As a lover of tropical places, I personally never thought of much worse than tromping through ice to spend the night in an igloo but, the unbearable summer heat of the past few weeks in Mallorca is making me long for northern latitudes and a room in one of those hand carved "Ice Hotelsthat" have become so popular among my corporate clients.
Here, you can expect an indoor temperature between -5 degrees C and -8 degrees C. Outside it’s -20, something I’d die for right now as I am writing.
What started out as a just a crazy idea for the winter, a hotel and art exhibition made of ice from the river Torne, is now the world famous IceHotel in Swedish Lapland (the home of Santa).
It is a place to discover silence, the enchantment of the northern lights and the glistening snow, the majestic beauty of nature and incredible works of art.
Built each year in winter in a brand new design, this unusual resort is all about ice and creativity. When the first snow has sprinkled the whole of Jukkasjärvi with white, artists from all over the world come together in the village to take part in creating the art exhibition of snow, ice and light that makes up Icehotel. Then in April when the temperature rises it all melts away.
Reindeer skins, and sleeping bags suitable for subzero temperatures keep guests warm. There are ice bars and restaurants with ornate ice sculptures and glassware made from ice and an ice gallery.
I am not going to give you any fact sheets here on how many artists, hours and how many tons of ice and snow it takes to create the elaborate structures, all way too technical for me.
But, if the summer heat and the above has got you inspired … and you find yourself fantasizing about your next holiday, or a unique wedding or planning your corporate event at this incredible location, you’ll soon have the chance to find out for yourself. Just get in touch and we'll get you there.