Sweden’s IceHotel has been rebuilt annually since 1989 – and this year’s version, using 30,000 cubic metres of snow and ice, is as stunning as ever
Jennifer Newton for MailOnline
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Updated:
10:51 GMT, 20 December 2017
© Asaf Kliger
One of the suites designed by artists Howard and Hugh Miller, called A Rich Seam, where guests clamber into an ice seam adorned with crystal clear ice
- Every year since 1989, the IceHotel has been built and rebuilt in a Swedish village inside the Arctic Circle
- This year’s design features 35 hand-crafted deluxe suites as well as an ice bar, ice ceremony hall and a frozen playground for children
- A total of 36 artists from 17 different countries from around the world were chosen to sculpt the 2017 IceHotel
© Asaf Kliger
This suite, designed by Timsam Harding and Fabián Jacquet Casado, has been named White Desert thanks to the pointy ice sculptures surrounding the bed
The latest version of Sweden’s IceHotel has reopened for winter – and it is just as stunning as ever.
Each year since 1989, the IceHotel has been built and rebuilt in the village of Jukkasjarvi, 200km north of the Arctic Circle and next to the shores of the Torne River. The latest is the 28th version.
This year artists used 30,000 cubic metres of snice (snow and ice) to construct the property as well as 500 tonnes of crystal clear natural ice to create glasses and an ice bar.
It also features 35 uniquely designed deluxe suites, an ice ceremony hall and a brand new frozen playground for children.
In the main hall, 1,000 hand polished ice crystals have been used to create impressive chandeliers.
While the ice ceremony hall has a flower power theme with 200 hand-sculpted ‘snice’ plants adorning the walls.
A total of 36 artists from 17 different countries around the world were chosen to help design and build this year’s hotel, which opened on December 15, including two British teams, both of which were involved last year.
Liverpool-based design duo Hugh and Howard Miller have created a suite named A Rich Seam where guests clamber into an ice seam adorned with crystal clear ice.
© Asaf Kliger
In what appears to be an Alice in Wonderland themed suite, a white rabbit carved out of snow stands on top of an ice sculpture next to one of the beds
© Asaf Kliger
One of the most impressive suites in the temporary hotel is by Adrian Boisø and Pablo Lopez. It has a space theme
The space themed room also has two astronauts hand carved out of snow and ice keeping watch over the bed
© Asaf Kliger© Asaf Kliger
This suite is called Radiance. It was designed by Natsuki Saito and Shingo Saito
Dorset-based sculptor and taxidermist Lisa Lindqvist has created another suite called A Wandering Cloud, which features a huge ice-carved cloud hanging over the frozen bed.
While other designs include a delicate Fabergé egg, a space room and a suite inspired by boat refugees’ journeys across the Mediterranean Sea called Daily Travellers.
Activities on offer include Arctic yoga, winter running, Nordic skiing, Aufguss saunas (where essential oils are mixed with water to produce an aromatic steam) and workshops on how to best exercise in an Arctic climate.
It has also introduced a new dining experience in the restaurant, which features a 12-course tasting menu focusing on local produce.
While for younger guests, a creative snow park has been sectioned off from the rest of the hotel where children can make snow angels, build mini ice hotels and even carve their own designs into a special snow fortress.
The IceHotel, which has been launched by Discover the World, is open until March next year. There are 10 direct flights from Heathrow to Kiruna, which is near Jukkasjarvi, throughout the winter season.
This year is the 28th year that the IceHotel has been rebuilt and it is also offering a range of activities
© Asaf Kliger
Two IceHotel guests venture outside into the cold waters. The IceHotel, which has been launched by Discover the World, is open until March next year
© Asaf Kliger© Asaf Kliger
Building the hotel from the ground up every year demands a lot of work, which starts in March when the hotel harvest around 5,000 ice from Torne River
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