Going to the Arctic Circle is an experience that anyone should live in their lifetime. It doesn’t have to be rough, though. There are plenty of hotels which offer unexpected luxuries, taking into consideration the harsh weather conditions outside. For example, The North Pole Igloos, a group of mobile and warm little buildings from which you can observe the Northern Lights in great comfort and with such ease. These 7 dashing hotels situated just above the Arctic Circle defy the Arctic’s inherent inhospitality and offer comfort, luxury and warmth while also letting you inhale the whole beauty of the world’s northernmost point.
For more adventure, check out these 26 coolest hotels in the world that you need to visit.
1. The Arctic Hideaway, Fleinvær, Norway
This is a collection of ten buildings situated on the quite unfriendly windblown Fleinvaer Archipelago. Built on the concept of total relaxation and mindfulness, this is basically a mini-village where you go to find your peace of mind. Besides the four cabins, you also have five social spaces and a bathhouse and it is perfect as an artists’ retreat.
2. Svart Hotel, Glomfjord, Norway
This hotel will open in 2021. It will be balacing on wooden piles at the foot of Norway’s second-largest glacier, Svartisen. It will be completely self-sustainable by collecting summer’s midnight sun energy.
3. North Pole Igloos, North Pole
If you are out for the ultimate Arctic experience, that is not too hardcore, but beautiful beyond nature, you should book a night at the “northernmost hotel in the world”. You will be one of the few people who can say they have slept at the North Pole. These Igloos are famous. They are mobile, made of extreme-weather-tested glass and offer heat and comfort while letting you revel in the beauty of the ethereal Northern Lights. You can only book them in April, the safest month to visit the Arctic Sea.
You might wonder what happens to the Igloos for the rest of the year? Well, they are placed on the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard, some 650 miles from the Pole.
4. Hotel Arctic, Ilulissat, Greenland (Denmark)
Situated very close to the Ilulissat Icefjord, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, this hotel has a brasserie and a conference centre. What’s the most interesting thing are the 8 aluminium igloo cottages which offer the tourists a marvellous look of the iceberg-speckled Disko Bay
5. Basecamp Baffin, Baffin Island, Canada
Heli-skiing and cat skiing enthusiasts should surely know about this retreat situated in the northern snowy fjords of the Arctic Circle, on Canada’s Baffin Island. It’s not luxurious for your normal standards, but it definitely is a luxury taking into consideration the fact that it is the world’s northernmost heli-skiing operation retreat and it can fit up to 8 guests in 4 private domes.
6. Arctic Bath, Swedish Lapland, Sweden
At the apex of the Arctic Circle, almost floating on the water of the serene Lule River, in the Swedish Lapland, you’ll find this Scandinavian-chic Arctic Bath hotel which will both amaze and frighten you.
It is basically a floating hotel and spa. Anyways, the word “float” is not fit during wintertime, but you get the point. It is basically standing in the middle of a white wonderland and it has 12 minimalist cabins surrounding a courtyard which nests a “cold bath”. We can’t tell much about this, since it will open January 2020 and you should go check it for yourself…if you dare.
7. Octola, Finnish Lapland, Finland
This is a five-star lodging right in the heart of the Arctic. It’s proof that going on a trip to the Arctic Circle could also be a pleasurable warm adventure. This hotel offers a series of really glamorous interiors, massive windows to admire the view, a wood-burning sauna to take some of the cold away and even a private reindeer-herding area. You could also explore some of the Arctic without leaving this hotel premises as you’ll have 300 hectares of private wilderness at your disposal.
Its architecture and design is inspired by the traditional northern Scandinavia heritage, burrowing a lot from the famous laavu shelters crafted by the native populations from this area.
