Overview
Since 1989, Sweden's Icehotel has given travellers a decidedly cool place to stay each winter. December hits, and the site reveals its new frosty rooms — the kind that are carved out of ice and only around for a short time, as they'll melt once the weather gets warmer. They're not just any old slabs of ice and snow in the village of Jukkasjärvi, 200 kilometres north of the Arctic Circle, however. As part of their annual tradition, the accommodation provider calls for designers and artists to unleash their chilly ideas — then unveils their wondrous creations to travellers.
In the 2018–19 crop? A candy-inspired world made out of cold, cold substances, a forest campsite complete with an icy kombi van you can sleep in, a bed guarded by icy animals and another that resembles a journey into the ocean's depths. Or, perhaps you'd like to climb into a dome-shaped room that looks like a polar cave — or a geometric-heavy abode that's not only inspired by cracking ice, but adds more cracks the more you move through the suite.
Now open until April 2019, the fresh blend of ice and creativity features 35 one-of-a-kind rooms in total, as crafted by 34 artists from 13 different countries. They're made from more than 30,000 cubic metres of snice — that's a mix of snow and ice — from the local Torne River. As well as places to sleep, the new iteration also includes an ice bar, ice ceremony hall and ice gallery.
If you're a fan of the kind of coldness the southern hemisphere doesn't see at this time of the year, but you can't make it to Icehotel's cold climes during the northern winter, don't worry — in addition to their annual slate of artistic suites, Icehotel has been open all year round for the past year. It includes 20 permanent suites, an ice bar, plus private saunas and spas for an added touch of warmth in such cold surroundings.
For more information about Icehotel, visit www.icehotel.com.
Images: Asaf Kliger.