Ice Hotel


Advertisement
Sweden's flag
Europe » Sweden » Norrbotten County » Jukkasjärvi
April 5th 2006
Published: April 5th 2006
Edit Blog Post

Ice HotelIce HotelIce Hotel

This is the entrance hall, made entirely of ice and snow.
Ice Hotel
The Ice Hotel in Jukkasjarvi is a definitely Swedish experience. Located on the Torne River in Swedish Lapland, this is a great place to visit. So I did. We got up early and got on the bus. It wasn't such a long ride. On the way, we had to stop so the reindeer could cross the road. And then I saw some moose! Yay moose! When we arrived in town, we stopped at the old church, which was great. They had several wooden murals that they redid recently when they refurbished the old building. Then, we walked to the Ice Hotel.

For those of you who are not familiar with this architectural marvel, let me just give a quick overview. Each year, these people harvest ice from the River and make it into snice (snow and ice), then use that to construct an entire hotel. The ice from the Torne River is said to be the best in all the world. This is because it is very clear and easy to see through. Each suite, including the luxury suite, is constructed using sculptures created by ice artists. They also have a theater, an ice church, conference facilities, and an
IcebarIcebarIcebar

The Absolut Ice Bar. It does serve drinks. :)
Ice Bar (sponsored by Absolut). For those of you who don't want to go to Sweden to enjoy this wonder, they have Ice Bars in other parts of the world, including London. The hotel also has a restaurant, where you can get lovely Swedish delicacies.

So we went on a tour of the hotel, walked through the rooms, and went to the Ice Church. The Church does baptisms and lovely marriage ceremonies while the hotel is open. The snow usually starts to melt in April-May, when they get ready for the fall when they will create it again. They have a gift shop too, where you can buy reindeer pelts, reindeer antlers, glasses made of ice, and other such things. The Hotel will also arrange dogsled rides or whale watching expeditions for you. I've been dog sledding. It's a great experience. Those dogs are FAST though.

Now, what else to say. Ah yes, you think it might be cold sleeping on ice? Well they cover the bed in reindeer pelts, then they give you a sleeping bag. It's usually about -5 C inside the hotel thanks to the insulation of the snow. The sleeping bags are certified for at least -15 C so you're pretty good. And people do stay here. I myself saw it on VH1's Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous. Trust me, people, you want to go here. And no, I didn't manage to see a celebrity while I was there, not that I didn't try. And so, I definitely recommend it for anyone who wants to visit Lapland.

Advertisement



Tot: 0.087s; Tpl: 0.011s; cc: 18; qc: 30; dbt: 0.0422s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1; ; mem: 1.1mb