Sweden's ICEHOTEL

Imagine a hotel that's constructed of thousands of tons of snow and ice and re-built from scratch every winter. This is the ICEHOTEL in the village of Jukkasjärvi in northern Lapland, Sweden. It's a place where artistic beauty and architectural innovation are combined to create a truly unique vacation experience. Step inside this one-of-a-kind structure where guests spend the night in sleeping bags and unwind in the steaming hot ice sauna and see what it's like to chill out in the coolest hotel on earth.

There are ice hotels in Norway, Canada, Romania and Finland. Sweden was the world's first ice hotel and began in 1989 when Japaneses ice sculptors came to the area to create an exhibit and built an exhibition hall that turned into an igloo-like hotel for some of the visitors.

The entire hotel is made completely out of ice blocks taken from the Torne River - even the glasses in the bar are made of ice. The hotel has more than 80 rooms and suites, a bar, reception area and church. It charges around 1,400 Swedish Krona (approx. 218 US dollars) per person/room/night in the winter. The hotel only exists between December and April. In its latest incarnation it will probably be over 5000 square metres (53,700 square feet) in size. Each room is unique and the architecture of the hotel is changed each year, as it is rebuilt from scratch.








Typically the lights are highly sophisticated LED or fibreoptic models, and offer an opportunity to introduce colour and special effects into the design.

During your stay, visitors can view the one-of-a-kind ice artwork, enjoy activities like snowmobiling, Killer Whale safaris, fishing, hunting, ice driving (in a Saab), get married or view the breathtaking Northern Lights, also known as the aurora borealis.

Since 1994 ICEHOTEL and ABSOLUT (Vodka) caused a stir around the world. Together they created the world’s first ABSOLUT ICEBAR made entirely of ice in Jukkasjärvi, Sweden. Ever since bar guests have been stunned by the dreamlike environment, created by skilled artists and craftsmen. Now there are ABSOLUT ICEBAR's around the world and some open all year long.








For more info, visit www.icehotel.com