A trip to Norway let me tick another life experience off the bucket list when I got to spend the night inside a hotel made entirely of snow in the Arctic Circle! The Snow Hotel Kirkenes, about two-hours flying time from Oslo or accessed by Hurtigruten Cruise Lines on the Bergen to Kirkenes route, will stay open till April 20 this year (then it will start to slowly melt away, only to be rebuilt next winter).
Made entirely of snow and ice from the nearby fjord, private guest rooms have carvings of animals on the snowy walls, beds with backboards made of carved ice blocks, and ambient lighting in reds, blues and pinks that makes your snowy boudoir absolutely glow. Romantic, to be sure--although not necessarily conducive to getting too cozy since you'll be ensconced in a mummy-like sleeping bag while you sleep.
Before hitting the sack, guests are given a tutorial on how to stay as warm as possible in the sleeping bags provided by the hotel (they are certified to withstand temperatures as cold as negative 20 degrees celsius below). You're even given access to a range of warm clothing that includes everything from wool socks, hats and gloves to full-face masks--I employed the latter to keep my entire face covered throughout the night, save for my eyes and mouth. So was I cold? Not really. Of course, it could have been warmer--after all, I was surrounded by snow. But reindeer skins under the soft bedding and a sauna just outside the hotel's frozen door allowed for plenty of ways to stay warm.
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Image courtesy Sergio Ortiz