Holiday With a Difference: 3 Unusual Getaway Ideas
Ice hotel, Sweden
Each and every year, when the Torne River turns to ice, a new Ice Hotel is built in Jukkasjärvi, northern Sweden.
A group of artists and builders work tirelessly for six weeks to create the new arctic accommodation.
Almost everything is made of ice here - from the bed 'frames' to the hotel bar to the drink glasses it serves flavoured Swedish vodka in.
Needless to say, nights here are a little chilly. But do not fear, the staff provide a thick sleeping bag to help visitors get a good night's sleep.
Each room has its own theme, and is filled with magnificent hand-carved ice sculptures. Some rooms also feature saunas, so if the cold gets too much you can reheat in classic Swedish style. There are also more traditional warm rooms, which you can use as your base as you enjoy the rest of the ice-hewn hotel.
It's an understatement to say this is an unusual place to stay, but it is one that will live long in the memory. Few hotels can boast about being a living art installation in itself, but the Ice Hotel can.
It's not cheap though, with icy rooms starting at around £279, rising to double that for a deluxe suite with sauna.
Glass-roofed igloos, Finland
The spectacular northern lights in Lapland attract thousands of visitors every year, but staying in a regular hotel with regular windows limits your ability to enjoy the light show.
The solution? An igloo-shaped room with glass walls and roof, of course.
The Kakslauttanen Glass Igloo Break is one of the pioneers of this unusual type of stay. Located in Finnish Lapland, this resort features a number of igloos that offer amazing views over the Arctic wilderness. Some igloos also feature saunas.
While winter visitors are the resort's mainstay, you can also visit in summer, and enjoy horse safaris, ATV safaris, gold panning, hiking and fishing trips.
Igloos costs around 370 euros a night, but cheaper 4-person cabins are also available.
https://www.kakslauttanen.fi/accommodation/
Yurt stays in the French countryside
The yurt, along with the tipi, the eco-pod and the gypsy caravan, has become hugely popular in the last decade or so, and are now "glamping" mainstays.
They offer a fabulous way to enjoy the great outdoors without missing out on life's little luxuries - like toilets, showers and beds!
Traditional yurts hail from Mongolia and are portable round tents covered with skins. Thankfully, modern yurts offer more mod-cons than just a sheepskin rug with a pot of mutton soup boiling outside. Ghengis Khan need not apply!
Yurt getaways are possible across the UK, but if waking up in the glorious French countryside takes your fancy, there are many options available.
Auvergne Naturelle, for example, offers a series of yurts with different design aesthetics, all placed in the heart of the protected Parc Naturel Régional Livradois Forez.
Secluded in the pine-clad slopes, here you are surrounded by tranquil brooks and wildflower meadows. There's even a natural swimming pool. At night, campfires burn, inviting fire-side stories with fellow guests.
It costs around 130 euros for 1-2 nights.
https://www.yurtholidaysfrance.co.uk/
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