Chill out on holiday at these three ice hotels
Ice hotels are some of the coolest places to spend the winter
![Hotel de Glace](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/22drsKKiKyHiue9gMCAYX9-415-80.jpg)
The Hotel de Glace in Quebec, Canada, is rebuilt every year to new designs, says Sophie-Claire Hoeller on Insider. But as this year marks the hotel’s 20th anniversary, “the best designs from over the past two decades [are] on display”.Around half of the 42 rooms are intricately decorated to a theme, such as “Wild West”, “circus” or “underwater”. The hotel also has a bar, a lounge with a fireplace, a faux forest with snow trees, an indoor snow slide and a “stunning” ice chapel for weddings.
The bed frame is a giant block of ice, “covered by a thin slat of wood and a surprisingly comfy mattress”. With the lights turned off and trying to sleep, “the silence is deafening” – but “I was snug and warm in my sleeping bag”. The cold “truly wasn’t an issue”.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
![https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516-320-80.jpg)
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Stay from C$399 (£230), valcartier.com/en
An immersive art gallery
“It’s 1.30am and I’m lying on a king-size, reindeer-skin covered ice-block, trying to sleep,” says Laura Martin in The i. “Every part of my body – bar my nose – is tightly cocooned and warm in a hooded, heavy-duty sleeping bag, but the surrounding temperature is a teeth-chattering -4ºC.”
The Icehotel in the Swedish village of Jukkasjärvi is 30 years old this year. It is carved out of blocks of ice hewn from the nearby Torne River in the far north.
During the day, people can wander in what is effectively an immersive art gallery. “By night, guests live among the freezing art pieces.” With the light refracting off the icy chandeliers, this could be Elsa’s castle in Frozen.
“I gasp when I walk into the shimmering Golden Ice room, which is like stepping into a diamond ring. I shudder at the giant ants staring out of their burrows in the Subterranean room and take a pew by an entire theatre stage that’s been made out of frozen water.”
Stay from around SEK4,010 (£320), icehotel.com
On top of the world
Tucked up in northern Norway, not far from the town of Alta, is the northernmost ice hotel in the world, and the second oldest. The Sorrisniva Igloo Hotel has been rebuilt every year since 1999 to a specific theme, such as the Vikings, Nordic myths and legends and the wildlife of the Alta valley.
It had just six rooms when it started and has grown to around 30 today. There is also an ice bar and an “excellent” restaurant, says David Nikel on Forbes. But “one of the most intriguing features” is the chapel, which plays host to several weddings each year.
There is, however, much to do besides sit in your snow-clad chamber. Guests can participate in a range of activities from ice-sculpting, dog-sledding and ice fishing in the Arctic, or simply relaxing in the outdoor Jacuzzi to admire the Northern Lights dancing across the sky.
Stay from NOK 2,690 (£220), sorrisniva.no
This article was originally published in MoneyWeek
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Magazine solutions - August 2, 2024
Puzzles and Quizzes Issue - August 2, 2024
By The Week Staff Published
-
Magazine printables - August 2, 2024
Puzzles and Quizzes Issue - August 2, 2024
By The Week Staff Published
-
'In a normal country, their activities wouldn't even be crimes'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Canada is facing an uphill battle against car theft
Under the Radar More than 200 stolen vehicles from Canada are detected every week
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Québec: the largest Canadian province – packed with reasons to visit
The Week Recommends There is an amazing variety of things to see and experience in this diverse region of Canada
By Yasemen Kaner-White Published
-
Bodø: discover Norway's vibrant cultural capital
The Week Recommends The town has undergone a major transformation from sleepy Arctic outpost to thriving tourist destination
By Irenie Forshaw, The Week UK Published
-
10 spectacular hotels for golfers that have just the right swing
The Week Recommends These properties are stunners off the links and on
By Catherine Garcia, The Week US Published
-
Isles of Scilly: discover the abundant joys of island life
The Week Recommends Ramble, sail and feast your way around Scilly to experience a region like no other
By Julia O'Driscoll, The Week UK Published
-
Raffles London at The OWO review: a quintessentially British stay
The Week Recommends This heritage building has been given a twist as a luxury hotel in the nation's capital
By Leaf Arbuthnot, The Week UK Published
-
Explore Vancouver Island's wild side
The Week Recommends From ancient forests to secluded beaches, the remote sanctuary off Canada's Pacific Coast has it all
By Irenie Forshaw, The Week UK Published
-
The magical fjords of Norway
The Week Recommends Your breath will leap right off the edge of those steep, steep cliffs
By Catherine Garcia, The Week US Published