This morning Tracie and I ventured to the Ice Hotel or as the French Canadians say Hotel de Glace. I have been so excited for this day to come since I first learned of its existence and the close proximity to Quebec City.

What an amazing fete to put this hotel together. Six weeks of construction with over 100 workers including sculptors, electricians, construction staff and more. They start with huge blocks of ice to build, cut, carve, design the structure. Each wall is 2-4 feet thick, the floor is 4 feet thick and the ceiling is 2 or 4, probably 4. There was simply too much info to remember all the details.

All of the extras such as bars and tables and bed platforms are built after the main structure is complete. If there is a group of people too large to keep the bar from melting (body heat), they simply use an iron to evenly melt the surface and flatten it out til smooth.

The first half of the pics below are two of the bars, four pics in the great hall which has some great ice sculptures and a chandelier, and then the bedrooms. They were all different: an ice cave, zoo, party, and whatever your imagination sees!

Tracie and I both agreed this hotel wouldn’t be our first choice of place to stay but it sounds like they take great care of the guests providing super warm sleeping bags. We didn’t see a bathroom so not sure about that. It would be like snow camping but more luxurious.

I’m so glad to have had this opportunity to visit such a unique spot in the world. This is the only ice hotel in North America. It’s open for three months each winter, and has a chapel that specializes in weddings.

It’s a hotel for the adventurous and should be on your bucket list – at least a visit!

#quebeccity #icehotel