Stay cool

Swedish Lapland's stunning ice hotel rises from the snow again this month

You'd be forgiven for looking elsewhere if we told you the hotel you wanted to stay in next month wasn't built yet. But the famous Icehotel in Jukkasjärvi, Swedish Lapland, is a remarkable exception. It can be constructed each year only when weather conditions are just right. From 6 November until 8 December artists from 15 countries will gather at the site, 200km north of the Arctic Circle, to build an ice-sculpted hotel of 47 glinting rooms, with art suites, a stylish bar and the most romantic wedding chapel.

This will be the 22nd time that the Icehotel has been built, but what started as a 60sqm igloo in 1990 is now a 5,500sqm complex that never looks the same twice thanks to design influences sourced every year.

Guests spend only one night in an ice room. Beds are made of ice, though mattresses are covered in reindeer skin and cosy sleeping bags are provided. Areas of the hotel will still be under construction if guests arrive in early December. But that's part of the appeal, as are the huge range of activities – from dog sledding to seeing the Northern Lights – that can be experienced from this breathtaking icy base.

For more information on the Ice Hotel's optional excursions, download a pdf here.

Book via WEXAS at www.iod.com/travel or call 020 7838 5989. Members registered
for IoD Travel Services who book by 30 November will receive a free upgrade to an art suite worth £120.