Tag: Ice Hotels
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Don't Lick the Ice Sculptures and Other Tips for Staying at Montreal's Snow Village
Yesterday we told you about Montreal’s new Snow Village, the first North American outpost of the chain with structures in Finland and Norway. Today, we're about to tell you what it's like on the inside. Yes, despite arched eyebrows from our pals, we spent the night in the "ice hotel". We’re troopers like that. Or so we thought.
First thing—we were prepared for things to be a bit wonky the first few nights as this is new territory for Montreal. It’s not like Quebec City’s Ice Hotel—a well run operation in effect for years. But, things did go a bit haywire during our visit.
The registration process in the welcome center involved a seemingly normal contract—no smoking, lock your valuables, we’re not responsible if you slip—until the last paragraph, advising guests “not to lick any of the ice structures.” Visions of Flick’s tongue sticking to the pole in “A Christmas Story” danced in our head.
Ice Hotels / Winter Hotels / Montreal Hotels / Snow Village Montreal / → All Tags
Montreal is Cold Chillin' with its Snow Village
Last winter we proved we don’t wuss out when it comes to the cold, so when we heard about Montreal’s new Snow Village, we strapped on our snowshoes (ok, not really), and headed to the Great White North.
Montreal’s latest attraction is a five minute ride from the downtown area on Sainte-Hélène island. This area hosts an annual winter festival in its Parc Jean-Drapeau, but this year it goes over the top with the addition of the Snow Village, three giant igloos forming a ice hotel complete with restaurant, bar, conference center, and chapel to rival Quebec City’s famous seasonal structure. It opens this evening and is set (hopefully!) to remain in place until it’s deconstructed on March 31st.
Ice Hotels / Unusual Hotels / Romania Hotels / Winter Hotels / Snow Hotels / → All Tags
Get Down with Dracula at Romania's Rebuilt Ice Hotel This Season
Eerily sculpted headboards adorn rooms at the Balea Lac Ice Hotel
It's been over a year since we last reported on an ice hotel, which we took as a sign that the kitschy travel trend had seen its final day pass. But rounding out this unusually mild winter season is news about the latest contender in (relatively) cheap and chilly accommodations: Romania.
The Balea Lac is one in a series of European icy lodgings that are rebuilt to compensate for melting and other seasonal changes. Temperatures inside top off at a spine-tingling 35 degrees Fahrenheit, though rest assured, every stay includes a "specialist sleeping bag" and some furs.
Sweet Suites / Ice Hotels / Unusual Hotels / Sweden Hotels / → All Tags
The Icehotel Gets Even Cooler with a 'Tron'-Inspired Suite
The Swedish Icehotel attracts adventurous types with its all-ice accommodations 12 miles north of the Arctic Circle. But the sci-fi squad and design geeks will want to make reservations at the hotel to check out the new Tron-themed suite.
Inspired by a nightclub the upcoming Tron: Legacy flick, the "Legacy of the River" suite is pimped out with futuristic lights using technology the hotel's never used in its 20-year history.
Ice Hotels / Unusual Hotels / Odd Hotels / Sweden Hotels / → All Tags
Looking for a Wintry Getaway? Sweden's Icehotel Will Reopen Next Month
While we hate it when we walk into a hotel room and the A/C is blasting a below 72-degree temperature, we'll have to make an exception at The Icehotel, which is opening for the season early next month in Jukkasjärvi, Sweden.
The hotel is actually an 80-room hostel which is rebuilt annually from snow and crystal-clear ice.
The Icehotel is a spot where half the fun is in staying there. It begins from the moment that you open the main, reindeer-skin-clad doors and are greeted by a grand, ice-pillared hallway illuminated by a spectacular ice chandelier. The interior temperature, hovering around 23 degrees Fahrenheit, actually feels almost balmy, especially when compared to the outside temperature which can drop to minus 34 Fahrenheit.
Balmy? We'll see about that. Guests do get special gear to wear during their stay such as a one-piece thermal suit, mittens, hat and thermal waterproof boots. At night, you'll snuggle down into your thermal sleeping bags.
The room categories at the Icehotel start at a standard Snow Room and work up to an Ice Room (complete with actual ice "furniture") and the Art Suite (individually themed with ice art). Looking for a special getaway for your honeymoon? The Art Suite has lockable doors and double sleeping bags available. We're guessing that candles are out of the question though. (Incredibly, the hotel has a very popular Ice Chapel where several weddings are held each season.)
Ice Hotels / Hotel Reviews / Germany Hotels / → All Tags
Aren't We Over This Ice Hotel Thing Yet?
Where: Garmisch-Partenkirchen/Grainau at Zugspitze, Germany
The "Romantik" suite. Please note the disco ball.
We need to be careful with our money, people. The Ice Hotel craze was big and cool (har har) back in '06, but aren't we over that by now? Dropping big bucks to sleep in freezing cold temperatures is... well, sort of what we do in our poorly-maintained NYC apartments in the winter anyway. Not to be frigid (ha!), but this hotel trend — and its baffling staying power — is one, we must admit, we simply don't understand.
But the Times UK isn't over the ice hotel thing just yet — they've gone and reviewed Germany's relatively new Iglu-Dorf, touting it as "the lone traveller's low-cost answer to Sweden's famous Ice Hotel."
Finland Hotel Reviews / Ice Hotels / → All Tags
Igloo Sleeping in Finland Not Always All It's Cracked Up To Be
When we first heard about the glass and ice igloos of the Kakslauttanen Hotel & Igloo Village in northern Finland, we thought it sounded like a winter paradise. But we thought we'd better take off our rose-colored snow-goggles and check out the real lay of the snow-covered land up there.
If some of the TripAdvisor reviews are to be believed, then there are a few flaws in the igloo industry. While some guests are perfectly satisfied, quite a few mention problems with service. One guest mentioned "90% of [the staff] are not capable to communicate in English", which surprised us since we've always found Finns to be sickeningly multilingual. Another complained that there's no daily room service, others said the bar service was terrible and they found the staff stressed out and "being chased by the somewhat angry-looking owner".
But on balance, it sounds like the kind of place where if you go in prepared for some cultural differences, and open to a bunch of new (and very cold) experiences, you can still have a great stay. Average rates start at $230 a night but can get much higher--it is expensive Finland, after all. But we think the views out of the glass igloos are pretty special.
[Photo: YoungRobV]
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A New Ice Hotel: W Reykjavik in Iceland
Tipster Kal B sent another Starwood hotels tip our way: plans for a W Hotel in Reykjavik, Iceland.
The W will be part of the Icelandic National Concert-Conference Center and Hotel which will house the Iceland Symphony Orchestra, according to this presentation report. (Note: The link opens a PDF).
There's not much here about the hotel except that it will have 400 rooms. The concert hall center is expected to open sometime in 2009. Somehow we are more excited for W Reykjavik then W Hoboken.
Odd Hotels / Finland Hotel Reviews / Ice Hotels / → All Tags
Igloos, Rocking Chairs and Singles Weeks at Kakslauttanen
You might not be able to pronounce it, but you probably would enjoy a holiday at the Kakslauttanen Hotel and Igloo Village in far northern Finland. If you go in winter, you can sleep in an igloo made from snow (yeah, you might think they're all made from snow, but just wait a second). The snow igloos have a constant temperature of between 21 and 27 degrees F, so combined with the thick sleeping back they give you, you should survive the night.
But if you're more into comforts, you can try their special glass igloos. Kakslauttanen says these glass igloos are "based on our wild idea and vision" and they're made from a "very special" thermo glass. And the glass roof means you can lie in bed and (nature permitting) watch the Northern Lights--no waiting for the hotel to call you out of bed.
The rest of the year, the log cabins are your best bet. They accommodate between 2 and 6 people and each comes equipped with a sauna and a traditional Finnish rocking chair! Kakslatuttanen is especially popular for weddings (you can get married in an ice chapel) but they also run a special week each season when only singles can come and stay. Something for everyone.
[Photo: Barbarella]
Related Stories:
· Kakslauttanen Hotel and Igloo Village reviews [TripAdvisor]
· Please Disturb Me at Lapland's Rantasipi Pohjanhovi [HotelChatter]
Odd Hotels / Ice Hotels / Quebec Hotel Reviews / → All Tags
Chillin' at the Ice Hotel Gets Cold But Never Old
Where: 143, route Duchesnay Pavillon Regie, Sainte-Catherine-de-la-Jacques-Cartier, QC, Canada, G0A 3M0
Quebec's Ice Hotel hosted a Boots'n'All reviewer recently who smugly explained that she'd survived the cold better than most of the other guests. While we're sometimes not sure why people pay good money (up to $500) to sleep on a bed made of ice in the middle of winter, the idea is certainly novel enough to attract a decent amount of curious holidaymakers. How's this sound for a way to spend a night:
I opted for the dry sauna, wore my long johns under the fleece robe we'd been issued. I also took my outer clothes to warm them by the stove. I ran pell mell back to the room and stuffed the hot clothes down into the sleeping bag where they could warm my feet. I tied the neck muff of the sleeping bag around my neck, pulling up the hood with the built-in pillow, tied it so only my face was exposed to the night air. I was in a warm cocoon. Between me and the ice there was a piece of plywood and a thin foam mattress.
Yet somehow this place gets full fast. A nightclub and plenty of hot tubs are provided for enough strenuous activity to warm you up before you sleep, but snoozing on ice just doesn't seem like the most sensible thing to do. Didn't we strive to build all this great technology so we could be comfortable? But if you feel the need for a good chill-out, perhaps the Ice Hotel Quebec Canada is the right destination. It's open from January to early April so book fast.
[Photo:Happy Campers]
Related Stories:
· Quebec Ice Hotel Canada reviews [TripAdvisor]
· Ice Hotels: The Price of Cold [HotelChatter]
· Surviving a Night at Quebec's Ice Hotel [Boots'n'All]
YouTube / Hotel Bars / Ice Hotels / → All Tags
Partying at the Ice Bar
If you can't stand the sweltering heat, maybe this video of the Ice Kube bar at the Kube Hotel will cool you down. It involves a creepy ice Teddy Bear statue and lots of shots of Grey Goose which always makes us smile...just before we throw up.
Related Stories:
· Ice Kube Bar [YouTube]
· Kube Hotel reviews [TripAdvisor]
Ice Hotels / → All Tags
Romanian Ice Hotel Open 'Till May-ish
We knew the Romanian ice hotel existed, but weren't sure anyone else did (other than the Bucharest Daily News, of course).
On Wednesday the Lake Balea (Balea Lac) Hotel officially opened to the public. Like the other ice hotels, this one is also entirely made of snow and ice.
No worries about avalanches, the 37-year-old owner, Aurelian Nica, is a trained mountain rescuer. And he's psyched, "a dream come true," he says. Last year's attempt melted before anyone ever knew about it. Higher altitude and a great Siberian-cold front leave little room for premature melting for the 2006 season.
The hotel can be reached only from a highway linking the cities of Brasov and Sibiu to the Balea Lake resort, where tourists can board a cable car leading to a cabin and the ice hotel.
The cost ranged around 20,000 lei or USD$6,600, which seems awfully cheap to us. Hey, anyone want to build an igloo and charge people to sleep there?
Related Stories:
· Ice hotel opens in Romania's Transylvanian mountains [Bucharest Daily News]
· Igloo-Tels Are SO Winter 2006 [HotelChatter]
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