Bucket List: Ice Hotel
With summer just starting to hot up, what better way to cool down than a refreshing stay at a hotel crafted entirely from ice? The Ice Hotel, located in the Swedish village of Jukkasjärvi, is an art exhibition and holiday destination all rolled into one, perfect for those who like to vacation a little bit differently.
The hotel is recreated every year, after it has melted during the end of the Arctic summer. Artists and craftsmen from across the globe travel to Sweden to collaborate on the creation of a new hotel—meaning that it looks different every year. The natural ice used for construction is taken from the nearby Torne River, and it requires a great deal of work to grow and maintain it ready for the construction of the hotel.
There are ‘warm’ rooms available to stay in, but the real experience comes in staying in one of the hotel’s ‘cold’ or ‘winter’ rooms. The rooms are created completely from ice—yes, that includes your bed. But don’t worry, there’s a mattress to sleep on, and you can keep warm by swaddling yourself in the sumptuous reindeer hides and thermal sleeping bag provided, or by indulging in a soothing sauna session before breakfast. Sweden, icehotel.com
