The Jukkasjarvi Icehotel, the world’s largest ice hotel, is all set to reopen in December and this year will celebrate its 25th anniversary.
The ice hotel, which is 125 miles from the Arctic Circle, is only open for a few months a year because of the weather conditions, and hundreds or artists from across the globe apply to design suites at the site each year.
This year’s ice hotel, which has a rainforest-inspired suite with sculpted orangutans, will be open from December to April, when the rising temperature will cause the ice to melt. It takes around eight weeks to build the hotel, but almost three months for it to completely melt.
Inside the hotel are 61 rooms, a theatre, a gourmet restaurant and an ice bar. Each bedroom has a bed made from ice blocks as well as an all-weather sleeping bag, a thick mattress and reindeer skins to ensure the guests are kept warm. Visitors can check out the facility during the day time.
The Aurora Hall is among the new additions this year and will host live performances and events. With a stage and inner walls constructed of solid ice, guests can enjoy a unique acoustic sound as well as a natural light experience.
Other activities on offer at the ice hotel are snowmobile tours, cross-country skiing, snow-shoeing and dog sledding.