Jukkasjärvi, Sweden: Celebrating New Year at the ICEHOTEL

I smiled from ear to ear as I entered the ICEHOTEL in Jukkasjärvi. The ICEHOTEL has been on my bucket list for the longest time – and now I am here! You see, winters have come and gone and with it, the unfulfilled dream. Not many of my friends want to go to the ICEHOTEL. As one friend said, “Why would I want to splash out thousands of pounds to sleep on ice? That’s a high price to pay to be cold”. Sigh. I on the other hand was reluctant to pay for single supplement to travel solo. So the ICEHOTEL remained on the bucket list.

Until recently.

I was chatting with my cousin, Kak Non when I was at my mom’s place during the summer holidays when she said, she and her daughter Arissa would be happy to go to the ICEHOTEL with me. My friend Lote said she would join too. Yay! I made the call to Discover the World to ask for quotation and soon enough, everything was booked.

And then there was the wait…

Do check out Discover the World if you plan to go to the ICEHOTEL. Mind you, this is not an ad post nor am I getting a single penny from them. Just thought you might want to consider. You see, Discover the World have exclusive rights to fly direct from London to Kiruna. That’s a big deal for us because time is limited and we wanted to spend as much time at the ICEHOTEL, not at the airport on layovers. With Discover the World, we could be in Kiruna in just a little over 3 hours!

Saturday, December 29

The long awaited day arrived. We landed at Kiruna airport at 14:55. It was cold and dark outside. The region is experiencing polar nights: a period when the sun does not rise above the horizon – for three months. Yes, three months of night time!

Kiruna airport is small and before long, we were on the bus heading to Abisko where we stayed at STF Abisko Mountain Station for one night. I will write about our Abisko experience in a separate post.

Now back to the ICEHOTEL.

Sunday, December 30

After breakfast and checked out from our Abisko rooms. We had a bit of time to walk around and take some photos before we had to get on the bus which would take us to the ICEHOTEL. The journey took about 1 hr 30 mins and by noon we were already at the ICEHOTEL queuing at the reception to check in. We were checking in into the cabin for two nights but as it was not ready yet, we left our bags at the reception and went to explore the ICEHOTEL. Our stay in the cold room was scheduled on our last night at the ICEHOTEL.

Two types of hotel (make it three)

Until recently, there has only been one ICEHOTEL in Jukkasjärvi – the one that is built every winter from the clear waters of the Torne River and melts back into the river in spring. The current ICEHOTEL is ICEHOTEL 29, meaning it’s into its 29th year running.

ICEHOTEL 365 opened its doors in 2017 and as its name suggests, operates all year round.

For both hotels, the indoor temperature is kept at a constant -5°C.

The other type of hotel is not actually a hotel but rather cabins with warm rooms. Visitors are recommended to stay in the cold room for only one night to get the experience. On other nights, you are to sleep in the warm rooms which are heated as normal.

How does the ICEHOTEL looks like?

I can babble about each room but instead, I’ll let the pictures do the talking. On this trip, I took more videos than photos and had to dig hard to find decent shots to share with you. I hope they do justice. If you get the chance to see it in person, grab it with both hands. It’s an experience like no others.

We started with the original ICEHOTEL. From the outside, it looks like a snow dome with doors covered in reindeer hide.

The inside…

The foyer.

The chapel. Yes, you can get married here!

Some of the bedrooms…

ICEHOTEL 365

Why not also check out the Ice Bar in ICEHOTEL  365 where you can chill and drink straight out of an ice glass in sub-zero condition? Cool, right? Or cold. Maybe both!

If you’re one of those who likes to party the night away, come again at night when the DJ is playing your favourite music.

Activities at the ICEHOTEL

Remember, one does not need to stay at the ICEHOTELs to see them. The ICEHOTELs are like museums and for an entrance fee, anyone can enter during the day and have a look! The ICEHOTELs are closed to “public” after 18:00 and after that time are made available exclusively to the guests of the ICEHOTELs. If you are sleeping in the cold room for the night, it is also after this time that you can enter your designated rooms.

Guests staying overnight at the ICEHOTEL can enter the hotels anytime during your stay. So take the opportunity to check out the rooms when they are less crowded – either early in the morning before the crowds arrive or after 18:00 when the crowds have left (as long as the room is still not occupied).

But there’s more on offer in Jukkasjärvi than just being stuck at the ICEHOTEL wandering through the rooms, marvelling at the beauty and uniqueness of the ice sculptures. Here’s a few things we did.

Husky sledding

The first night we were at Jukkasjärvi we went husky sledding. You can either do husky sledding during the day or at night. Despite the polar nights, the days aren’t pitch black, more like twilight I would say – so there is a difference between the two! I was in two minds: I thought doing the one during the day would allow us to see and enjoy the Narnia like landscape more but if we did the one at night, there would be a chance we might see the northern lights. In the end, Lote made the decision. She said, “Well, we did the husky sledding in Svalbard during the day. Let’s do the one at night this time.” So night it is.

If you want to read about me and Lote going Husky on Wheels, check out my previous post Longyearbyen, Svalbard: Summer in in the High Arctic.

We went husky sledding with Snowdog on our first night in Jukkasjärvi. Snowdog is a small Arctic adventure company I found through the internet. They only take a maximum of six sleds at a time (12 people) so it gives you a more personal experience. Also, they allow you to be the musher! I thought they offered the best deal (in terms of money and experience) and genuinely care for their dogs. The wellbeing of the dogs is important to me. Craig, the owner is a Scottish who came to Kiruna a few years ago, fell in love with the place and never went back. He’s a jovial guy who is passionate about what he does.

We got picked up at the ICEHOTEL close to 18:00 and was driven to the kennel nearby. Enroute, we stopped by at a cabin to get properly attired. At no extra cost, you can use the snowsuits, gloves, socks and boots that Snowdog provides. You’re well taken care off and do not need to worry about getting frostbites! Then we were off to the kennel where we got a very warm welcome from its residents – all barking and wagging their tails, each hoping to be the lucky ones who gets to go out for a run that night.

We were briefed on how to mush; some basic rules and technics and soon enough we were off into the dark night. The only light shining was from our headlights.

I paired with Icha whereas Lote paired with Kak Non. I was the musher for the first half with Icha seated in the passenger seat in front. Midway, we swapped.

Mushing is not difficult but it needs some physical strength. The dogs are just happy to go out for a run, and boy can they run! We humans need to be able to control the situation by controlling the speed using the brake. Basically, the musher stands at the back of the sled with both hands on the handlebar and feet firmly on the brake at the start. When the teams are ready to go, the musher will slowly release some pressure off the brake. This will signal the huskies to move. Just like that, the barking will stop as the huskies focus on their running.

Make sure you don’t fall off! Chances are, you will never be able to outrun the huskies and your passenger will enjoy a free ride with the dogs while you’re left behind.

We had so much fun that night although Icha said it was hard work balancing and making sure not to fall off! And that’s coming from a national ice hockey player!

Unfortunately, we didn’t see the northern lights.

When we got back to the kennel, we were given some meat to feed the huskies – a reward for a job well done.

Afterwards, it was our time to get fed – we were served with some delicious mushroom soup and bread and lingonberry juice.

Monday, December 31

Sami reindeer

The following morning, after breakfast, we went to collect the snowsuits, gloves and boots that guests are welcome to use, at no extra costs. We didn’t collect ours the day before because what we wore was sufficient to just walk around the ICEHOTEL and we knew that Snowdog would be providing appropriate attire for the night’s activities.

This morning, we were going to Rensjön to experience the daily life of the Sami, an activity we booked through the ICEHOTEL via Discover the World. Luckily, we did collect our snowsuits, gloves and boots at the reception even though we had to apologise for delaying the rest of the group. While there were some snowsuits available when we got to the reindeer farm, it was limited to what was available at the back of the operator’s van. There were just Scott and his wife Kat from Washington going with us and they were pretty chill with the few minutes of delay we caused. Thanks guys!

We started off with feeding the reindeers with their favourite meal of lichen and of course an opportunity to take some photos with and of us feeding the reindeers.

Afterwards, we were invited into the lavvu to warm up around a crackling open fire where we sat on reindeer hides and enjoyed some reindeer soup and bread. Since both Kak Non and I don’t eat meat, and they didn’t have any other options, we just had bread and some lingonberry juice. While eating, the hosts told us more about the Sami culture.

After lunch, the host gathered a few reindeers and we had a go at reindeer sledding.

We went in pairs around a track.

If your reindeer just walks, its a rather slow (tortoise) pace – a boring ride. That was what happened to us the first round of the track before our reindeer decided to pick up her pace and galloped! Woohoo!!!

For Kak Non and Icha’s ride, the reindeer might have thought she’d had enough of us and wanted to escape. She saw the opportunity and made a dash! Off the track she ran and had to be chased after! Poor Kak Non held on to the sled for dear life although I think Icha rather enjoyed the extra drama!

After our rides, we found our reindeer tied to the fence – sticking its tongue out at us!

The whole outing wasn’t bad but I still feel it was too expensive for what it’s worth. If you’ve never experienced it before and this could be a once in a life time chance (and you have the money to spare, like c£250 pp extra!), by all means, go for it. If not, I’d give it a pass. I’ve been to Camp Tamok in Tromso where I did reindeer sledding too. That experience was so much more better than this one and if I remember correctly, a bit cheaper too.

Celebrate New Year – the ICEHOTEL way

Because we timed our trip to be during the New Year, of course we had to go out and celebrate New Year, the ICEHOTEL way! Leave the LBD and stilettos at home. Here, the dress code is snowsuits and boots! Function over style is the key to survival!

After a special New Year’s Eve dinner at the ICEHOTEL restaurant where we had lobster bisque, some vegetarian dish for me and Kak Non while Lote and Icha enjoyed their reindeer steak, sorbet served on a block of ice for dessert and a glass of bubbly to wash it all down, we headed back to our cabin. We had a few more hours to kill before midnight. Being the millennials we are (ahaks! NOT! Only one out of four!) – we browsed through the internet, chatted with friends across the globe on WhatsApp or checked how the families back home were.

Kak Non didn’t want to wait for the clock to strike midnight. She got up and got ready for bed and was sound asleep by the time the three of us made our way to the frozen Torne River.

We have been told that the tradition here is to release a lantern into the air at midnight while making a wish for the new year. There was still about 15 mins to spare but some people were already starting to light up their lantern. I thought we had to buy one but didn’t know where we could get ’em. I just stood there people watching. Apparently, Lote wandered off and saw some ICEHOTEL staff giving away the lanterns for free. Of course she asked for three! There’s a lot of candles placed on the snow. With a few more minutes to spare, we lighted our lanterns.

At the strike of midnight, HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! and we released our lanterns into the air – don’t forget to make a wish!

And similar to the rest of the world, at the strike of midnight the fireworks went out! What a spectacular sight! The fireworks probably lasted a good 15 mins.

After that, we proceeded to the Icebar where a crowd was already dancing away to the DJ’s tune. I stayed only for a few minutes but Lote and Icha stayed on to enjoy the night.

Tuesday, January 1

Hello 2019!

After breakfast, I changed into my Olaf onesie. I just had to get this photo for the album!

Snowmobiling

Our snowmobile adventure started at 13:00 where we gathered at the meeting point in front of the ICEHOTEL. For this adventure, we went to get balaclavas, also loaned to use by the ICEHOTEL at no extra costs. I had with me my ski googles too, just in case.

We went to collect our helmets, after which safety briefing was given. With the trauma of snowmobiling in the blizzard in Iceland the week before still fresh in Kak Non’s mind, she said she didn’t want to drive. That left only Lote and I as designated drivers. Remember: to drive the snowmobile, one needs to have a valid driver’s license. Icha’s underage. So again, Lote paired with Kak Non and I paired with Icha.

I must be honest with you. I was pretty nervous in the beginning. My experience with the snowmobiles starts and ends with me seeing them being given away on If the Price is Right. Living in London, I don’t need a car either and don’t own one. I only drive a few times when I am back in Malaysia for my annual trip.

But I am the designated driver with an underage riding with me! I had no choice but to put on a confident face. I started off cautiously but soon enough, we were speeding down over frozen lakes and rivers into the wilderness. We rode just behind the guide and we kept up! Thank goodness we wore our balaclavas and snowsuits over our own ski jackets (and mid layer and thermal!). It wasn’t that cold when we started but as it got darker, the temperature fell further and with the wind chill, it went to -30°c!

After maybe an hour of riding, we stopped at a cabin to warm up and to have a Swedish fika. Swedish “fika” is the concept of taking a break to spend some time with family or friends to share some coffee/tea and some cakes/pastries/biscuits. Both me and Icha desperately needed to use the WC. Our guide told us its next door but asked us to wait while he started the fire in the cabin. After that, he took the keys and we followed. I totally forgot we’re in the wilderness. There was no electricity which meant that we used candles instead. And the toilets… how did the lady in our group describe it again? Yes, she said it’s “interesting”. Indeed.

After some warm lingonberry juice, Swedish cinnamon buns, Swedish coffee and even some cheese, our stomachs were full. We stepped back out into the cold and hopped on our snowmobiles to do another hour or so ride back to the ICEHOTEL.

Sleeping in the cold room

What would a trip to the ICEHOTEL be without a night in the cold room. I was happy that our stay in the cold room was on our last night. I’d read a lot of reviews before booking the ICEHOTEL trip. Some people couldn’t sleep because of the cold while others slept through the night like a baby. I guess, if we did have a rough night in the cold room, it wouldn’t spoil the rest of our trip as the next day we’d be flying back to London already.

The whole experience of sleeping on a block of ice calls for a post of its own, so let’s leave that for another day. Suffice to say, I survived the night!

What else is on offer?

There are other activities on offer such as cross country skiing, ice sculting, moose adventure etc. My advice to you is to check out the ICEHOTEL website for their latest offerings.

You can also check out the little red chapel at the end of the street or the Nutti Sami Siida nearby, where you can also feed the reindeers – a much cheaper alternative than going to Rensjön.

Of course you can bring along board games or a deck of card and have a jolly good bonding time – that’s better than everyone staring at their phones! Whatever activities you choose to do, it doesn’t matter. Just get there if you can.