Magical. Inspiring. Unreal. We managed three words, though most people will be at a loss to describe the wonder that is Sweden’s annual pop-up Icehotel.
The Icehotel is a great location to view the aurora borealis. Photo © Ragnar TH Sigurdsson
Think of it as the world’s largest igloo, or a grandiose Frozen sequel. Every winter, when the waters of the river Torne freezes, a hotel unlike any is sculpted out of the ice itself. The Icehotel, in the pristine wilderness of Swedish Lapland – around 200 km north of the Arctic Circle – is the “coolest” cold place to visit.
A total of 16 suites were built, plus a bar, and all manner of winter activities like husky sledding and snowmobiling are just outside your room. This is the 25th year the Icehotel has been created (and gradually dissolved), and it’s this enigmatic state of renewal and regeneration that makes this one of the most surreal places to visit.
Forty two artists from around the world were invited to design the pop-up hotel. This art suite is Spring by Wilfred Stijger & Edith Van De Wetering. Photo © Paulina Holmgren
The 7,5°Rø suite is inspired by Danish astronomer Ole Christensen Rømer, inventer of a thermometer that measures in Rø units. The 12 frames are angled to create an illusion of infinity; this room is the work of artists Wolfgang Lachow, Sebastian Scheller and Anja Kilian. Photo © Paulina Holmgren
Where you’ll be spending a lot of your time: the hotel bar. There’s a rapturous sense that ice has exploded inside the dome, and when it gets too much, sit on the ice sofas or head to the dance floor. Photo @ Paulina Holmgren
Hot Type in a Cold Setting by John Bark & Charli Kasselbäck. The walls and ice will become clearer the closer you get to spring. Photo © Paulina Holmgren
The interior temperature is ingeniously kept at a constant -5°C. This is Borderland by Tomasz Cjazkowski & Eryk Marks. Photo © Paulina Holmgren
Two as one by Jose Carlos Cabello Millán. Photo © Paulina Holmgren
Want to visit? You’ve got till April 2015 before it all melts away. Here’s how it’s built (previous edition).
Book a stay at www.discover-the-world.co.uk/icehotel
