preloaddefault-post-thumbnail

Fancy waking up and Walkin’ in a Winter Wonderland? Stay at one of these five seriously cool, snow-blanketed residences, and you’ll be able to do just that. (The featured image is courtesy of Igloo Village.)

 

 

Igloo Village – Kakslauttanen, Finland

With a handful of snow igloos, 20 glass igloos and one glass kota (shaped like a Lapp teepee) all set in a snow blanketed Lapland forest, Hotel Kakslauttanen has to be the world’s foremost winter wonderland.

 

 

 

The Ahwahnee – Yosemite National Park, USA

The Ahwahnee Hotel has got to have one of the most atmospheric settings of any US mountain resort. The fact that Queen Elizabeth II, JFK, Ronald Regan, Eisenhower, Walt Disney and Charlie Chaplin have all stayed here tells you all you need to know about the seductive qualities of the hotel itself, and Yosemite’s magnificent forest, waterfalls and towering cliffs that surround it.

 

 

 

IceHotel – Jukkasjärvi, Sweden

Situated 60 miles north of the Arctic Circle near to a small Lapland village, this is the largest hotel built of ice and snow in the world. Mid-November every year a team of snow builders, architects and artists from all over the world descend on Jukkasjärvi to create a brand new version of IceHotel. Recent versions have been a few shy of 50 rooms and included a deluxe suite, and several “Art suites”, “ice rooms” and “snow rooms”.

 

 

 

 

New Monte Rosa Hut – Zermatt, Switzerland

There’s been a hut here at the foot of Monte Rosa near the Swiss town of Zermatt since the late 19th century. Then at the beginning of this one, the Swiss Alpine Club decided to build themselves a new one. The resulting crystal-shaped construction made of a complex wooden skeleton and aluminum skin is nothing short of striking. Yet, style isn’t its only quality. Thanks to a number of solar-based systems, it’s 90 percent self-sufficient. Incredibly, the four-story construction provides refuge for up to 120 hikers, trekkers and climbers.

 

 

Hôtel de Glace – Quebec City, Canada

Much like its inspiration the IceHotel, Hôtel de Glace is a temporary structure built anew every winter. It’s only open between the first week of January and the last week of March. Visitors are advised to wear three layers when visiting. Hats, scarves and gloves are described as “essential” accessories.
Written by insider city guide series Hg2 | A Hedonist’s guide to…

About the author

Brett AckroydBrett hopes to one day reach the shores of far-flung Tristan da Cunha, the most remote of all the inhabited archipelagos on Earth…as to what he’ll do when he gets there, he hasn’t a clue. Over the last 10 years, London, New York, Cape Town and Pondicherry have all proudly been referred to as home. Now it’s Copenhagen’s turn, where he lends his travel expertise to momondo.com.

Explore more articles