-- Out-of-the-Ordinary Winter Vacation Ideas--
Visit an Ice Hotel
Surely the most unique vacation spot on the planet has got to be an ethereally beautiful ice hotel that melts in the springtime every year.
Well, almost unique: there are actually a few of them, in Scandinavia and in Quebec Canada.
Sweden's Ice Hotel
Sweden's ICEHOTEL is built by a river in the village of Jukkasjarvi in Swedish Lapland, 200 km north of the Arctic Circle. Creating the ice hotel each winter takes 10,000 tons of clear river ice, plus 30,000 tons of snow. The ice hotel has an ice sauna, ice chapel, and a famous Absolut Ice bar that's different every year.
Guests sleep in special sleeping bags on beds made of snow and ice and covered with reindeer skins; a hot drink is brought to the bedside at morning-time. Warm winter clothing is provided. Several cabins with bunk beds are available. "Warm accommodation" is available, too.
The season for Sweden's ice hotel lasts from early-to-mid December to mid-to-late April.*
Guests can also take cool (no pun intended) outings, such as a Northern Lights Tour to the Esrange Space Center. Keep in mind that the Northern Lights don't appear every night; you may be lucky, but don't count on seeing this natural light show.
Wondering how to get to Jukkasjarvi? The Scantour company sells Ice Hotel packages to handle all details of a visit. Sample package: airfare to Stockholm and then to Kiruna, dog-sled to the Ice Hotel (where guests get warm winter clothes), dinner and overnight, day-time outing, night at a nearby inn, and overnight train back to Stockholm.
Note: while kids can visit the Ice Hotel, the "ICEHOTEL is not especially adapted for children". There are no kids' activities, and there's a focus on "artwork" sculpted ice -- not to be climbed or played upon!
Quebec's Ice Hotel
Not to be outdone in the frozen-north category, and much more family-friendly, Quebec offers the Ice Hotel Quebec Canada (Hotel de Glace) at Duchesnay, 30 minutes west of the Quebec city area. 11,000 tons of snow and 350 tons of ice are heaved and shaped over a five-week period to build the ice hotel with ceilings as high as 18 feet.
Quebec's Ice Hotel has many rooms and theme suites, a cinema, chapel, fireplaces, Jacuzzis and ICE Bar. Children of all ages are welcome. Activities include dog sledding, snowmobiling, cross-country skiing, skating and ice-fishing.
The season for Ice Hotel Quebec starts in early January and lasts until early April*. The Ice Hotel offers many packages; you can also visit without staying overnight. Tour price is $15CDN for adults, $7.50 for kids 6-12; a Family Price is available.*
Read more about the Quebec Ice Hotel.
More Ice Hotels in Scandinavia
Sweden's ice hotel isn't the only place to find freezing-cold (in a good way!) accommodations in Europe's North: Norway has a Snow Hotel, Finland has a Snow Village with ice hotel and igloo bedrooms -- see these and more Ice Hotels in Scandinavia.
*always check destination web sites for updates!
