{"id":4685,"date":"2013-02-13T10:01:16","date_gmt":"2013-02-13T15:01:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dougbardwell.com\/db\/?p=4685"},"modified":"2017-11-19T10:41:58","modified_gmt":"2017-11-19T15:41:58","slug":"one-cool-night-at-the-quebec-ice-hotel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dougbardwell.com\/db\/one-cool-night-at-the-quebec-ice-hotel\/","title":{"rendered":"One cool night at the Quebec Ice Hotel"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"IceHotel-6\"<\/a><\/p>\n

If you\u2019ve ever dreamed about ice palaces, ice castles or ice cathedrals \u2013 they do exist. During the annual Quebec Winter Carnival<\/span> \u2013 there is a beautiful ice castle with a nightly discotheque. But, not far away, there is actually a hotel made of ice, complete with ice bars, ice slide, Nordic spa, Ice Cathedral for weddings and of course\u2026ice beds. Welcome to Hotel de Glace<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Wait, don\u2019t dismiss this as total insanity \u2013 it\u2019s actually growing in popularity each year and even this intrepid reporter spent a most enjoyable night there recently. Since its origin, over 35,000 people have stayed overnight.<\/p>\n

In its 13th year now, the equivalent of 20 million ice cubes are expertly piled, stacked, formed and carved into a virtual piece of art that attracts visitors from around the globe. Some of the ceilings are 19 feet high.<\/p>\n

\"IceHotel-2\"<\/a>One of only two authentic, functioning ice hotels in the world, Hotel de Glace is open from January 5 through March 24, 2013. There are 44 rooms this year, covering 32,000 square feet, and the demand for rooms increases every year.<\/p>\n

The hotel is open every day and the decorated suites can be toured before 9 p.m. To get the total experience, you need to tour it both before and after dark \u2013 its personality changes that much. At 9 p.m., the hotel is closed to all but overnight guests.<\/p>\n

If you arrive in the afternoon, you\u2019ll have time to familiarize yourself with the facility and take part in some of the daily activities planned by the hotel\u2019s staff.<\/p>\n

\"IceHotel-4\"<\/a>What looks like a tall, frozen waterfall is the area outside where you can learn ice-climbing from a talented instructor. You bring your body \u2013 they\u2019ve got the equipment you need. With crampons on your feet, an ice ax in your gloved hand, and a safety rope attached to your harness, you\u2019re off to scale the vertical wall of ice. Think rock wall climbing \u2013 but covered with slick ice. Looked to be great fun \u2013 but didn\u2019t have time to try it.<\/p>\n

\"Ice<\/a>For the kids, or the kid in all of us, there is a much tamer, circular ice slide inside the Ice Hotel. Simply walk up the curved ice stairs, sit down and enjoy an ice slide that whisks you around circular icy walls down to a padded landing zone. Even the littlest kids can do it.<\/p>\n

Two bar areas give you a clue that warm or warming adult beverages are very popular with day and overnight guests.\u00a0 The selections of specialty drinks befit an Ice Hotel and are served in square blocks of ice \u2013 hollowed out appropriately to hold just the right amount of liquor.<\/p>\n

\"Bartender<\/a>Walking around, you\u2019ll be amazed at the carving talents of the 15 artisans who sculpt all the artwork.\u00a0 Scenes of Eskimos, forests, cruise ships and animals delight your imagination and provide \u201cwhat\u2019s-around-the-next-corner\u201d fun as you wander this long house of ice.<\/p>\n

As the sun goes down, changing, soft-pastel lights begin to illuminate the interior and exterior of the Ice Hotel, transforming it into a fairy tale vision you\u2019ve only dreamed of. Enjoy that beautiful sunset orange hue while you can; because now it\u2019s turning into cotton candy pink. If cerulean blue is your thing \u2013 it\u2019s coming, as is lime green. The colors react differently on the various ice surfaces \u2013 some being rough, almost liked packed snow, others as translucent ice and yet still others as perfectly clear ice.<\/p>\n

Before bed time, (you\u2019ve decided to spend the night now haven\u2019t you?) one of the hotel staff will give a presentation on the fine points of sleeping on a bed of ice. Okay, you really sleep on a comfy mattress atop a base of ice, tucked into a provided, Nordic sleeping bag rated for -40F degrees, in a room that never dips below +23F degrees. With certain specific suggestions, you\u2019re guaranteed to stay warm; but we\u2019re getting ahead of ourselves.<\/p>\n

\"IceHotel-10\"<\/a>First, you want to raise your body\u2019s temperature before jumping into your bag. Heated changing rooms, as well as a warm restaurant, lockers, coffee pot and more are located right next to the Nordic spa area, just outside one end of the hotel. Changing into your swim suit, and wearing flip-flops, you make a speedy dash out the door and pop into one of four luxurious hot tubs. As the steam rises to the starry sky above, you sink lower and lower into the tub, letting the water jets relax any tight muscles from the day\u2019s activities.<\/p>\n

When you\u2019ve had enough, pop out, close the top of the hot tub, and head for the big barrel looking sauna. Once inside, there\u2019s no way you\u2019ll care how cold it is outside \u2013 it\u2019s toasty warm in here. After drying off, grab your robe and head back to your locker for you pj\u2019s. Now it\u2019s off to your room for the night.<\/p>\n

Your room for the evening has a Nordic sleeping bag waiting in a storage bag. Open it up, change into perfectly dry socks and slip into your liner, then into the sleeping bag. A Velcro flap snugs the bag around your neck, holding in your natural body heat. Pull the hood up over your head, and snug the draw strings to suit. The body parts left exposed are your eyes, nose and mouth. Everything else is quite comfortable inside the bag. Before you know it, you\u2019re in dream land, dreaming of ice castles. But, it\u2019s not a dream \u2013 you\u2019ve actually spent the night at Hotel de Glace<\/a>.<\/p>\n