As much as I like summer, I don’t want to miss the quiet, thoughtful time in winter. Have the year revisited again, escape the Christmas stress, enjoy the silence of nature and just come down . That’s how I ended up in Tromsø: A little bit of snow, not too cold, everything within walking distance and just enough to see that I’m not in stress. Airbnb is a good address if you don’t want to acidify in the hotel room, but want to feel more at home. However, there are also hotels for which you can ignore any Airbnb , they are so impressive. I have selected my favorite hotels for dreaming in winter here.
The Arctic Tree House in Rovaniemi, Finland
The Arctic Tree House Hotel only opened in mid-2016 and is already very popular on social media. No wonder, because directly from the bed you look into a wonderfully snowy landscape and you can be sure that no loud neighbors disturb the peace, since the rooms are rather apartments and are quite free. The rooms are reminiscent of high seats from which you can watch the animals and the starry sky at night. Of course, the Northern Lights, which you often see in the area, should not be missing.
Glass igloos at the Kakslauttanen Arctic Resort, Finland
The thought of lying in the middle of the desert in a warm igloo with a glass roof, only the starry sky above, admiring the northern lights, has something magical (if you like the feeling of being alone). To the north of the Arctic Circle in the middle of nowhere in Finland you definitely switch off. Of course, the resort also offers excursions, for example with the snow scooter, a tour with huskies in a sledge or ice fishing, so that there is at least the option to do something.
The igloos of the Arctic Resort are booked up incredibly quickly, you have to book a year in advance to have a real chance. The prices per night start at around 350 euros, but the faster the rooms are booked, the higher the prices are, of course.
Ice Hotel in Jukkasjärvi, Sweden
The Ice Hotel is not just a hotel, it is a moving work of art. The hotel is rebuilt every year, the rooms are spectacularly redesigned by artists, mostly from the region. Regular ceiling lights are difficult to install, they would also not really look nice, instead there are alternative light sources: in one room there were LED lamps hidden behind a wall of snowballs. The light came through both the snowballs and the gaps between the balls.
The special thing about the ice hotel are the ice blocks: when we make ice cubes at home, they are actually never clear, but always somewhat pierced by air bubbles. The ice blocks of the Ice Hotel are crystal clear and shimmer bluish. This is due to the water quality of the Torne River and the work of the Ice Hotel employees who take care to keep the ice field free of snow, because this is the only way to keep the ice clear.
The Ice Hotel should also be the most sustainable hotel, because when it melts in early summer, the melt water flows back into the river. A real cycle. And if you don’t want to sleep in a bed of ice blocks (which are lined with skins) at constant temperatures around freezing point, you can at least visit the ice bar.
Roughly SEK 2,000, i.e. around EUR 200, can be budgeted per night.
Whitepod Eco-Luxury Hotel in Les Cerniers, Switzerland
Ok, it’s not a really nice name, but the concept of sustainability behind it is great: the so-called pods not only promise to be eco-friendly, but also luxurious. The accommodation is probably possible for couples as well as for families, but the accommodations can only be reached on foot, so it is a bit difficult with prams. But the ski slopes and lifts are just around the corner.
The smallest pod, the cozy pod, is 690 CHF per night, about 650 euros.
Rush Creek Lodge in Yosemite National Park
The Rush Creek Lodge is only about 5 minutes from the entrance to Yosemite National Park and is the epitome of the Mountain Lodge for me. The rooms are spacious and the views over the national park are breathtaking. In the middle of the complex is the pool and a club house. In front of the club house there are fire bowls for the evening campfire. During the evening, hotel guests gather here to roast marshmallows. The mood is very cozy in autumn and winter.
The Tree Hotel, Sweden
Sleeping in the middle of the trees, high above the ground – the dream of not only every child, but also of big children. A stay at the Tree Hotel is impressive in spring, summer and autumn, but in a wintry setting the overnight stay should be second to none. In addition to the unique tree houses, the Tree Hotel boasts a restaurant that tries to capture the taste of the forest and the surrounding nature.
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