Truly a unique experience. Spend the night in a hotel made primarily of ice.
The Ice Hotel is part of the Station Touristique Duchesnay, located about a half-hour drive outside Quebec City. This is a year-round resort, with all sorts of activities, including, in winter, dogsledding, snowmobiling, snowshoeing, cross-country skiiing, a spa, and, of course, the Ice Hotel. There are several chalets, a number of villas, and a newer Auberge, which has about sixty rooms, and a large dining area, where you take your meals (an overnight stay includes dinner and a buffet breakfast at the Auberge the next morning).
You can book packages at the hotel to include resort activities, including time at the spa. We chose dogsledding, and here I have to say a word about the staff: our flight was delayed several hours due to weather. As a result, we arrived at the hotel 10 minutes after our dogsledding adventure, which is offsite, was supposed to start. The hotel staff said, no problem, we'll finish your check in later, called over to have them hold the dogs, and gave us directions to the pickup point. The folks there helped us get into gear, and we were off on the bus for our dogsledding. Everyone was very helpful, and as this was a 25th anniversary surprise for my wife, I was very grateful.
The dogsledding was terrific- we were out for nearly two hours, driving a sled behind the lead sled of our guide, Danny. My wife also got to pat the puppies afterwards, and we got to warm up in the warmup hut with some hot chocolate before heading back.
Note the hotel pavilion building has ample-sized lockers (with locks), showers, toilets, the check-in desk, and even a fireplace, so you have a place to stash your stuff, or you can book a package that includes a room at the Auberge the same night as your hotel stay.
You get a coupon for dinner at the Auberge the night of your stay; this covers some things on the menu, while there are extra charges for others. Our dinner was very nice, although I thought the wine prices were out of sight. Have to learn to stick with beer.
The pavilion is also where you get your orientation on how to spend the night in the hotel. It was about 29F inside the hotel and -3F outside the night we were there.
In each room for your overnight stay, you are provided with a sleeping bag, liner, and pillow- your orientation will explain how to deploy these for maximum warmth.
The hotel also has a sauna and several hot tubs that are open all night. Note these facilities are OUTSIDE, under the stars, in a little courtyard attached to the hotel. The area also has a bathroom and changing room, which are, of course, heated. This does mean, however, that nighttime trips to the bathroom should be avoided. The hotel has robes and towels for you to use with the sauna and hot tubs.
We had a themed suite, with an undersea motif on the walls- the room was about 12x10, and very quiet- sound does not carry very well at all inside the hotel, so the loud house and techno music from the bar was not disturbing.
I can't really describe the beautiful craftsmanship in the carving and lighting, both inside our room, and in the hotel itself. Practically everything inside is made of ice- the walls, supporting pillars, the bar, furniture, there's even an ice slide that the kids can have fun with. Even the glasses for your cocktails are made of ice, unless you want hot chocolate, which comes in the usual styrofoam cup.
You get your first drink free at the bar, and late at night there are a number of activities, including ice carving, that you can participate in.
Drinking alcoholic beverages and handling sharp and dangerous objects inside a building made of frozen water- what more can anyone ask for?
When you're ready for bed, you'll see that it, like everything else, is made of ice, though there is a wooden platform and mattress pad on top of this; it's pretty comfortable. I had called ahead a few days before to confirm our reservation, and reserved an extra- sized bag, since I am 6 foot 6. I actually ended up with a 2-person bag... let's just say it was very cozy.
In the morning the staff wakes you at 8 if you're not up already; we got a hot chocolate in a souvenir mug as part of our package. The breakfast buffet at the Auberge, which is perfectly adequate, begins at 7. Note that if you make an early start, and you have a room at the Auberge, you can head up there after breakfast for a little nap (checkout time at the Auberge is noon).
I recommend calling ahead a few days to confirm everything and reserve your dinner time (note you do not have access to your hotel room until 9pm, as there are tours going on, so a late dinner time fits perfectly). I also recommend a room at the Auberge the same night as the hotel- for privacy, and a crash spot during the night if it's too cold or after breakfast. The pavilion gets a bit crowded in the morning with everyone at their lockers, showering, etc.
Just an amazing place. read more