For A Truly Unique Christmas Vacation, Try An Ice Hotel

Have you ever wondered what it would look like if Frozone from “The Incredibles” froze your house? If so, or if not but the idea of staying in a room made of ice and snow melts your heart, you should head to an ice hotel.

Winter really is the best time to check out the ice hotels because they are usually built by this time, and it is still cold. They generally stay open till around April, but dates vary according to the weather.

You may think that you would freeze spending the night in a room made completely of ice, but in reality ice is an effective insulator. Because the hotel is enclosed in ice, heat is trapped inside, so while it may be unbearable outside, it is warm inside the walls of ice.

The largest of these hotels is located in Lapland, Sweden and is rebuilt every winter with thousands of tons of snow and ice. The hotel opens every year in mid-December, and in addition to double bedrooms and suites it has a film auditorium, a pillar hall, a lobby and the Absolute Icebar, the hottest place around if you want to be cool. There is even a sauna and a chapel where you can have a winter wedding. One of the amazing things about the Ice Hotel is that you can vacation there for years and it is never the same. Because it is rebuilt every year, the architecture is changed every year and every bedroom is unique.

There is another ice hotel or “Hôtel de Glace” located in Quebec, Canada. This one offers several packages for winter visitors. Some are geared to those looking for winter recreation such as snowmobiling or other outdoor fun. Others are geared to romantic weekends away and include everything from a dogsled ride to wine served in special ice glasses. Guests at “Hôtel de Glace” sleep “mummy style” on beds made of ice. There is a mattress and guests are provided with sleeping bags. While this may seem a bit frigid, guests are usually snuggly warm, and everyone is awakened in the morning with a fresh cup of hot chocolate.