Ice Hotel 2009
Posted by Guano & Associates | Posted in | Posted on 8:02 PM
Last Monday, we made the 2 to 3 hour trip north to Kiruna and Jukkasjärvi again. Our intent was to see the Ice Hotel in it's completed form (vs when we saw the location this autumn) and to see if we could catch a view of the Northern Lights.
We left Luleå about 10am and drove up E4 and E10 all the way to Jukkasjärvi, it was dark by the time we arrived. The admission to tour the hotel was something like 400SEK but to spend the night for all 4 of us was nearly 5000SEK (just under $1000). So, needless to say, we just did the tour. If you want to book your next anniversary or wedding, here's the link!
Dinner was at the pizzeria in Kiruna, nothing special but good enough.
It was definitely cold enough for the lights, -20°C, but the ionosphere and the cloud cover were not participating. We pulled over a couple of times along the highway, hoping to catch something, but the skies were just grey with the moon barely able to shine through. We'll catch them again some day!
We left Luleå about 10am and drove up E4 and E10 all the way to Jukkasjärvi, it was dark by the time we arrived. The admission to tour the hotel was something like 400SEK but to spend the night for all 4 of us was nearly 5000SEK (just under $1000). So, needless to say, we just did the tour. If you want to book your next anniversary or wedding, here's the link!
Dinner was at the pizzeria in Kiruna, nothing special but good enough.
It was definitely cold enough for the lights, -20°C, but the ionosphere and the cloud cover were not participating. We pulled over a couple of times along the highway, hoping to catch something, but the skies were just grey with the moon barely able to shine through. We'll catch them again some day!
Kylie and Kathy in front of the Ice Chapel.
Dan at the basin (?) in the Ice Chapel.
Matt preaching from the Ice Pulpit ... hellfire and brimstone sounds really nice right about now!
The family sitting in Ice Chapel.
Kylie still hasn't figured out what happens when you stick your tongue on the ice.
These are the antler columns in the Ice Chapel. 
The hallway to the hotel rooms. It felt creepy walking into all of the rooms to see what they look like. Wonder how well that would go over at the Hampton Inn?
These two photos are of the same room, one with a flash and one without. To the left of the bed is a giant high heeled shoe (the clear ice) and a woman's (I assume) leg in the opaque snow. The room's title was "Cold Feet" though all I could think of was "A Major Award".
Again, the kids pretending to like each other.
This is in the lobby of the hotel. That's Kylie trying to call the flames of ... well, somewhere ... She just enjoyed that site a little too much.
Kathy and Kylie chatting in one of the Art Rooms.
Same room, same time, one with a flash, one without.
I think Kathy hates this photo, but I liked it!
The front of the hotel lobby.
The kids as their normal selves.
This was the consensus favorite room, essentially a tree house bed in a room filled with a giant, snow-made apple tree.
Another favorite room, the Adam and Eve room.
Very, very cool! Do the rooms' themes change each year?
Yep, they invite artists to decorate the "art rooms" each year with different themse. Personally, I thought last year's were better, but they hadn't finished constructing all of the rooms when we visited this year.