First things first. This post is a part of a series regarding Finnish Lapland. You may get a bird's eye view of our itinerary here.
About 40 mins drive from Rovaniemi, the capital of Lapland, Arctic Snow Hotel sits on the shores of Lake Lehtojärvi, in a tiny village of Sinettä.
 |
| Entrance to the Snow Hotel |
The Snow Hotel is born out of the waters of Lake Lehtojärvi. In its embryonic form, the water undergoes a metamorphosis to become snow, via an external mechanical catalyst. The loose shape of the hotel starts to appear as the snow gets compressed into stable ice. After five weeks of stomping, the fully developed Arctic Snow Hotel is born, ready to lure its visitors, provide food and shelter and nurture them with tender love and care. In its short life of six months, it entertains thousands of visitors. As its end nears, its satisfaction shines in the brilliance of Arctic spring, as day gets longer each passing day. Its death brings the water back to Lake Lehtojärvi to be enjoyed during Summer, only to be reborn as itself in the next winter season. A full circle of life.
A visitor gets to choose from different experiences. A vast majority experience multiple of them. What is a good vacation?
Eat. How about a three-course dinner in a restaurant with tables and stools made up of ice and walls decorated with ice carvings? If that sounds interesting, you should reserve a table at the Ice Restaurant. They warmly cater to vegetarians also, our top priority. Starting off with a tomato soup, the beet risotto was enough to fill our tummies. To top it off, a chocolate cake was served on their frozen signature snowflake as a dessert. Of course, alcohol helps to keep you warm.
 |
| Dining Room 1 |
 |
| Dining Room 2 |
Drink. Enjoy alcoholic as well as non-alcoholic drinks in their Ice Bar, all served in glasses made up of ice. You would need shots of vodka in bitter Lapland winter. Alternately, warm berry juice might also do the trick if alcohol is not for you.
 |
| Ice Bar |
Sleep. Raised ice platform, topped with reindeer skin will be your bed for the night. When you are ready to sleep, wear your thermals and snuggle into their fleece and sleeping bag. That's your protection against the elements! Well, not exactly. Lot of people fail to recognize that ice is a good insulator. So the temperature inside the hotel usually hovers near freezing, irrespective of how bad the cold outside is.
 |
| A suite - Bed with raised platform and reindeer skin |
If you are more adventurous or want to stand out further more, you can marry in the Ice Chapel!
 |
| Ice Chapel |
Unarguably, this was one of our most unique experiences till date. I enjoyed the experience thoroughly, but can't say the same for my wife! Sleep is a big factor for her and the ice bed and the temperature was not comfortable for her. Nevertheless, I would highly recommend this to anyone visiting Lapland.
Good To Know
- Your large suitcases remain in a luggage room in the reception area. Your smaller carry-ons sized bags can stay in lockers inside the hotel in the locker room. Only bare essentials go along with you into the room.
- Locker room is heated and also has few bunk beds. If sleeping in your room is uncomfortable, you may sleep in one of these bunk beds. In early morning, I saw all bunk beds were occupied testifying that many people, just like my wife, were uncomfortable in the coldness of the room. And hence my assertion before, this may not be for everybody.
- One tool that can keep your limbs warm is hand/toe warmers. Your hands and toes are the first line of defense against cold. If you warm them up using these warmers, chances are your entire body would stay warm much longer.
- Locker room and restrooms/toilets are outside the room.
- Try their sauna. Its free and with good facilities. It will keep you warm longer if you take it just before going to bed.
- If you want to dine at Ice Restaurant, an advance reservation is highly recommended.
- I would advise not to spend more than a night here.
- If you need bus transfers to/from Rovaniemi city center, the hotel provides it with some additional charge.
Stay tuned for the subsequent posts on Finnish Lapland.
Comments
Post a Comment