The Original House Made of Ice in Sweden’s Arctic Circle

October 23, 9:17 AMInternational Travel ExaminerRita Cook

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No two people will express their feelings about Sweden's Ice Hotel in the same way.  In fact, if you visit the ice hotel from year to year it will be quite different since it continuously melts and is reconstructed with an entirely new look and usually, an even hipper design than the previous year.

The rooms are all designed and creatively carved of ice by international artists who have been coming to the area for the past 14 years to make their mark in this land of the deep freeze. 

It began meagerly 14 years ago - one room.  The 2004 season boasted 50-rooms with 5,000 square metres built of 30,000 tons of snow and 4,000 tons of ice.  Best described as a fairy-tale like experience, you enter the ice hotel through reindeer-skin covered doors.  Inside, in addition to the rooms, there is a reception area, hall of pillars, Iceart exhibition, Absolut Icebar, Icehotel cinema and an Icechurch.  In the evening guests gather in the Icebar before going to bed for a drink "in the rocks" - iceglasses taken straight from the ice of the River Torne.

Icehotel is located in the village of Jukkasjarvi, 160 miles north of the Arctic Circle.   Every year in October the artists and local villagers, most from the Sami tribe in the area, begin to build the new ice hotel, which opens in mid-December.  Snow canons and front loaders start by forming the snow over the steel sections that are the main structure of the Icehotel. Sections are moved around and replaced by ice pillars put in place to give support to the snow arches.

In December the exterior is complete, molded and created as in years past and then the interior work begins.  As the artists create their masterpieces, each hotel room and suite is representative of the artist's unique dream.  Colors play as important a role as the design.  Soft reds, blues, yellows and green line the rooms, each boasting a unique sculpture, window design, or interior decoration, candles stand in corners lighting the way to a simplicity unlike you have ever known.

As night creeps into the Icehotel the sound is silence.  In this land of the Northern Lights you can truly imagine a world where anything is possible.  When you spend the night in the Icehotel you will sleep on a large slab of ice covered with reindeer hides.  In addition, each person is given an ultra-warm sleeping bag and most people remark how "warm" they felt during the night even though the temperature is usually a steady five degrees below zero, however nothing compared to the winter temperatures outside, which can dip much lower.

Depending on when you visit, there's a good chance you won't get the daylight this far north.  I was there opening week and saw about two hours of low light before it grew dark again.  This alone gives you the magical feel of being in another world.  Everything is by the light of the moon with the snow glistening to shed an otherworldly light.

Most people stay at the Icehotel for two or three nights, but you will only spend one night in the actual Icehotel and the additional nights in the Scandinavian bungalows also on the property.

If you're lucky you will experience the Northern Lights, more spectacular here than anywhere else on earth.  The Sami people of the area call them "the lights that can be heard" their glow in the darkness leaves a magical aura creating a feeling of eternity.

The best way to get to the Ice Hotel is by dog sled from the airport in Kiruna. Nothing compares to the sound of packed ice and the panting of the dogs as they glide across the frozen lake to their destination.  An excellent way to explore the wilderness of the Arctic, forests and trees glide by as you become one with the dogs and the frozen world around you.

If you can’t make it as far north as the Arctic Circle then at least get to Stockholm where an ice bar exists down a quiet little street just off one of Stockholm's main thoroughfares.  This ice bar is located in the very hip hotel called Nordic Sea.  Very chic, very Scandinavia, but it's really what is inside that's currently all the rage.   

It's the world's first stand-alone ice bar (not counting the one at the Ice Hotel) and it was opened in June 2002.  No play on the name here, Icebar is just that, a bar made completely of ice.  Even better, Icebar recently partnered with Absolut Vodka for a name change; ala  Absolut Icebar. 

This architectural wonder is actually located on the lobby level of Nordic Sea and made of ice from  northern Sweden's Torne River.  The ice is frozen, glistening and molded to create this expanse of room that holds up to 30 people, all who must, by the way, be ready to survive the non-adjustable temperature inside, five degrees below zero. 

While it's not a place you will want to spend your entire evening, you'll definitely want to go for a few - only Absolut - drinks. 

As you enter the two doors leading into Icebar you will be given a silver cape and shoes to keep you warm. "The capes enhance the experience, create a sense of anonymity and help make guests more receptive to the environment," says Nordic Sea proprietor Ejnar Soder.

When you step inside the doors your imagination will be stretched to new limits as the lighting soothes and relaxes your mind - a momentary pause in eternity.  

From the sculptures, to the bar, to the tables (no chairs - you enjoy the experience standing up) everything is made of ice. 

When you order your drink, with names such as Absolut Wolf-Paw (Absolut, Jokk Lingonberry Juice) and Absolut Hot Passion (Absolut Peppar and Passionfruit Juice) you will be served in cube-styled drinking glasses made of ice, complete with a hole in the middle for your chosen blend. 

The good news is that if it gets too cold you can step right back outside and find yourself in the Nordic Sea lobby; warm and trendy in its own right and a local favorite. 

Icebar is open all year long and has, without question, become one of Stockholm's most popular places to be seen.   With Absolut now a part of the name ice bars are being discussed around the world, but Icebar in Sweden was the first.

If You Go:

Icehotel

SE-981 91 Jukkasjarvi, Sweden

+46 980 668 00

www.icehotel.com

Rooms start at SEK 1780 - single

SEK 1980 - double

Building starts in November and is open in mid-December until spring 2006.

Nordic Sea Hotel

VASAPLAN

Stockholm, 10137 SE 

The bar is open Monday to Friday from 4:30 p.m. to midnight, Saturday 3:00 p.m. to midnight, Sundays closed.  During summer opening hours are Monday to Saturday 3:00 p.m. to midnight, Sunday 3:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

Getting to Stockholm and Beyond:

Scandinavian Airlines (SAS)

www.Scandinavian .net