The Icehotel – beautiful unique hotels

The Icehotel – One of the world’s most beautiful unique hotels

The Icehotel is one of the world’s most unique hotels. Jukkasjärvi, Sweden is its location, which is about 20km east of Kiruna. This small village is picture-postcard perfect with rustic wooden homes, lakes that appear as if made of glass, fir trees and reindeer. This ice and snow hotel is so unique that it is one of Sweden’s major tourist attractions and it offers an altogether luxurious stay. It also embodies the increasingly important concept in luxury travel that the most decadent luxury hotels need to deliver the most spectacularly unique experiences.

The Icehotel is one of Antonio Cuellar’s European nominations for the 2020 Luxury Travel Guide Global Awards. In his role as a luxury hotel and resort photographer, Antonio has photographed some of the most luxurious and unique hotels in the world. Even with his extensive experience, Antonio thought that the hotel offered a truly exceptional experience.

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The Icehotel

The hotel was the first in the world. s. It originally opened in 1990 using ice from the Torne River. Initially, it operated from December to April only. In the warmer months, the ice of the hotel returned to the Torne river as it melted. Icehotel 365 became a permanent fixture in 2016. It now offers ice experiences to its guests all year round. Icehotel is an impressive joining of hotel and art. The Icehotel features a collection of ever-changing artworks made entirely from ice and snow. It has always been a unique property, and it remains to this day, one of the world’s most unique hotels.

The hotel itself is a 2100 square metre ice space designed to be both art hall and hotel. In the Icehotel you will find Art and Deluxe suites, the Ice Bar, restaurant and an event hall complete with sculptures. The Icehotel also features more traditional hotel and chalet accommodation and a homestead complete with a popular restaurant during the warmer months.

©Asaf Kliger

Staying in the rooms of one of the world’s most unique hotels

The Icehotel recommends that its guests stay one night in the all-year-round ice hotel rooms and any further nights in the more traditional accommodation offerings. Regardless of which accommodation you experience, you will find yourself enjoying the most opulent luxurious surrounds. The accommodation options fall into three categories.

The first is the Icehotel Winter. These rooms, constructed during November and December of each year are always different from the previous year. The new annual creation features different renditions of ice sculpture and art. In April the Icehotel Winter returns to the river.

@Asaf Klinker

The second option is the Icehotel 365, where guests can experience sleeping on ice all year round! The hotel features impeccably designed Art and Deluxe suites which are individually crafted and themed. Guests sleep in thermal sleeping bags while lying on ice beds covered with reindeer hides.

The final option is a range of traditional hotel rooms or chalets. Here you can experience luxurious cosy living while nestling under duvets and turning up the air-conditioning! The natural beauty of Scandinavia is evident in all elements of the rooms, and the interior design is understated and timeless.

Dining at the Icehotel

@Asaf Klinger

Guests can experience some of Sweden’s most acclaimed dining experiences when they eat at the Icehotel. For instance, the Icehotel Restaurant is ranked as the top restaurant in Kiruna and is one of the top three Swedish Lapland restaurants in the White Guide. Being comfortable while dining is of utmost importance and guests are not expected to deal with sub-zero temperatures in the hotel Restaurant. However, the ice and surroundings are still very much part of the overall experience.

©Asaf Kliger

The Ice Bar is part of the permanent Icehotel 365 experience and guests can sip on hand-crafted cocktails served in glasses made of ice. The Veranda offers an exclusive dining experience to the hotel guests. Here you can enjoy a twelve-course menu cooked in front of you while sitting at a shared wooden table. In addition,  the Homestead is a rustic timbered building that is over 250 years old. This dining option is the perfect summer-time venue for guests to enjoy a range of gourmet meals and snacks while overlooking that Torne river.

Sami and Swedish culture have influenced all the dining experiences at the Icehotel. For example, local flavors such as lingonberries  and cloudberries infuse the meals and combine with reindeer, moose and Arctic char.

Unique hotels offer unique experiences

The Icehotel embraces the spectacular natural surrounds of its location. At the hotel you can experience an endless list of bucket-list activities. The hotel even offers its guests suitable Arctic outerwear to use for the occasion. You can meet reindeer, go dog sledding and learn how to capture beautiful images of the Scandinavian natural beauty and wildlife. Take part in an overnight snowmobile adventure or go on a tour to experience the beauty of the Northern lights. Embark on a wildlife tour on horseback or a horseback safari tour that includes witnessing the Northern lights.

If you are less inclined to be active, you will find many more sedentary offerings where you can be pampered. For instance, enjoy an Icehotel massage, a wilderness dinner or relax entirely with a deluxe spa and sauna experience.

©Asaf Kliger

Home to one of the world’s most unique hotels that offers an unforgettable experience

The hotel has become a mandatory part of any Swedish experience. With impeccable attention to detail, the Icehotel allows its guests to experience what it is like to stay in a beautiful world of snow and ice. The Icehotel respects its stunning natural location, and it has become part of the landscape seamlessly and beautifully. Every element of the hotel experience is exceptional. The service is faultless, the design is stunning, and the impact is such that the hotel will linger in your mind forever.

©Asaf Kliger

After an exhaustive process, the Icehotel received certification as an eco-hotel by the Nordic Swan Ecolabel. This certification is evident in all parts of the business. Above all, at the Icehotel, guests can be part of a unique luxurious experience that has embraced the beauty of its natural environment.

For more information on the Icehotel please visit their website

For more unique experiences or amazing places to stay Europe please visit my Europe section of my site to see hotels such as: Ashford Castle or Hotel Danieli