Sweden’s Ice Hotel is Open Again, and This Year’s Design Will Make Your Jaw Drop

November 22, 2018

Looking for a unique getaway experience? Perhaps you should consider visiting the infamous ICEHOTEL. The world-famous establishment is located 200 kilometers north of the Arctic circle, in the Swedish village of Jukkasjärvi.

Every winter, for the past 28 years, the ICEHOTEL has been rebuilt using ice and snow from the nearby Torne river — the largest of Sweden’s four national rivers. As the hotel explains on its website, the permanent structure includes luxury suites with private bathrooms and art suites, all which were sculptured by selected artists. Not only does the hotel have a large “ice bar” which serves champagne, it even has an ice gallery. The latter is open year-round, thanks to solar panels which cool it during the summer months.

“Icehotel is an art symposium in a class of its own. The energy released here when creative people from a wide variety of backgrounds and places meet the ice is almost tangible,” says Arne Bergh, a sculptor who’s been part of ICEHOTEL since it was founded in 1989.

Asaf Kliger © ICEHOTEL

As the seasons change, the ice and snow is returned back to the Earth. It’s a symbiotic cycle, and the tradition of rebuilding the hotel each December has delighted millions of people worldwide. Those behind the phenomenon recognize this symbiosis. ICEHOTEL explains on its website:

“Icehotel is all about ice and creativity – with art as the result. […] Each year some 40 artists are taking part in Icehotel. The notion that several weeks’ hard work and months of planning and preparation culminate in something that only exists for a few months is in some respects a bittersweet feeling.”

Recently, the ICEHOTEL’s newest design was unveiled, and it will make your jaw drop…

Credit: Asaf Kliger © ICEHOTELCredit: Asaf Kliger © ICEHOTEL

Credit: Asaf Kliger © ICEHOTEL

As Inhabitat reports, this year’s design offers a total of 35 art and deluxe suites. Guests have the option of choosing to sleep in a frozen jungle of Monstera plants, or in the company of giant snails. Another option is to sleep atop “fluffy” white clouds.

Credit: Asaf Kliger © ICEHOTELCredit: Asaf Kliger © ICEHOTEL

Though the entire structure is made out of ice, it’s not an impossible environment to adapt to. Each cold room maintains a temperature of about -5 to -8 degrees Celsius (17.6 to 23 degrees Fahrenheit). Thanks to a Carpe Diem bed covered with reindeer hides and a thermal sleeping bag, nights are warm and cozy. To ensure guests are comfortable, heated changing rooms and bathrooms are available in a separate heated facility.

The price for an Ice Room starts at $661 USD and increases from there. It is certainly a unique experience, one that is in alignment with the collective’s ambition to protect the environment and live in harmony with nature.

Credit: Asaf Kliger © ICEHOTELCredit: Asaf Kliger © ICEHOTELCredit: Asaf Kliger © ICEHOTELCredit: Asaf Kliger © ICEHOTELCredit: Asaf Kliger © ICEHOTEL