Diary of a TV Addict
Each year, around 20 million kilos of snow and 350 000 kilos of crystal clear natural ice are used to build the spectacular SnowVillage which changes in shape, size and design to amaze visitors year after year. This year, the 17th, the entire hotel is Game Of Thrones themed – with rooms designed by sculptors from Russia, Poland, Latvia and Ukraine. There is a life sized Iron Throne with swords made from crystal ice, a creepy Braavosi Hall of Faces, an ice-breathing dragon and a frightening white walker with glowing blue eyes. At the Snow Village there are 30 standard rooms and suites, all made of ice and snow. For weddings, couples can even choose to get married in an Ice Chapel with furnishings made of ice. The hotel is nearly 200km above the Arctic Circle. Guests cab spend a cosy night in the snow hotel, take dinner in the spectacular Ice restaurant and sip drinks served “on the rocks” from the Ice bar. Visitors are welcome just to visit to marvel at the vast corridors packed with snow rooms and snow and ice sculptures waiting to be explored. SnowVillage is located in the Western part of Finnish Lapland, near Ylläs and Levi ski-resorts and easily reachable from the airport of Kittilä. There are regular tours by car or snowmobile from the resorts of Levi and Ylläs to the SnowVillage. The annual construction of the SnowVillage begins when the temperature drops to about ten degrees below zero during late October or early November. Construction workers who specialise in using snow and ice as building material, are constantly developing new tools and equipment for snow construction and exploring innovative ways of taking this art form to new levels for your enjoyment. Temperatures inside SnowVillage remains at a comfortable -2 and -5 celsius degrees, regardless of the outdoor temperature.During the day, guests can take part in a number of activities, including a reindeer or husky ride.
