Offbeat Traveler: 2012 Jukkasjarvi, Sweden Icehotel

Construction on the Icehotel began in November and will be completed around New Year’s. (Jonathan Nackstrand / AFP / Getty Images)

Dec. 18, 2012 8 AM PT

During the winter, you may be inclined to seek warmer weather on your travels. Not visitors to the Icehotel in Jukkasjarvi, Sweden. Not only is the hotel located about 124 miles above the Arctic Circle, it’s made of ice, even its beds. It features a church, main hall and an ice bar that serves drinks in glasses carved from ice.

The 23rd edition of the Icehotel (it melts in the spring) opened to the public on Dec. 7. The hotel, still under construction, will be completed in January and remain open until April. Rates from December to March start at about $240 a night, based on double occupancy. Warm accommodations are also available. The hotel is open to non-guests for a fee.

More info: https://icehotel.com

Related: Sweden an ice place to visit

Steel frames are used for support during the construction process. After the snow and ice freeze, the frames are removed. (Jonathan Nackstrand / AFP / Getty Images)

A construction crew member works on the Icehotel. (Jonathan Nackstrand / AFP / Getty Images)

Construction equipment at the Icehotel includes old-fashioned wheelbarrows. (Jonathan Nackstrand / AFP / Getty Images)

A room in last year’s Icehotel. The bed, made from blocks of ice, is covered with reindeer skin. The hotel also provides guests with sleeping bags to help keep warm at night. (Francois Campredon / AFP / Getty Images)