Icehotel

I've wanted to visit the Icehotel for years and finally this year, I got to tick that off my bucket list. Oh - and also got engaged outside the iconic entrance on our first night :) The hotel is stunning and an incredible feat of engineering. Some of the artwork is phenomenal, some very nice and some just a bit weird/creepy. We stayed two nights - the first in one of the deluxe suites, the second in a standard warm room. Our suite was actually a bit "creepy" and included a female figure fully encased in ice and other figures trying to escape from ice blocks. It wouldn't have been what my partner would have chosen given his intention to propose - but that was the room we were allocated so... Some of the other suites were just stunning - unfortunately we definitely drew the short straw. That said, you obviously don't spend much time in the room given it's -5oC. The attached bathroom for the deluxe suite was fabulous - cosy, tea and coffee facilities, lots of space, private sauna, big bathtub, rainshower, private toilet etc. It was extremely expensive for us - but to be honest, we did get good use out of the warm bathroom area so was worth it as a treat! On our first night we kept an eye on the aurora app on our phones and so went outside when advised and sure enough we saw the aurora dancing overhead. We were fortunate and had already seen it elsewhere (with better shows) on our previous two nights but still it was pretty special, especially as we'd just got engaged. One thing we weren't really aware of was that if you're in the suite and in the warm room then come out into your ice-room, it can be filled with the day visitors taking photos - even well into the evening which is a bit strange. Also a weird anomaly is that the warm bathroom only locks during day visitor hours so for instance when we went to go to breakfast, we had to leave it open. Strangely it took about 20 minutes before a staff member told us this - as the first two people I spoke to couldn't really help - we thought there was a fault with our door. As others mention, they seem to have a lot of student type staff who whilst polite and friendly, aren't familiar with the workings of the hotel so can't really help with everything. The warm room was fine, spacious and comfortable but we missed the heated bathroom floor which we'd had at our Kiruna hotel! Given it was -18o when we stayed, it would have been very welcome. Breakfast was good with a large selection of food, We also ate both nights at the Homestead and really enjoyed it. I had read mixed reviews but hotel staff booked it for us (all very easily done) and we liked both the atmosphere and food in it. We used the airport shuttle service one way and it was easy to book with the hotel staff and worked well for us. We also enjoyed the cocktails at the icebar - and going down the quirky slide! The icebar is only open during daytime though so we had a late morning cocktail before leaving for our flight. I'm guessing as we stayed in the deluxe suite with the warm room, we weren't offered any of the snowsuits etc which others wore.

Our group of three were staying in one of the warm cabins, and when you stay at any part of the hotel, entry to the exhibit is included. If you only stay for one night and want to go into the icehotel before checking in or after checking out, just talk to the person at the hotel reception. If you go after you have checked in, your key-card is your ticket. Also, the reception for checking in is not at the "entrance" sign, it's just after the arch and Adventure center & shop. All the rooms except booked deluxe suites are available to walk into, and as far as we know we had access to all the rooms when we went here. The exhibit is amazing! It's hard to understand how the artists can make the things they do out of ice and snow. There were some other people in the 365 part, but when we went into the original icehotel we went the other way and had the rooms to ourselves to photograph. The cabin was nice and cozy and featured a fridge. What looks like wooden floors are actually a soft carpet, and some of the interior were a little worn (like the door to the bathroom were a bit hard to close). We had a late night and early morning so can't write a very thorough review of the beds, but they seemed comfortable. It was somewhat unclear if you were supposed to wash the dishes or if the staff would do it after you checked out, but there were dish soap so we just cleaned them ourselves. The breakfast was served across the street and was the standard hotel buffet, and of course they had some reindeer meat for the sandwiches ;). They also had a separate gluten free corner. There was plenty of room to hang your coats before entering the dining area, so don't be afraid to put on the thick coat if it's cold outside. We will definitely come back and stay in a cabin again!

Wow! A quality, unpretentious, unique hotel and experience in a stunning location Warm room accommodation initially felt basic however it’s extremely well thought out and cosy. The ice rooms are stunning and if you are not staying at the resort a day visit and look at the beautiful hand crafted sculptures is a must Thin layering is recommended Snow suits, boots, mittens and balaclavas provided when staying are perfect are immaculate. During our stay we took the northern lights snowmobile safari, an amazing experience lots of time on the snowmobile an beautiful dinner in the wilderness cabin in the middle and our guide for the evening was excellent We also had the veranda with wine package. What a gastronomic delight! Watching the team cook, talking through the ingredients, sourcing, methodology was fabulous and the wine pairings are perfect. Shout outs to Apostilos, Kasper and Ricardo-A great team. Ricardo also spotted us in the main restaurant the following evening (where we were drinking one of his wine choices from the night before) and came over to say hello. Shout out also to Dominique in the main restaurant who talked us through the menu and helped with our selections We spent our final night in ICE365 - mystery on the icehotel express - with a warm bathroom (worth the extra) it was amazing and we were so cosy in our sleeping bags All in all AMAZING!!!

It was great to visit the original, both this year’s Ice Hotel and the new 365 concept. The site is wonderful and the ice rooms and bar are out of this world. I definitely recommend a visit even if you don’t sleepover! There are a range of rooms, with various themes and ice sculptures around the hotel too, and, of course, the world renown Ice Bar. There are also experiences such as ice carving and husky sledding.

What an incredible adventure. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at the Ice Hotel, not least because of the meticulous attention to detail and planning by our travel agent, Sam at RB Collections. Flights from Heathrow to Stockholm and onward to Kiruna were incredibly smooth with SAS Airlines. Coach transfer from the airport or husky sled ride if you prefer, gave us an opportunity to survey the beautiful snowy forest location. The Ice Hotel itself – Just wow! If you are looking for plush luxury this isn't it. It is however unique, rustic, authentic, and beautifully curated. Warm accommodation lodges are comfortable and spacious in their Scandinavian simplicity. The bar, coffee lounge, reception, and hotel restaurant are well designed, cosy, and spacious. Without exception every member of the hotel team were courteous, friendly, and helpful. The Ice Hotel art sculpture installations are incredible, amazing works of art with meaning and beauty. The whole place was an inspiration for the soul. We spent one night in a deluxe art suite on one of the coldest nights of our stay with a temperature outside of -26 degrees and a cool inside temperature of -5 to -8 degrees. Following staff instruction we snuggled into sleeping bags and within minutes were toasty warm and had a good night’s sleep in the clean crisp, and quiet solitude of our art suite. The deluxe suits boast access to a private bathroom and sauna, which was a welcome treat in the morning. There are communal warm showers and toilet facilities for some of the other suits. Well worth the experience. Food both at the hotel restaurant and the Homestead restaurant 15 minutes walk from the hotel, was exceptional. We had the opportunity to try new and exciting flavours with authentic foods from the region. The two restaurants have different vibes, the homestead being more relaxed and intimate, but we loved both. Activities. Day 1. We settled into our warm accommodation, oriented ourselves, and wandered around the Ice Hotel exhibit suites and Ice bar which has a cool Ice slide. Then dinner at the homestead restaurant. Day 2. Relaxed morning before meeting our guide and visiting the reindeer lodge, meeting and feeding the wild reindeer, and a reindeer sled ride. We then learnt more about the Sami lifestyle and folk law tales whilst eating delicious food prepared by our genial host in a traditional Sami gathering tepee. Later that afternoon we went on a snowmobiling safari across the frozen lakes and trough the forests in search of the northern lights which are visible on clear evenings. Dinner was prepared by our guide in a traditional lodge with a roaring log fire, with hot lingonberry juice and coffee. A thrilling excursion into the wild. Day 3 Husky sled driving. Following a briefing with our guide we were introduced to the dogs, and learnt how to drive a team of huskies across the Ice and into the forest. Much fun was had, especially by the dogs who were keen to run in the snow. We stopped at a lodge and our hosts prepared a 3-course meal for us which was again rustic, authentic, and utterly delicious. Sadly on day 4 we left for the airport, but there is so much more to do and experience. We absolutely loved our time at the Ice Hotel. A very special place with lots of  memories made.