"A Night at the Theatre", art suite designed by Jonathan Green and Marnie Green 

When the first plans for ICEHOTEL® 2019 were revealed in September, we couldn’t wait to see the finished Art Suites. We are pleased to say that thankfully the wait is officially over!

"A Night at the Theatre", art suite created by Jonathan Green and Marnie Green 

Summer may be over but there is plenty to get excited about as winter gets ever nearer. Not only has the Northern Lights season officially started but equally as exciting is the fact that Sweden’s world-famous ICEHOTEL® has released its plans for what this year’s hotel has to offer as they celebrate their 30^th birthday!

When the first plans for the ICEHOTEL® 2018 were revealed in August, we couldn’t wait to see the finished suites. Now, the wait is over and the ICEHOTEL® is officially open!

This is the 29^th annual rendition of the hotel which saw 34 artists from 13 countries help to create the structure made completely of snow and ice. Nature is the inspiration behind many of the suites this year and we’re excited to show you the photos from the grand reveal.  

The ICEHOTEL® in Sweden is one of the most famous hotels in the world. Now in its 29^th year, this season the theme will focus heavily on nature including a forest suite and an underwater world room. You can find out more about the plans for the ICEHOTEL® 2018 here.

Though a stay at the ICEHOTEL® is an experience in itself, there are also several events happening over Christmas and New Year 2018/2019 that will really add to your holiday. What better way to experience this bucket-list destination than during the wonderful festive period? This time of year is so special, even the locals have made it a tradition to visit.

"Haven", art suite created by Jonas Johansson, Jordi Claramunt and, Lukas Petko 

Summer may be drawing to a close but there is plenty to get excited about as winter approaches, not least because Sweden’s world-famous ICEHOTEL® has provided a teaser of what this year’s hotel has to offer for ICEHOTEL® number 29!

Prior to travelling to the IceHotel, it was difficult to know what to expect, for not in my wildest imagination could I envisage a hotel made from blocks of Ice and decorated with magical sculptures. I had seen photographs of both the IceHotel and the IceHotel365 but once again nothing could prepare me for the reality of actually witnessing them for myself.

After arriving, I dressed into my warm overalls and left the bus behind. We met our guide in the reception area before she led us down snowy paths towards the hotel. As we entered into a courtyard I gazed upon the hotel for the first time and was instantly mesmerised. The structure before me was bathed in enchanting colours of white and blue and it was difficult for me to comprehend that it was rebuilt each year.

Three Alternatives to the IceHotel

“a heady mix of sublime beauty and exquisite disappointment.”

If you watched Alexander Armstrong’s Land of the Midnight Sun on ITV this week you’ll have doubtless been awestruck by the sheer beauty of the IceHotel in Sweden’s Jukkasjärvi. Armstrong was rightly smitten with the IceHotel’s breathtaking interior areas and marvelled at the skilled craftsmanship of the ice and snow artisans who gather every October to create this annual monument to ice and snow architecture.

What the program didn’t reveal was that the affable presenter expresses far more mixed sentiments in the book “Land of the Midnight Sun” which accompanies the series. Yes he agrees, the IceHotel is astonishing but, he wasn’t as enthusiastic about what he perceived as an over-commercialisation of the project. Having expected “the pinnacle of refined luxury” he instead encounters “a huge complex that feels like something between a shopping centre and one of those “Christmas Wonderlands” that pop up in the Home Counties in the run up to Christmas each year”

Okay, first and foremost, we should perhaps rename this as “The Ten Coolest Places Where You are Unlikely to Sleep Beneath the Northern Lights” because it’s a pretty unusual person who can get to sleep while the Aurora is dancing across the night sky.

Burgeoning interest in the Northern Lights over the last few years has led to the creation of ever more innovative places from which to watch the spectacle.

From bubbles and domes to cabins and camps, here, in no particular order, are our Top Ten Cool Places to Sleep (possibly) Beneath the Northern Lights.