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By N. A. Ross
 ICEHOTEL
Jukkasjärvi
Sweden
+46 (0) 980 66800
email: info@icehotel.com
In the winter, the sun almost never rises above the horizon, while in the summer the sun almost never sets. In the summer, the temperature can rise above 70° F, while in the winder it can go down to -30° F. In this unique environment, there is a hotel unlike any other hotel in the world. The ICEHOTEL is a building located 200 kilometers north of the Arctic Circle in Sweden. It is erected at the beginning of every winter and allowed to melt away in the spring, returning the building and furnnishings back to the river, out of which it was carved.
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Just a 4 hour flight from London or Paris, 6 hours from Madrid, 10 hours from New York, or 13 hours from Tokyo, it is a structure created entirely out of ice, with a reception, rooms, suites, a bar and a church all sculpted from the crystal-clear frozen water of the Torne River . The concept was first implemented 16 years ago and it has captured the imagination of many travelers. In 2004, 15,000 visitors  spent a night at the ICEHOTEL. A quick look at the names in the guestbook will reveal that visitors are attracted on a global scale.
As I mentioned, the entire structure is made from ice carved from the river. However, it is not just the building; everything, from beds and chairs, to chandeliers, to glasses at the bar, to plates at the restaurant; everything is carved out of the same ice. The ICEHOTEL is also the playground for a group of international artists and designers who come every year to create ephemeral art using the crystal-clear frozen water. Ice glasses, initially created by architect Åke Larsson and artist Arne Bergh, to drink Vargtass (a blend of vodka and lingonberry juice) at the bar, are now a major export for the ICEHOTEL, with expected production this year of nearly one million pieces!
Next to the ICEHOTEL is the Ice Globe Theatre; a replica of Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre in London, also built from the same river ice. Actors, in fantastic costumes perform plays, including Hamlet and Macbeth, to enthusiastic reception from international audiences.
One of the events visitors find fascinating during wintertime is the Aurora Borealis, the northern lights. Created by charged plasma particles of the solar wind that descend into the atmosphere and collide with atmospheric atoms and molecules, the northern lights are swirling curtains of blue-green, purple, or sometimes pale red light mostly observed above the Arctic Circle.
In order to fully enjoy the ICEHOTEL experience, there are options between several different types of accommodation. The ideal is to combine one or two cold night in the ICEHOTEL with several warm nights in the heated rooms or cabins.
The Deluxe Suite has something  extra in terms of decoration and service just because you are worth it! These unique rooms are decorated with ice art and sculptures. We slept in a thermal sleeping bag on a special bed of snow and ice, on reindeer skins. We were awakened in the morning with a cup of hot lingonberry juice at our bedside. Private transfers, drink tickets, the book "Ice Age", breakfast buffet, morning sauna, and towels are included in the rate. There are also standard suites, double rooms and family rooms, where the ice-beds can comfortably sleep 4 persons. The sauna is an integral element of the Scandinavian culture. Saunas are available for all ICEHOTEL guests,  to relieve stress and relax the body, nearby.
The Aurora House nearby, is made from conventional building material and has two separate bedrooms for three persons, a single bed and a double bed. The rooms have a ceiling skylight for a view of the Midnight Sun or the Aurora Borealis. There is a sitting room with refrigerator, water boiler, TV, and telephone, bathroom with shower and toilet. Breakfast is included.
A breakfast buffet is served in the ICEHOTEL Restaurant. Lunch and dinner are enjoyed in the ICEHOTEL Restaurant or the Homestead Restaurant.  The cuisine of ICEHOTEL Restaurant has been featured in gourmet magazines around the world and has been awarded the prestigious Werner Vögeli Statuette. The menu includes such unusual local delicacies as: Bleak roe from Kalix with blini, vanilla infused Arctic Char with forest mushroom salad, smoked reindeer on dark bread served with trout roe and basilica dressing, filet of reindeer glazed with lingonberry and black pepper, grilled beefsteak with truffle sauce almond potato gnocchi and tomato confit, and other, more conventional dishes.  Desserts include sea buckthorn sorbet and chocolate ice cream, crepe with cloudberry and maple syrup ice cream.
Cocktails are served in an ice-glass at the ABSOLUT ICEBAR.
There are number of outdoor activities one can participate in such as snowmobile safaris, reindeer sled races and Arctic Ocean fishing to name but a few.
Warm outer clothing is included in the price of accommodation when you stay at ICEHOTEL: snowmobile suit, winter boots, hat and mittens, but you can always bring your own, especially if you are hard-to-fit.
© April 2006 LuxuryWeb Magazine. All rights reserved.
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