SWEDEN: Ice Hotel in Jukkasjärvi
Wow! Wow! WOW! Our experience in the small town of Jukkasjärvi was definitely something to write home about. We decided, while visiting Finland and Sweden. we had to try and see the Northern Lights. After doing a lot of research on an all glass igloo (all the rave) in Northern Finland we decided it just wasn’t in our budget so we did extensive research to come up with another plan and decided on ICE HOTEL in Jukkasjärvi, Northern Sweden. So we flew up to this small town and spent a few days enjoying the town practically all to ourselves. September is off season as there was no snow, but it was still incredibly beautiful. Even though they didn't have the huge complex they build every year out of ice from the river, they had a small ice hotel and ice bar that is open year round. The first thing we did, after soaking in the views of the river and landscape, was go to the ICE BAR. The bar is kept at a chilly 23 degrees Fahrenheit so they provide the option to wear a heavy fur Pancho (which I was all about!) and gloves to keep you extra warm. The ICE HOTEL is constantly changing out the bar theme and this theme was Mr.Fuzz which included chandeliers and an incredible carving of a lion in the wall. The drinks were served in cups made of ice - AWESOME! We had a few drinks and chatted with the bartender.
After having a few drinks we walked the hallway and peeked in at all the ice hotel rooms. They leave the rooms open during the day so visitors can see the artwork. Different artists design and carve each room. It is quite magnificent to see in person. So hard to pick a favorite room, but since it was slow season they let us pick our room to sleep in and we went with the Mermaid Fitness Room. It was pretty surreal to be surrounded by the large ice mermans. The hotel provides socking hats and down sleeping bags when you rent an ice room. Travis and I decided to get the double sleeping bag to cozy up next to each other. The air was a bit chilly, but we were quite comfortable sleeping in the ice room. How many people can say they spent the night in an ice hotel?? Note* You have options to rent an ice room with it’s own private bathroom. For budget reasons we decided to not do this. Therefore you have to go out in the cold hallway and walk down to the heated bathrooms to use them. It wasn’t too bad, but it was a bit cold getting out of the sleeping bag in the middle of the night. They also have warm rooms that are not made of ice you can sleep in and then tour the rooms during the day. We did both! One night in each.
On our second day we walked about 15 minutes from our hotel to check out an old church and to learn more about the Sami culture. There is a small exhibit that shows the different ways the Sami people hunted, lived and what they wore. We also took time here to feed and pet reindeer. It was way too much fun to be so close to these adorable animals. They were very friendly, super calm and it made for a great photo op!
During the afternoon we took a guided tour of the Ice Hotel grounds where they showed us how they harvest the ice and store it in warehouses. It was pretty cool to see the large blocks of ice and the design process. For dinner we made reservations at the hotel’s restaurant for a fancy meal all served on ice. It was pricey, but Travis and I like to spend our money on good food and good drinks so it was so worth it. The experience of having delicate, tasty food served on ice was pretty surreal and fit the theme of the ice hotel quite well. There is one small grocery store in town you can walk to to get snacks, but besides that, this restaurant was where we had all our meals while staying at the ice hotel.
Our main mission for traveling to Northern Sweden was for the opportunity to potentially see the Northern Lights. We booked a tour with the hotel that provided an expert guide who drove us around in a van looking for the lights. We drove about an hour away from the hotel where the sky was the clearest and the app he was using predicted we could see some sort of light show. We got so lucky in that we saw a few different light formations in the sky. No words can describe the beauty of the Northern Lights. The greens and purples danced around the sky and it felt like I was in a dream. I am pretty sure my jaw was hanging wide open in complete disbelief the whole time. I wanted to stay there for hours and hours as the light show came and went. My mind is blown by the beauty of nature.
Learn more about creating your own Ice Hotel adventure and Northern Lights experience here www.icehotel.com