The recreated Icehotel in Swedish Lapland - in pictures

Combining the work of 33 artists with ice harvested from the river Torne, this year's Icehotel includes a frozen chef's table, an arctic ceremony hall and a candy-bar inspired suite.

Located 200 kilometres north of the Arctic Circle in in Jukkasjärvi, guests checking in to Icehotel will sleep in frozen beds on top of reindeer hides, in suites where temperatures are well below freezing.

A section of the hotel remains open year-round, but the big reveal every December is when the Icehotel shines with its annual frosty incarnation.

Standouts this winter include a Canadian-inspired camping suite called Spruce Woods, an underwater-themed room called the Living Ocean Suite and an Icewoman chamber. Each of the suites is created by an international artist and has never been created before, nor will it exist again once the ice melts.

The Lost and Found suite is one of two new permanent creations and comes with a private sauna. Designed by artist Jens Thoms Ivarsson, former creative director at Icehotel, it also comes with specially composed music by sculptor and musician Petri Tuominen.

Every year, the hotel borrows several hundred tonnes of Arctic water from the nearby river. The water here freezes slowly and yields ice that’s crystal-clear and free of bubbles, cracks and pollutants, something that cannot be artificially recreated.

To prevent melting, solar-powered controls keep temperatures in the hotel at between minus 5 and 8°C. Earlier this year, the hotel was certified as an eco-hotel in all areas of guest consumption by Svanen, Scandinavia’s eco-labelling programme.

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