TRAVEL


Sweden’s Icehotel, built out of blocks of ice, is a spectacular winter wonderland. ::


Arctic Circle


Kiruna ICEHOTEL


SWEDEN Norway Finland


ICY RETREAT The Flower Suite, at left, offers a cool floral motif, all set in ice, of course.


thermal underwear during their stay. “This is a must


experience on your bucket list,” wrote one exuberant guest from Austin, Texas, on the hotel website. Another from Los


Coolest Hotel in the World BY BRENT JOHNSON S


ometimes a hotel is so intriguing, it becomes the destination. Thus, Sweden’s Icehotel. The frosty retreat


attracts customers who are happy to sleep in freezing-cold bedrooms where the temperature is guaranteed to be a steady 17 degrees. Sweden’s iconic lodge is the


world’s first hotel made of ice and snow. Guests are sure not to get the shivers overnight, because even though the beds are made from solid blocks of ice, a bulky sleeping bag, reindeer hides, and a mattress ensure a toasty stay. The giant igloo features gloriously


twinkling rooms with fixtures and décor sculpted from ice by leading artists and designers. The shimmering ambience is reminiscent


80 NEWSMAX MAXLIFE | MAY 2013


ARCTIC BLAST The entrance to the popular Icehotel is shaped like an igloo.


of Superman’s frigid polar Fortress of Solitude. But don’t come looking for amenities. There’s no TV, minibar, or Bible in the bedside drawer (because there’s no bedside drawer). There’s no plumbing, either,


so trips to the bathroom require a short frigid walk to a nearby heated building. Guests generally wear


Angeles was equally ecstatic: “This was definitely a once in a lifetime trip. Walking out


of dinner in -38 temps and seeing the northern lights is breathtaking.” Visitors can also explore the


surrounding pristine frozen wilderness on hotel-run dog-sledding and snowmobile expeditions. Situated 125 miles inside the Arctic


Circle in the middle of Swedish Lapland, the 65-room hotel even has an ice chapel for marriages, plus a bar where you sip from glasses made of solid ice. The hotel is constructed anew each


fall, and come April, it starts to melt into the adjacent river that provided its building blocks. Many types of rooms are available.


A stay in one of the hotel’s art suites — designed by one of many acclaimed artists — costs $950 a night. The hotel’s website, www.icehotel.com, has more information.


PAULINA HOLMGREN/COURTESY OF ICEHOTEL


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