the adventurous bug

This trip started from Stockholm, my partner Mick and I travelled 18 hours by train to this magical place called Jukkasjärvi 200km north of the Arctic Circle. The train ride was awesome and would highly recommend it, tickets cost approximately 150 Euros for a return journey, way cheaper than flying and the scenery along the way is second to none. We shared with four other people, which was great. You get to meet some lovely people along the way. We reached Kiruna a lovely town about 17 km from the Ice hotel and we caught the bus, within half an hour we were at this place that we both described as Winter Wonderland…….What an experience!!… Its a place that you should visit at least once in your lifetime, a bit expensive for us of an average income but hey, you only live once.

At the hotel itself, our 2-night stay consisted of one night in the cold accommodation (Northern Lights suite) and one night in the warm accommodation (Kammos suite). There are 3 ”cold’ room options, the snow room which is pretty basic, the Northern Lights suite which replicates the Northern Lights with a specially designed light show and the Artistic suites, all these rooms are different and each one is individually designed by an artist from around the world. The cool thing about the ice hotel is that every year it is rebuilt and the suites will always be different. The staff were extremely helpful, always with a smile.

Sleeping in the cold room was an experience and should be on everyone’s bucket list. Follow the advice of the staff and you will not get cold, all you need are thermals, warm socks and a hat…..even at -5 degrees!! The sleeping bag was so warm. Mick and I got through the night without feeling cold at all, you are woken around 8 am with some warm Lingonberry juice, yummy !!!! While staying in a cold suite you are given your own cubicle where you store your luggage, belongings and can charge your phone. The showers are immaculate and there is a sauna which is great to warm up a little, you will definitely use the sauna with outside temperatures dropping to -17, trust me we felt it. If you make it through the night without requesting a warm room you are awarded a certificate that will be a lifetime of memories as you slept through the night at a constant temperature of -5, which we proudly have hanging in our living room……..

Warm rooms are really cosy, there is a shower, luggage space, t.v, and our room had a corner window so we could sit on the arm-chairs, look out from the warmth of the room and enjoy watching the snow falling outside, it was magical!!….Although it is a pretty run of the mill room, which in many respects is to be expected as the main attraction of the entire complex is, of course, the cold rooms.

Breakfast was served at the main restaurant which is adjacent to the main warm reception. The breakfast was lovely, eggs, bacon, beans, cold fruits, cheese, breads and cereals.

We ate at the Old Homestead restaurant which is part of the Ice hotel, although it is situated approximately 900 meters away. The food was amazing though, we both had starters, mains and we shared a dessert as we were quite full. With a glass of cider and one soft drink we paid 800 kroner which is around 95 euros or so, it wasn’t really expensive…… just looking around you at the scenery makes you realise it is totally worth every penny.

We walked around the local area of the Ice Hotel with everything covered in a blanket of snow, the house’s are so beautiful, everywhere you look just looks like a real-life Christmas card. It is truly spectacular!!

The one thing that we didn’t experience where the Northern lights, we hoped that we would catch a glimpse even for a few minutes, but we weren’t so lucky due to the cloudy weather.

We would go again in a heartbeat……. If you are thinking about it, just book it……..you will not be disappointed.

Andria