World's coolest ice hotels

ICEHOTEL, Sweden

The world's first ice hotel is still the world's coolest. ICEHOTEL in Jukkasjarvi, Sweden, just a few miles from Kiruna airport, shimmers under the northern lights every year between December and April. Drink from glasses of carved ice in the Absolut Icebar, take an ice sculpting class, sleep on a reindeer skin mattress or even get married like a snow princess in the ice chapel. The winter-only ice rooms are surprisingly comfortable but the hotel also has a permanent structure with traditional rooms available year round, Scandinavian-style restaurants and saunas. Factor in real reindeer for a once-in-a-lifetime authentic Lapland experience.

Hôtel de Glace, Quebec

Just outside Quebec City, North America's first ice hotel is rebuilt every January with over 5,000 tons of sculpted ice and 15,000 tons of snow. This year is the Hôtel de Glace's tenth anniversary and it just gets more spectacular as ice-sculpting and ice-building technology improves. This year's special feature will be a forty-foot "multimedia" igloo celebrating the hotel's tenth anniversary and nordic themes. From the N'Ice Club and Ice Cafe to the wedding chapel and astonishing--and cozy--theme rooms, the complex is set in a spectacular winter landscape that is especially pretty viewed from a horse-drawn sleigh.

Alta Igloo Hotel, Norway

Bring warm clothing! Here on the edge of the Arctic Circle you can immerse yourself in Sami culture by day and immerse yourself in a steaming outdoor hot tub at night while the aurora borealis dances overhead. There is actually a lot to do up here, from taking a snowmobile safari to the fjords or marvelling at the Alta rock carvings which, incredibly, date from 4200 B.C. All this makes Alta Igloo Hotel one of the world's most interesting destination hotels.

Lainio Snow Village, Finland

Lainio Snow Village nestles in the forests of Finnish Lapland, very near the Yllas and Levi ski resorts. The setting is truly that of a fantastical northern fairytale, with beautifully-lit ice sculptures dotted all throughout the ice hotel's treed grounds. Snow Village covers over 200,000 square feet and its architectural design varies each year with innovative highlights including Europe's biggest ice dome and a restaurant completely made of ice. No matter the temperature outside, the hotel's thirty guest rooms remain comfortable at around 25 degrees Fahrenheit (-3 Celsius) because of snow's excellent insulating properties. In addition to skiing and watching the northern lights, area activities include snowmobile, husky and reindeer safaris.

Kirkenes Snow Hotel, Norway

Far above the Arctic Circle, near the Norwegian-Russian border, the Kirkenes Snow Hotel is the world's most northern ice hotel and chances of witnessing a dazzling display of the northern lights are excellent. This top destination hotel is located at the Gabba Reindeer Park. Travel by sleigh or husky sled to a nearby sauna or fish for King Crabs which are exclusive to the frigid Barents Sea. True arctic adventure is what you'll find at Kirkenes.

Bjorli Ice Lodge, Norway

Combine a ski trip with an ice hotel stay at this alpine destination two hours southwest of Molde airport. The Bjorli Ice Lodge is situated within Norway's rugged Dovre-Sunndalsfjella National Park so wildlife sightings--moose, reindeer--are common. For all its wildness of location, the actual experience at Bjorli is pretty sophisticated since the snow hotel is part of the Hotel Bjorligard. Great food, warm lounges and woodfired hottubs are only a stroll away.

Balea Lake Ice Hotel, Romania

If you really want to trump everyone else's travel stories, take a cable car up to the Balea Lake Ice Hotel in the Fagaras Mountains of Transylvania. This relatively new destination hotel is very small and decorated by local artists in the style of Romanian modernist sculptor Brancusi. You can ski nearby, or sled, or even try heliskiing. Romania is a cost-wise destination and its capital, Bucharest, has a lively nightlife and cafe scene. A visit to Dracula's picturesque hometown of Brasov rounds out the Transylvanian Ice Hotel experience as provided by U.K. travel company Untravelled Paths.