Stay in Sweden's Ice Hotel

I just think it would be cool

Found the ice hotel in Quebec and I think that I would like that perhaps better since there is a lot more to do in the area when you aren’t drinking vodka!

I understand that there’s an ice hotel in Canada. Wonder what that’s like.

How to sleep in Ice Hotel:
-See if you can reserve a double sleeping bag for solo use, especially if you’re a stomach sleeper.
-Don’t over dress, a thin silk or wool layer will be more than enough. Wear silk socks under your wool ones in case your feet get overheated.
-Don’t worry, you won’t have to sleep with the bag completely covering your face.
-You will be sleeping on a foam egg crate foundation so it’s not really hard or uncomfortable.
-A family bed with bickering adult children is not conducive to a restful Ice Hotel experience. The family beds are plenty big enough, though.
-You WILL have to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night. Even if you don’t drink anything. Drink liberally at the Ice Bar to make this experience worth while. I didn’t even suit back up; just scooted over to the warm bathroom area clad in boots and long underwear.
-Have a watch or small clock with you since there is no other way to know when the Ice Hotel person will be arriving with your hot Lingonberry Juice. Don’t allow klutzy adult daughter to set hers down-Lingonberry Juice stains snow.

Other Ice Hotel Activities:
-Dogsled, if you must, but for God’s sake, pony up the extra cash and drive your own team of dogs. This way you will get to stand up and be behind something. Riding for two hours on a 3 foot narrow bench with 3 other adults while being pelted with dog shit isn’t nearly as glamorous as it sounds.
-Do Snowmobile. Pay extra for your own machine like we did and you’ll get to go faster and be up front. Being up front means you’re not behind someone who’s going way too slow. You can really haul ass on the frozen Torne River. Do the longer tour that includes dinner.
-Ice Sculpting-your little statues will decorate the pathways around Ice Hotel for the rest of the season.

Karin at Ice Hotel just booked our activities. Christmas Eve we’re taking snow mobiles in search of Northern Lights and having dinner cooked over the fire in a big leather teepee, hut thing. Christmas Day we’re spending half a day dog sledding to the big kennel area and having lunch. I’ll book restaurant reservations next week. I’m very relieved that they provide outerwear since I don’t want my parka smelling like campfire smoke and dog when I’m in Stockholm. Apparently, there’s a big outfitting room with several piles of parkas, snowmobile coveralls, gloves, boots, and goggles. You just outfit up and live in it with your wool and fleece layers for the duration of your stay.

I picked the brain of Patagonia’s customer service folk about the best base layer. Wool won hands down but their stuff was OUTRAGEOUS for a 4 day stint. I got the SmartWool from LL Bean for half the cost. I don’t feel badly about using Patagonia this way; they don’t feel badly about spamming me with prissy, self-righteous environmental/political messages.

How much does it cost as well?

Yikes! Being rude to the agent produced stunningly fast results with a few goodies thrown in.
Dec 22 Leave US, theoretically sleep on plane.
Dec 23
7:30am-arrive in Stockholm
3pm-Flight to Kiruna
4:40pm Arrive in Kiruna, take dog sled to Ice Hotel
6-7pm Have drink in Ice Hotel, eat dinner, then go to warm cabin with family and lapse into a jet-lag induced coma.
Dec 24-Listen to endless bitching about son’s disgusting smoking habit from grown daughter. Snowmobile excursion to Sami village. Ice Sculpting class. Dinner-sleep in warm cabin. Maybe throw in a sauna or hot tub excursion.
Dec 25-Explain to grown children that this trip IS their Christmas present and secretly wish we’d brought the dogs, instead. Snowshoeing excursion to top of mountain (?)Sledding on trash can lids, Saunas/Hot tubs/ drinks/ dinner-Go to sleep in the Ice Hotel in a ‘family room’ on four crypt-like slabs outfitted with deerskin and mummy style sleeping bags. Wonder if they wash the sleeping bags between guest visits. Wish I’d not had three drinks at the Ice Bar and speculate on whether I can hold it til morning. Get up and search for Ice Bathroom.
Dec 26-Ligonberry Juice and breakfast before taking regular transportation back to Kiruna Aiport.
Dec 26-31: Vaxjo and Stockholm

My travel agent is booking us for the Ice Hotel Dec 23-28. Of course, she could send us to a gulag in Siberia instead. I was sending my friend an email criticizing the agents efforts and accidently sent it to the agency. I immediately sent another email explaining the mistake, that I was just blowing off steam, and apologized for being rude. Hopefully, she believes me and I won’t get booked in the seat across from the bathroom during all of my flights.

One step closer to this goal. My travel agent just heard from Ice Hotel’s Kristina, they have vacancies in doubles and family rooms for December 23-26 and again on the 28th.

for 1 night. I live in the tropics but I think I could handle it. The website for the Icehotel looks so interesting