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Trend Watch : The Coolest (Pun Intended) Hotels Of The World
- Author: Vivianne Lapointe
- Posted on: Wednesday November 4, 2009 at 9:00 AM
- Filed under: exclusive, travel, ice hotels
The concept of sub-zero resorts is turning twenty this year. The original ICEHOTEL was built in 1990 in Jukkasjärvi, Sweden, a small village 200 km inside the Arctic Circle. Each year since then, an extravagant hotel is made from scratch from snow and sculpted pieces of ice borrowed from the free flowing Torne River.
Following the considerable success of Jukkasjärvi, developpers worldwide started building destination hotels taking their roots in igloo design. The city of Québec, Canada - host of the Winter Carnival, the third-largest fest in the world after Rio de Janeiro and New Orleans - launched its own Hôtel de Glace in 1996. Other locales include Alaska, Romania and most recently, Japan.
But what's so cool about those, besides the temperature, you may ask?
Source: Hôtel de Glace
Is it the romantic suites that attract exotic travelers from all over the world to pay the big bucks and spend their honeymoon in a freezing cold igloo? The pic below was shot at the Iglu-Dorf in Germany, but you should also check out the Ice Church for weddings, back in Sweden.
Props for adding a disco ball to the kitschy aesthetics of the decor! Is ice the new Vegas? ;-)
Source: HotelChatter.com
It could be the larger-than-life outdoor spa amenities where you can chill out - literally - that keep tourists coming back for more...
As spotted in the brand new luxury hotel in Alpha Resort Tomamu’s ice village, on Hokkaido Island, Japan
Source: MyModernMet.com
or the glow-in-the-dark drinks served at the Absolut Ice Bar... that make funny tongues!
Source: Cool Hunting
Meanwhile, every year, The ICEHOTEL in Sweden redesigns its suites and commissions new artwork from carefully selected international lighting artists and sculptors. Guess that's one benefit of having a melting ice stucture huh?
Source: Hôtel de Glace
Stunning, ain't it?
In truth, ice hotels aren't for everyone. But if you like adventure or if you're thinking a visit to Antartica may be in the cards in a couple of years, these ice hotels are a good way to test your mettle.
Would you ever lodge in one of those?
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