I came across an article of the Ice Hotel in Sweden yesterday while reading the latest Louis Poulsen NYT magazine. Sadly I can't find the article online, but the magazine has some beautiful photos. In absence of that I scoured the net to find these.
Ice Hotel
The Ice Hotelis the brainchild of a Swede named Yngve Bergqvist, who built a large igloo as an offbeat venue for an art exhibition, and, as a way of introducing Lapland as a desirable winter travel destination. It was an instant success: today the hotel, now in it's 11th season, has more than 60 rooms and suites, a bar, reception area and chapel. As the name implies, the hotel is made completely out of ice, except for the beds. The beds have real mattresses and are covered in thick reindeer skins. Guests are also provided with fjällräven sleeping bags.
Construction of the Ice Hotel, which melts in the spring and must be rebuilt every year, begins in November, when the water in the Torne River freezes. The Ice Hotel is more than just a place to stay, it's a fun place to visit just to look around: each year, internationally acclaimed artists design the rooms and carve the many ice sculptures that decorate the hotel. The famous Absolut ice bar in the hotel has attracted a lot of attention in the travel media for it's dazzling construction and the Absolut Vodka drinks served in unusual ice "glasses".
The article in the magazine billed a stay at the hotel at $400 / night.
-Steve G.
Some cool Architecture, Literally.