Sweden's summer Ice Hotel open for business
14th July 2011
Brrrr...stay in an igloo this summer as the Ice Hotel gets a new little sister
For the first time ever it is possible for travellers to experience Sweden's famous Ice Hotel in the summer months, as the hotel made from snow and ice gets a cool new sibling.
The frosty new hangout, in the small village of Jukkäsjarvi, 200km north of the Arctic Circle, opened for guests as of 10 June; which coolly coincided with when the midnight sun brings 100 bright days in a row.
The original Ice Hotel first opened over 20 years ago, and has to be rebuilt from scratch each winter, melting away once spring arrives. It has been possible to stay year-round in the complex's "warm accommodation" – chalets and stylish hotel rooms. However, this is the first time that it will be possible to stay in a room of ice in the summer months.
In winter, the hotel is 5,500 square meters, with 60 rooms, but the summer sun means that the scale of the project has to be significantly reduced to 120 square meters and only three suites. However, guests will also be given the opportunity to try their hand at ice sculpting and sample vodka from the ABSOLUT ICEBAR.
Sofie Ruotsalainen, designer and coordinator for the new project, said, "We will build three different art suites, each of them unique, just like in wintertime."
Guests at the hotel are given the option of sleeping in warm or cold accommodation on each of the nights they stay.
Instead of dog sledding, snowmobile tours and northern light safaris, the emphasis is on rafting, canoeing, hiking, hunting, fishing and several midnight sun activities.
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