Made entirely of ice and snow, the Ice Hotel sports a lounge, chapel, and 36 rooms and suites.
Quebec’s Ice Hotel is the only one of its kind in North America. Crafted from 15,000 tons of snow and 500 tons of ice, the Ice Hotel is a completely unique experience in North America. An ice chapel connected to the hotel turns this quirky hotel into a potential destination wedding locale with a twist: couples tying the knot here tend to originate from warmer climes.
The Ice Lounge serves up drinks (like Pina Coolada) in thick ice glasses. It's one price for the first drink and refills come in a bit cheaper. The first drink allows you to take the solid ice souvenir glass home, says the bartender with a grin. Hot drinks are served, of course, in styrofoam cups.
The Ice Hotel abuts its partner property, the Station Touristique Duchesnay, where chilled Ice Hotel guests can head to for a hot meal at the Quatre-Temps Cafe-bar. You really have to work to find a bad meal in Quebec, and the Quatre-Temps Café-bar is no exception to that generalization.
A word of warning to those with tiny bladders: the Ice Hotel has community washrooms, something that makes those late night bathroom breaks a bit of a challenge.
Best Bet for Enjoying Your Night
Soak in the outdoor Ice Hotel hot tub before retiring to your ice suite and slipping into the sleeping bag.
The History of the Ice Hotel
The Ice Hotel is the creation of Jacques Desbois, who decided to try out the concept after reading about Sweden's Ice Hotel.
Construction of the Ice Hotel begins every year in mid-December, the entire process lasting a month and culminating in the official opening in mid-January. Steel moulds and wooden walls are put up to form a skeleton of the hote; snow and ice is blown into the moulds. When the structure is frozen and secure, the wooden moulds are removed, leaving a hotel completely built of ice. In March, as the weather begins to warm, the Ice Hotel is manually thawed and removed until the following December.
Even the beds and chairs are made from ice, although animal skin blankets keep people pleasantly warm during their stay.
Rates
Overnight stays included cocktail, tour and accommodation starting at $199 (CAD) plus tax per person.
Public Tours
If you're not sure you want to stay the night, you can still experience the Ice Hotel through a public tour. Tours run daily during the winter season, beginning at 10 a.m.
Public Tours : children $7.50 , students/seniors
$13, adults $15, families $42 (2 adults and 3
children under 15 yrs)*
Things to do in the Area
This area much to do including: skiing, ice skating, snow shoeing, dog sledding, ice fishing, snowmobiling and sliding. Quebec City - with its fine dining, shopping and museums - is 30 minutes away by car.
How to Get There:
The Ice Hotel is located 30 minutes west of Quebec City, on Highway 40, exit 295 Sainte Catherine de la Jacques. For more information, call: 1-418-875-4522 or 1-877-505-0423.
Ice Hotel by the Numbers:
3,000 square feet – the surface area of the hotel
2 – the number of art galleries in the hotel, both featuring spectacular ice art
36 – rooms and suites available
18 feet – the height of the ceilings
88 – the number of people the Ice Hotel can sleep
