ICEHOTEL — Hotel in Kiruna kommun

It is all about the experience!||We believe that we can rather objectively judge the quality of a hotel given that we have had the great fortune to have travelled extensively to many places in the world and have stayed in some of the best hotels there are: Oriental Bangkok, Four Seasons, Mandarin Oriental, Park Hyatt and many many more excellent small leading hotels.||We stayed 6 nights in their best category warm room and the last night in their best category ice room.||Hotel rooms and services at Icehotel are at best 3 star level at 5 star prices.|Service is lacking in all domains.||Check their web site for the prices yourself.||Some more context:||The objective of this whole journey up north was to see the aurora borealis!|To make the journey into a very special memorable experience at the occasion of an upcoming big round birthday of my spouse, I booked their best rooms and their best activities.||Amongst which, the dog sled journey from the airport to the Icehotel. Great fun, great experience! I’d do it again!||The musher advised the hotel of our arrival a good 15 minutes ahead of time. The sled stops on the frozen river some 200m from the hotel itself.|We had to wait there some 15 minutes after arrival - at -18 °C - for a girl to come to walk us through some back storage areas to the evening reception - which I would describe as “Youth Hostal” style and charm, respectively complete lack of. ||The deputy manager had pity with us - we are senior folks - and helped us schlepp our cases through the ice and snow to our little chalet where our room was - Kamoos Deluxe - six rooms per chalet. Otherwise you were on your own to deal with this.||A simple functional room, a bit slow on the heating system, ok but definitely not cosy. You know where Ikea got their ideas from!||They knew we were coming in late afternoon, they knew we were staying 7 nights top category, they knew we had booked plenty high priced activities, restaurant reservations, they knew our ages - well, I expected to be picked up by a snowmobile or a properly equipped golf cart to take us to reception, be offered a warm welcome drink, to know who we were…|None of that. |Restaurant full with larger groups, so we tramped on foot to their rustic The Old Homestead pub. No shuttle service.|Decent pub food, rustic but not really warmly inviting place.|Very nice French girl serving , Lee-Lou. She deserves top marks!||We booked a couple of snowmobile night outings to chase the northern lights - Frieda, the guide, deserves top marks as well! |Nice activity!|Great sightings of the northern lights on the second night out.|Objective achieved!!||We went out on a guided night photography tour with Juve and were lucky to see some beautiful northern lights of different kinds.||The restaurant is good however with a very small menu; reindeer tartar, arctic char and the cod were our favourites.|Special thanks to Nesim for his excellent service on our last 2 evenings! ||Young, some enthusiastic, but not all, yet mostly inexperienced staff on all positions! Lack of attention to detail! |Few truly experienced staff, like Andy and Esin, from reception, Pauline from Activities, special thanks to them!||For the level of price charged for the stay, the place offers extremely little!||Improve, respectively offer, service for moving luggage from one place to another. ||Offer a regular shuttle service from Icehotel to Kiruna, as well as to the Old Homestead pub.||Reception is often too busy to take calls, long wait times. No other contact number is given.|Give Direct Contact numbers of Activity Center respectively Restaurant with confirmations of bookings / table reservations in order to contact for changes or inquiries.||Ice Suites:|Bathrobes are small persons size - think size 8 lady.|No thermometer, no timer in sauna|Wooden footstools to put up your feet would be nice.||No offer of |Nordic walking poles|Cross Country ski equipment |A guide of a number of circulatory walks. |For guests to use during the day.||Sun lounge chairs with blankets to enjoy the winter sun, maybe close to the river, with drinks served from the ice bar would be an idea. ||Summary:|We did not feel like valued guests, but instead like we were here for money to be...

I feel like this a mixed review & I’ve waited a couple weeks to leave it so that I can try to be fair. First of all, I personally really loved the place in terms of location, concept, quality.

I am still kind of stuck on the fact that the dates of the annual ice hotel opening are not more widely advertised so that it’s absolutely clear that you’re staying in the rooms that are created & dismantled annually. For me, this was the key reason for wanting to visit. But the wording & dates on the website were not as clear as perhaps they might be, when you consider that this is a unique experience that most people do once & may find the process tricky as they aren’t familiar with all of the processes.

We booked a Winter Package in December, the website states that the annual ice hotel runs December - April, & are Winter Rooms. Thus, when my friend made the booking for 7-9 December in a cold room we thought this was what we were getting. Then we saw a big announcement on Instagram about the grand opening of the ice hotel on the 13th, & that was the week of our trip. So it was a little anticlimactic to realise that despite booking the Winter Package, within the advertised months of the annual hotel that it was in their year round cold room.

Ultimately it could be acknowledged that there is something extra special about the yearly hotel being built & then returned to the river at the end of the season & this could be highlighted MUCH more clearly to make it utterly explicit to those of us who are unfamiliar with this sort of trip. On top of this, we paid the same price for the Winter Package as everyone else visiting after the 13th & yet did not get to experience all of the same things (e.g, fewer ice rooms to admire, no ceremony hall, a lot of ongoing construction during our stay & metal fences etc).

My friend did not like the room we were allocated & even felt like maybe it had been done intentionally as we had emailed to express our concerns over the booking when we saw their Instagram post ahead of our visit, & it was wondered whether because we had expressed dissatisfaction that we then ended up in the most basic (objectively less impressive) room. She got the room switched to another via reception.

The Winter Package itself was wonderful. I really liked the activities etc & it all being taken care of ahead of arrival. Would definitely recommend that. We did the dog sledding & snowmobiling & the staff we encountered were also knowledgeable & kind. I do feel it would be a nice touch to include a transfer from airport and/or train station for the price paid.

The food in the Ice Hotel restaurant (Ice Menu + 2 breakfasts) was very good. We really enjoyed the reindeer dish, feeling it was one of those meals you’d remember for a long time. The Ice Bar was really a fun place too, the slide being a true highlight even for two women in their 40s.

Hotel staff on site were mixed. It did feel like a lot of the staff were new / inexperienced & it felt obvious that it was the start of a new season. A lot of the time when we asked a question, the person did not know the answer. On the flip side if you got someone experienced they were super helpful & added value.

The hotel site itself was generally really nice. Our chalet “warm” room was much bigger than we’d expected but housekeeping had left an open bottle of Coke & water in the fridge from the previous guests & the curtain rail was falling off the wall. The Riverside building had some great space to relax & unwind, I really like the sort of community vibe that existed there. Plenty of showers & the cubicles for storing your luggage in when staying in the cold rooms.

I would actually repeat this trip but with experience I would now say just be sure to check the dates if you’re specifically looking for the “annual” ice rooms. We weren’t alone in our confusion with this, I saw a few comments on the Instagram post expressing the same & we also overheard a lot of other guests making comments about the mixed service...

Unforgettable Adventure at the IceHotel near Kiruna, Sweden

Our recent visit to the IceHotel near Kiruna, Sweden, was nothing short of magical. From the moment we arrived to the moment we departed, every detail was thoughtfully planned and executed, making this a truly unforgettable experience. I traveled with a friend and his two boys (ages 13 and 16), and we all left with memories to cherish for a lifetime.

Unique Accommodations and Comfort Beyond Expectations Sleeping in an ice chamber was an incredible experience. Despite the room’s -7°C temperature, the provided sleeping bags kept us comfortably warm throughout the night. The intricate ice sculptures in the chambers added to the unique ambiance. For those concerned about the cold, rest assured that the warm huts on-site are impeccably clean and cozy, offering a great alternative for anyone hesitant to try the ice chambers. But then, you don't come to stay at the IceHotel and not sleep in the iceroom.

Fantastic Activities and Memorable Adventures We packed a variety of activities into our 2-day stay, each offering a unique taste of Arctic adventure. Highlights included:

Dog Sledding: Watching 12 incredible dogs pull our sled through a snowy wonderland was breathtaking. While we didn’t get to drive the sled, our driver was excellent, allowing us to relax and take in the fairy-tale scenery. Night Snowmobiling: Zipping across a frozen lake and through the woods at night was exhilarating. The quiet, snow-covered landscapes under the dark sky created a magical atmosphere. Wilderness Dinner: This dining experience was exceptional! The food, especially the meat dishes and wine, was phenomenal, and the company was delightful (special greetings to our dinner companions from Florida!). Ice Sculpting: Both the kids and adults in our group enjoyed this creative and fun activity. Wilderness Survival Skills Workshop: While this workshop may feel basic for seasoned campers, it was still engaging and a fun learning experience for the boys. Although we didn’t get to see the Northern Lights during our stay, the range of activities more than made up for it.

Seamless Planning and Outstanding Staff One of the standout aspects of the IceHotel is its incredible staff. Our trip was rather spontaneous (Mid December), and many activities appeared fully booked online. However, a quick phone call to the hotel staff changed everything. They were attentive, accommodating, and went above and beyond to organize a schedule that included everything we hoped to experience. Additionally, the hotel provided warm outdoor jumpsuits, winter boots, and gloves, so there was no need to worry about packing specialized clothing for the extreme weather.

Food and Dining Each outdoor activity included food, which was always delicious and satisfying. The on-site restaurant across the street offered tasty meals for both breakfast and dinner, ensuring we were well-fed throughout our stay.

Travel Logistics Getting to the IceHotel was part of the adventure. We flew into Stockholm and took the night train to Kiruna, a journey we highly recommend. Sleeping on the train was an experience in itself, and we were greeted by hotel staff upon arrival at Kiruna station. The return trip was equally smooth, flying out of Kiruna’s tiny but efficient airport.

Final Thoughts Our stay at the IceHotel was packed with excitement and wonder, from the stunning ice art to the exhilarating outdoor activities. The landscape, especially during the dog sledding, felt like something out of a fairy tale. Even the -27°C temperature on our last morning added to the adventure.

If you’re considering a trip to the IceHotel, don’t hesitate. The staff, activities, and overall experience are truly world-class. It’s an extraordinary destination that we...