The sixth and final episode of BBC Two's Amazing Hotels: Life Beyond the Lobby series broadcast on Monday 8th May features the famous ICEHOTEL in Swedish Lapland.  Constructed from scratch every year for the winter season, this year for the first time, the hotel will be open outside of the winter months with the launch of ICEHOTEL 365 making it the first all year-round ice accommodation in the world. 

Located 200 km north of the Arctic Circle, this ever-evolving hotel – with rooms built entirely of ice - is the original ICEHOTEL in Sweden and one of the most unique places to stay in the world.  Rooms are harvested from blocks of snow and ice from the River Torne at Jukkasjärvi in the far north of Sweden, and crafted by artists, architects, sculptors and ice experts.  A night spent at the ICEHOTEL is like no other. The rooms and suites are made entirely from ice and a thick mattress and thermal sleeping bag are vital with the temperature a somewhat distracting -5°outside of the warm cosy sleeping bag.

The newly opened ICEHOTEL 365 is a permanent structure offering the experience of sleeping on ice year-round.  Unlike the seasonal ICEHOTEL which melts in spring, ICEHOTEL 365 uses solar technology under its domed roof which is covered in grass and wild flowers. Maintained at sub-zero temperatures by solar power, the interior of ICEHOTEL 365 is just like the winter one, complete with icebar, art gallery and 20 suites, some of which have warm en-suite bathrooms (by way of a clever airlock corridor between the room and suite).  The unique experience in summer offering a night in an ice room even when it is warm outside can be combined with the tranquility of nature and activities such as cycling, river rafting, stand up paddle boarding, ice sculpting and fishing under the sun, which does not set for 50 consecutive days during summer.

Rooms at the sought after ICEHOTEL in Sweden are always in hot demand.  Independent tailor-made tour operator Best Served Scandinavia [0207 664 2241, www.best-served.co.uk] offers a classic winter ICEHOTEL break with one night in a freshly built Ice Room and two nights' accommodation in a cabin room for winter 2017/18 from £895 per person.  This includes accommodation on a bed and breakfast basis, return flights from London to Kiruna via Stockholm, return airport transfers, thermal clothing and a morning sauna.  A choice of adventure activities including reindeer encounters, dog sled rides and an epic Northern Lights hunt by snowmobile can all also be booked through Best Served Scandinavia.

Enjoy the ICEHOTEL 365 whilst temperatures outside are warmer at the time of the magical Midnight Sun with a visit between May and the middle of July when prices start from £925 per person for a three-night stay including flights and one night in an Art Suite (Ice Room) and two nights in a warm chalet.  A stay at ICEHOTEL 365 during this period offers the unique combination of the midnight sun with ice experiences such as the ICEBAR.

Best Served Scandinavia feature five additional ice and snow hotels including the Kirkenes Snowhotel in Kirkenes, Norway, the Sorrisniva Igloo Hotel in Alta, located north of Tromso in Finnmark,  Lainio Snow Village in Kittilä, Finnish Lapland and the Hotel de Glace in Montreal, Canada.

About Best Served Scandinavia:

Founded in 2005, Best Served Scandinavia is an independent specialist tour operator offering tailor made holidays to Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark (including the Faroe Islands), Greenland and Iceland as well as selected holidays to Canada.  They offer a winter and a summer programme, with holidays ranging from short breaks to longer fly drives and cruise combinations. Offering the widest geographical range of any operator to the region, Best Served Scandinavia prides itself on its expert knowledge, with a team of specialists with extensive experience in the region. Accommodation is selected according to strict criteria and ranges from budget/simple three star properties to top of the range luxury and boutique hotels.