Finnish Snow Hotel Ready For 9th Season This Winter

Whilst the famous Swedish Ice Hotel is made mostly of snow, the more recent Finnish Snow Hotel has more ice in its construction – 300 tonnes to be precise.

Located nearly 200km above the Arctic Circle and close to the ski resorts of Levi and Yllas, the SnowHotel has an IceBar serving Finlandia rather than Absolut vodka but with drinks still served in ice glasses and an ice disco in which to slip—slide the night away. Or you can just marvel at the magnificent sculpture art all around the area.
For winter 2009-2010 the Snow Village including the SnowHotel will be built for the 9th time. Construction begins when the temperature drops about ten degrees below zero which is usually at the end of October or the beginning of November.

Approximately 1,5 million kilos of snow and 300 000 kilos of crystal clear, natural ice are used for the construction. The builders,, specialized in using snow and ice as building material, are constantly developing new tools and instruments for snow construction and exploring innovative ways of taking this art form to new levels.

Snow Village is built entirely of snow and ice and covers approximately 20,000 square metres. During the winter season there are about 3,000 square metres of covered indoor spaces built as a combination of different snow and ice structures. The architectural design and the themes of interior decoration vary from year to year offering always a unique experience. Visitors will find the biggest ice dome in Europe and an á la carte restaurant with ice carved tables , in addition to amazing snow galleries full of beatifully illuminated ice art.

At Snow Village you can also experience an overnight stay in a room made of snow. Because of the good isolating features of snow, the indoor temperature of Snow Village remains always between -2 and -5 Celsius degrees, regardless of the outdoor temperature. There are approximately 30 rooms, all made of ice and snow. Individually decorated suites with different themes are also available.

For wedding couples Snow Village offers a remarkable setting for an unforgettable day of ceremony and celebration. To start with couples can choose between an ice chapel with furnishings made of ice and a traditional, cosy wooden chapel.

Snow Village will open again on December 10th 2009 and will remain open until April 15th 2010 with day visitors welcome from 10am to 10pm.
Courtesy of and © Snow24 plc

I shall be visiting next year although not sure if I will stay the night, might be fun.

It certainly sounds like an experience.