, individual guests are more than welcome. From late June to mid-August (dates as per Katinen Manor’s website), the hotel is open every day. At other times the Hotel is open to individual guests if there is a group reservation at the Hotel at the same time. You’ll need to contact Katinen Manor to ask.

A brief History of the Katinen Manor House Hotel & Restaurant

Katinen Manor was already established in the 13th Century when Finland was part of the Kingdom of Sweden. Finland’s ruler at that time, Earl Birger, used Häme Castle as a military base during his crusades in Finland. As with many other manor houses, Katinen Manor has had many changes in ownership, with owners including many notable figures in Finland’s history. Katinen received the title of a Manor when the holding was bought by Municipal Councillor Johan Fredrik Lönnholtz in 1856. The present red brick main building of the Manor, shown in the photo above and completed in 1862, was built in the neo-renaissance style and was designed by architect C. A. Edelfelt, father of the renowned Finnish artist Albert Edelfelt.

The Manor’s Ballroom, one of the largest in its kind in Finland, was renovated to its former splendor following precise instructions from Finland’s National Board of Antiquities in 1991. The romantic manor house milieu lives on to its fullest in the distinctive rococo style Lady’s Room and the Lönnholtz Room. Together with the Manor’s other halls and rooms they are often used for conference working sessions and cocktail receptions or for private dining by smaller parties.

The former Manor House was built of wood in the empire style, is painted yellow and dates from the 18th Century. The Manor’s greystone granary and stable date from the end of the 18th Century. The granary is used nowadays as the Katinen Manor House Museum and contains many old vehicles, such as carriages and sledges, along with a sizable collection of tools and objects from the Manor’s past.

The Manor was engaged in animal husbandry, as well as agriculture and forestry until the end of 1950’s while the Manor’s Ruununmylly mill kept grinding flour for domestic use into the 1960’s. Local hydropower provided the Manor with a supply of electricity even before the city of Hämeenlinna was electrified. The hydro turbine, installed in 1990, continues the Manor’s tradition of hydropower. The Manor has always considered self-sufficiency important and the current owner, Jakob Krogius also wants to abide by this same principle. To this end, the Manor also used a modern woodchip-fired heating system, with the Manor’s 850 hectares of forest supplying the fuel in an  environmentally friendly manner.

Katinen Manor House Hotel Accommodation

The Hotel at Katinen Manor is located in an early 20th Century red brick buildin, wghich originally served as a cowshed (as late as the 1950’s, Katinen Manor still kept a herd of 180 cows). Between 1978-2000 the building housed a gym, squash courts and other services. Architecturally, everything worth keeping has been retained, particularly the building’s beautiful exterior. Interior design has resulted in a cosy country-hotel style with warm wooden furnishings and a large fireplace in the lobby.

Opened in 2003, the hotel has 23 spacious twin-bedded rooms with a total of 52 beds, with all modern conveniences, two Finnish saunas and a Turkish steam bath. There are two rooms suitable for the disabled and two of the larger rooms can be connected to adjacent suites to form a “family room.” All hotel rooms are non-smoking and pets are not allowed. Each room has  two separate beds, desk, telephone, TV, minibar, shower or bath, toilet and trouser press. In order to guarantee hotel guests’ safety, the hotel uses Ving Card key cards and has smoke detectors and a modern alarm system installed. The Hotel is mainly promoted to groups arranging conferences or banquets in the Manor but individual guests are welcomed, particularly in summer.

All Hotel Rooms include wifi and a free internet connection. There are two saunas, dressing rooms and washrooms at the hotel guests’ disposal. The smaller of these is large enough for six persons, the larger can accommodate 12. Between the two saunas there is a Turkish steam bath large enough for 6-8 persons. There is a charge for use of the Sauna (inquire at reception). The Sauna area is also licensed (for alcohol).

Also included in the Hotel’s facilities is the “Lobby Bar” – the hotel lobby is designed and set up as a living room, with a welcoming fireplace and a fully-licensed café-bar, which is open to the hotel’s guests through to 01.30am. In the summer months, guests can also use the summer terrace in front of the hotel.

Breakfast: Buffet breakfast is included in the room rate. Guests enjoy breakfast in the main building of the estate, with breakfast served from 7:00am to 9:00am. During the summer season 25 June-11 August, Breakfast is served primarily in the hotel lobby between 8:00am and 10:00am. Outside of summer, breakfast can also be served in the lobby in those occasions where only a few guests are staying overnight, but the guest will be informed if this happens.

Room Rates: Single Rooms are 135€ while double rooms are 90€/person.

Summer Rates (late June – mid-August): Single Room 109€, 2-person Room 135€, 3-person Room 135€. Golf Holiday options are also available (Summer rates in Finnish Hotels are usually cheaper than the rest of the year as business customers are all on vacation….. make the most of it as you can get some great bargains)

Reservations: Phone +358 (0)3 656 8200 or email katistenkartano@
katistenkartano.com. Visa, MasterCard, EuroCard, Diners Club and American Express accepted. Please note that over Summer (late June to mid-August), the Front Desk hours are somewhat extended (Mondays 8am-4pm, Tuesday-Saturday 8am to 11pm, Sundays 8am to 1pm).

Katinen Manor House Hotel Restaurant

While the Manor House Restaurant caters largely to groups, Individual Guests are made welcome – but please do make a reservation. Dining for individuals us generally available Friday-Saturday 6pm to 11pm, but some evenings are booked out for private functions so please call and confirm availability to avoid disappointment. Dining at the Bistro & Terrace Restaurant may also be available.

Katinen Manor’s Sous Chef, Silvar Jänes, has been nominated as member of Culinary Team Finland (CTOF) for the period 2013-2016. The Culinary Team of Finland is Finland’s official team representing Finland in international culinary competitions. The team has 14 members. A former chef from the Manor, Aki Kinnunen, is also a member of CTOF and the Manor’s kitchen is headed by Oula Hänninen, a member of the CTOF for six years. Oula Hänninen was awarded 2nd prize in the Trophée Européen De Cuisine in 2005.

Perhaps not surprisingly, the Katinen Manor House Hotel restaurant has somewhat of a reputation for it’s food. The Manor’s own Gardener grows green and root vegetables, herbs and berries in the Manor’s own vegetable patch and garden, while the kitchen also uses mostly domestic ingredients sourced from local farmers. The menus are seasonal, use many traditional Finnish and Scandinavian recipes in include many ingredients from local forests and lakes.

Reviews of the restaurant are unanimously four and five star and many guests have commented that the atmosphere of the Manor was very special and something to be experienced. Food has been unanimously rated as excellent, with a great wine selection and local specialties and ingredients introduced along with a description of how they are acquired on a daily basis. One guest commented that although he and his wife were the only diners at the restaurant, they had a great experience as the waiter was excellent and very polite, he even gave them a tour of the Manor House and the wine cellar and told them about the Manor’s history.

Katinen Manor House Hotel Conference Facilities

The individual traveler or small family group on holiday should be aware that Katinen Manor largely caters to groups and to conferences. While this certainly doesn’t detract from the attractiveness of the Manor, you should be aware that the Manor does cater to “events” and it can cater for a total capacity of 1,400 people. So if you’re interested in staying here, you may wish to check what’s going on before you confirm any bookings.

Katinen Manor House Hotel Lesiure Activities

Guided Tours of Katinen Manor: Individual guests can participate in one of the guided tours, organised regularly at the Manor, in order to learn about the Manor’s long and colorful history. The tour lasts about an hour and is in Finnish or English. Tours in other languages may be arranged by prior request and agreement. English language tours take place on Thursday’s and Saturdays’s at 1 pm between late June and mid-August. Finnish language tours place on Thursday’s and Saturdays’s at 10 am  (check here for exact dates as they do change slightly from year to year). Duration is 1.5 hours and cost is  9€/person, 4€/child aged between 4 and 12. Tours start in front of the Manor’s Hotel. Prior booking is recommended (contact the Manor by phone on +358 3 6568 200 or e-mail at katistenkartano (at) katistenkartano.fi.

Bicycles: Six bicycles are available for Hotel Guests. Ask at reception.

Parking: The manor has ample free parking spaces, some of which are equipped with an electrical outlets for winter use (for those from less extreme climates unfamiliar with these, they’re needed in winter to stop your car’s engine freezing up). Most of the parking spaces are equipped with timers for the electrical outlets so again, if not familiar, ask Reception for assistance.

Beaches: The nearest beach,  Idänpään beach, is about 500m away and is suitable for children. 

Wine Tasting in the Manor’s Wine Cellar: A small range of wine tasting packages are available for a minimum of groups of 6-8 people. These packages are generally aimed at group bookings and are not for the individual traveler,  but if you do have a group of 6 or more they’re fun, educational, and take place in a great setting. Cost starts at 290€ for a group of 6-8 persons. Packages available include Chardonnay, A Journey through the vineyards of France, Pinot Noir, the Wine Quartet (Riesling & Shiraz) and The Great Wine Challenge.

Culinary Schools at the Manor:  

Katinen Manor also runs a Culinary School in the Kruununmylly (Crown Mill) building, 3 km’s from the manor house itself. Culinary teaching is run by the Manor’s Chef de Cuisine, Oula Hänninen, and the wine instruction is from Ville Viitamäki, the Manor’s Sommelier and Butler. Normally the size of the group is between 8-20 persons and the length of the program is 4-5 hours. Cost is 160€/person + wine package 40€/person, minimum charge 8 persons. Again, this is marketed more to groups but if you’re interested, you could contact Katinen Manor´s sales office by phone on +358-(0)3-6568 200 or via e-mail at katistenkartano@katistenkartano.fi.

All-terrain driving courses in a genuine Land Rover: Kartinen Manor also offers all-terrain driving courses for 2-18 person groups. The Katinen Manor course, run by Land Rover Experience Centre Finland, is the only one of its kind in the world offering courses in a challenging all-terrain driving environment in winter conditions. The Centre  was opened at the end of May 2003 and it is the first one of its kind in Scandinavia. There are only 33 similar centres worldwide. The  chief trainers of the centre have learned their skills at Land Rover in England. The course consists of a theory component and various trainer-led driving tasks on a course in the forest. Each car has a trainer and a maximum of three participants.

There are also several good Golf Courses within a short driving distance from Katinen Manor

Hämeenlinna is the golfing capital of Finland with a number of excellent gold courses within easy driving distance of Katinen Manor. Among these is Finland’s second oldest Golf Course, the 9-hole Aulangonjärvi Hugo, founded by Colonel Hugo Standertskjöld (their restaurant is apparently legendary). There is also the 18-hole Tawast Golf, built on land formerly belonging to an earlier owner of the Katinen Manor, Lars Krogius and extensively improved in 2011.2012. There’s also the truely superb Linna Golf, one of Finland’s best golf courses and only 15 minutes drive away.

Katinen Manor offers golfing packages – stay in the Manor Hotel, enjoyed the accommodation and the cuisine and play some superb golf courses. 

 

Location & Contact

Katinen Manor is located at Katistentie 91, FI-13210 Hämeenlinna. FINLAND

Phone Number: +358 (0)3 656 8200

Email: katistenkartano@katistenkartano.fi

Hotel Manager: Kato Tuunainen

 

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