Ever dreamed of sleeping in a room made entirely of snow? We visited the Arctic SnowHotel in Lapland with our children to do just that
**We were extremely lucky to have been gifted a free night in the Arctic SnowHotel, along with free meals, transfers and sauna experience, in exchange for promotion through our social media channels and this website. Any opinions expressed below remain entirely our own.
Introduction
A hotel made entirely of snow and ice? Sounds like a crazy idea, right? We just had to take a look for ourselves.
We visited the Arctic SnowHotel as a family with 4 children, to spend a night there that we will never forget. Here is the review of our stay.
Our visit was part of our winter trip to Lapland. For more ideas for places to go, also see our magical 7 day itinerary for visiting Lapland with kids.
What is the Arctic SnowHotel?
As the name suggests, the Arctic SnowHotel is a hotel made completely out of compacted snow and ice. The hotel consists of 10 hotel rooms and 10 larger suites, all of which are unique and created each year by a team of artists who carve and decorate them to their own design. The whole construction is a thing of beauty and photos just don’t do it justice.
As well as the main Arctic SnowHotel building, the complex is also home to a selection of glass igloos for rent that offer unobstructed views of the night sky. It also has 2 restuarants, bars and a range of saunas and hot tubs for guests. The hotel even has snow saunas constructed from snow, just like the hotel. These are the only snow saunas anywhere in the world.
Where is the Arctic SnowHotel?
The Arctic SnowHotel is located near to Sinettä in Lapland, inside the Arctic Cirlcle in the far north of Finland. It is an approximately half hour drive from the major city of Rovaniemi, the capital of Lapland and home to many of the region’s major tourist attractions, such as the Santa Claus Village.
The hotel is in a beautifully isolated location on a lakeside away from any towns or lights to spoil the night sky. This makes it a perfect location to view the Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights) if you are lucky enough to get a display.
How cold is it at the Arctic SnowHotel?
Short answer, very cold! Being inside the Arctic Circle, when visiting in winter you can expect regular temperatures as low as -20°C. When we visited, it got as cold as -35°C!
Inside the hotel, the temperature remains at around -5°C. Believe it or not, this actually feels warm when first coming in from outside!
Are the bedrooms also cold at the Arctic SnowHotel?
I’m afraid to say, the bedrooms at the Arctic SnowHotel are also cold. I guess they wouldn’t last for very long if they weren’t! The bedrooms stay at around -5°C, which may sound impossible to sleep in, but is actually ok.
Super warm double thickness sleeping bags are provided to guests which are rated to keep you warm down to -10°C. Consequently, once inside the sleeping bag it is actually quite cosy. You are advised to wear thermal base layers as pyjamas and wear a woolly hat to keep your head warm.
Of course, if you don’t fancy the idea of sleeping in -5°C, there is also the option of staying in one of the heated glass igloos instead. There are igloos for 2 people or family igloos for up to 4 people.
When is the Arctic SnowHotel open?
The hotel is created fresh each winter, with all the unique room designs made differently every year.
The hotel opens on 15th December and remains open until 1st April. The glass igloos are open for a longer season, opening in September for autumn visitors.
Towards the end of January, the hotel hosts an Arctic Art Festival that features a week of ice-themed events and activities, including an international ice sculpture competition.
Can you stay at the Arctic Snowhotel with kids?
Absolutely, yes! We are living proof. Although not so common, we stayed inside the Arctic SnowHotel as a family with 4 children (aged 9, 7, 5 & 3). We stayed in the ‘Sounds’ room, beautifully carved and decorated in a rock and roll theme, complete with illuminated ice guitars lining the wall.
My children were a little nervous about the idea but, when it came to it, all had a great time. It is a real adventure for kids.
It is usually recommended for children aged over 5 only to stay inside the hotel, but we stayed with a 3 year old and managed just fine.
Of course, if you don’t fancy staying in the cold inside the hotel there is always the option of staying with kids in a family sized heated glass igloo.
Can you visit the Arctic SnowHotel without staying overnight?
Yes, it is possible to visit the Arctic SnowHotel on a tour without staying overnight. It is possible to have a guided tour of the hotel and all of the bedrooms, as well as the ice restaurant and snow chapel.
Visits can be arranged from Rovaniemi that include a bus transfer to the Arctic SnowHotel and back. It is possible to include a meal in one of the restaurants or a sauna experience as part of the visit.
Of course, none of this is as fun as actually staying in the hotel though.
What is there to do at the Arctic SnowHotel?
As well as touring the hotel rooms and marvelling at all of the amazing works of art created out of snow and ice, the hotel also has saunas and hot tubs, both public and private. There is even a snow sauna made entirely out of snow.
The hotel is located in a beautiful and remote part of Lapland, which can be explored (although not for too long as it gets too cold!). Various tours and experiences can be arranged from the hotel, including snowshoe tours, snowmobiling, ice fishing and husky or reindeer sled rides.
For kids, there are 2 resident reindeer to stroke and feed, as well as a snow slide that has been built next to the hotel and has a variety of sledges and inner tubes to slide down on.
What is the snow sauna at the Arctic SnowHotel?
Unique to this Arctic SnowHotel, there are several snow saunas that can be reserved for private sessions. Made entirely from snow, the rooms are otherwise like any other sauna with hot stones to warm up the space.
Because of the damp atmosphere, pouring water onto the stones creates a lot of water vapour giving an experience more like a steam room than a traditional dry air sauna. It is a very surreal space.
Does the Arctic SnowHotel have an ice bar?
Yes, there is an ice bar at the Arctic SnowHotel, also constructed fresh each winter. The domed ice ceiling is made by pouring water over a giant balloon in freezing temeperates to build up layers of ice until it is strong enough to support itself. The effect is very impressive.
A range of different shots (both alcoholic and non-alcoholic) are served in the ice bar, all in glasses made of ice. Once finished, the glasses can be smashed against the wall. Needless to say, my kids enjoyed this bit the best!
As well as the ice bar, the hotel also has a heated bar called the Sky Bar in a separate building, featuring a large glass ceiling.
Are there warm areas at the Arctic SnowHotel?
Although the main building of the Arctic SnowHotel is made entirely of snow and ice and maintained at a freezing cold temperature, there are also some warm spaces to retreat to.
The hotel lobby and cafe area for breakfast is in a heated building that adjoins the hotel. There is also a heated reastaurant and bar building next door.
For guests staying in the hotel, there is a heated locker room to get changed in and leave your stuff, as well as heated toilets. The locker room also has bunk beds just in case anyone gets too cold in their hotel room during the night and wants to move to somewhere warmer.
Are there restaurants at the Arctic SnowHotel?
There are 2 different restaurants at the Arctic SnowHotel. Firstly, there is the ice restaurant. Just like the hotel rooms, this space has been artistically created out of snow and ice, giving visitors a unique dining experience.
If that sounds too cold, there is also the Kota restaurant, heated by a roaring central open fireplace. This fire is also used to cook salmon fillets in front of visiting guests.
A meal in either restaurant can be booked as part of a visit to the Arctic SnowHotel.
Review of our experiences of staying at the Arctic SnowHotel with kids
In short, we loved it! The whole experience from start to finish was a truly unforgettable adventure. It is not often in life that you get to do something so unusual.
Sleeping in the hotel
While obviously cold inside the bedrooms, we all slept ok in our cosy sleeping bags. My 3 year old slept better than he usually does at home! We didn’t need to retreat to any warm areas during the night. The only challenge was getting up for the toilet and having to get out of our sleeping bags.
As a family of 6, the glass igloos were not an option for us as they only sleep up to 4 people each. As it turned out though, I’m really glad we had to stay inside the hotel as it was a much more special experience.
All of the rooms are incredible to explore. The artwork just keeps getting better and better as you make your way around. Even if not staying at the hotel, a visit to see it should definitely be part of any trip to Lapland. Staying was great though, so really shouldn’t be missed out on.
Eating at the hotel
As we were staying in a room inside the Arctic SnowHotel, we opted to have dinner in the heated, Kota restaurant rather than the ice restaurant. This was a good decision for us as we decided we didn’t need too much cold in one night. The ice restuarant did look amazing inside though.
The food we had in Kota was all very tasty, particularly the fire smoked salmon.
The breakfast buffet, served in the heated hotel lobby, was also really good. It was definitley the best breakfast that we had anywhere in Finland. The choice was extensive and all the food was freshly prepared and re-stocked whenever something ran out.
Overall impressions
The staff at the Arctic SnowHotel were all very friendly and welcoming and really went out of their way to greet us and show us around. When my youngest was crying, one of them appeared with a little toy to cheer him up. These little touches can make a big difference when travelling with kids who aren’t always so keen on the extreme cold.
We were woken in our room at our chosen time in the morning with cups of hot berry juice, which was lovely. There is also a wake-up service during the night for if there are any Aurora Borealis displays.
The whole setup of the Arctic SnowHotel is very impressive. My kids loved feeding the reindeer and taking on the snow slide, while we all had a great time during a sauna and hot tub experience. Being cosy in a hot tub while the temperature is -35°C is pretty crazy!
In Summary
The Arctic SnowHotel near Rovaniemi, Lapland is a surprising and wonderful place to visit. Actually staying inside the hotel only adds to the magic. While obviously cold, we all slept well enough and the experience was a real adventure for everyone.
While it is perhaps not that common to stay with small children, my kids managed fine and loved receiving their certificates in the morning, awarded for managing to stay a night. The snow slide and hot tubs also ensure that kids are kept entertained.
If you are visiting Rovaniemi or elsewhere in Lapland, a visit to the Arctic SnowHotel should definitely be on your itinerary. If visiting the Santa Claus Village in Rovaniemi, you should also check out the Snowman World and excellent Santamus restaurant, also run by the team behind the Arctic SnowHotel.
We had a memorable stay at the Arctic SnowHotel that will stay with us forever. Unfortunately we weren’t lucky enough to see the Northern Lights during our stay. I guess we’ll just have to come back!
Wow, this looks so cool! When my daughter was young, one summer in Sweden we went to an ice bar, so this brings back fond memories! This looks even more fun! Love the pics!
What an experience! This is the kind of thing the kids will probably never forget, at least not the older ones. Great memories to make together as a family!
Okay, this is so incredible! I can’t get over the fact that they rebuild and redesign every year. My daughter would definitely love something like this.
This looks like a fantastic adventure for kids! I don’t have children but would live to stay here. Sauna and hot tub looks good to me too hahah but are there showers at -5? Adding this on my wish list for sure!