Tonight we have Jamie Fletcher, a travel writer, who is here to talk about his stay in an ice hotel.0:04
Jamie, what made you go there?0:11
The simple answer is that my editor sent me there.0:13
But it's also the nature of the job.0:16
I suppose nobody wants to read about how I spent two weeks on the beach.0:17
That'd be boring, which is why I don't do that kind of writing.0:22
What the readers want is the weird and the wonderful, and the ice hotel certainly fits that bill.0:26
Can you tell us a little about how ice hotels started?0:31
It all started back in 1990, when a French artist held an exhibition in a sort of large igloo, a kind of shelter made of blocks of snow, in a place called Kiruna, way up in the north of Sweden,0:35
inside the Arctic Circle, apparently.0:47
One night, some of the visitors decided to sleep in the exhibition hall, and it seems they enjoyed the experience.0:50
The first ice hotel opened soon after, and it has been rebuilt ever since.0:56
It doesn't mean it's poorly constructed and in need of constant repair.1:04
The roof isn't going to fall on your head.1:08
In the spring, the ice melts as the weather gets warmer, and by the middle of summer, there is nothing left of the old hotel.1:12
And the new one has to be created out of new ice.1:18
Having to rebuild a hotel every year sounds like a lot of hard work.1:21
It is, but it also has its benefits.1:25
The owners can easily change the number of rooms in the hotel.1:28
That's one reason why visitors are told to book well in advance.1:31
If the owners know how many guests they'll have, then they know how many rooms to build.1:35
What about the furniture?1:40
Is that made of ice, too?1:41
Just about everything in the hotel is made of ice.1:43
And in some hotels, even the plates and glasses are ice.1:46
Obviously, they won't serve you a hot meal on an ice plate.1:50
You'll be served cold food.1:53
You have to remember that the idea is not to spend a long time in these places.1:55
Most people only stay for one or two nights.2:00
If you want to stay longer, heated chalets are available.2:02
You can also get a hot meal in nearby restaurants.2:06
I can't help thinking that this place is a little too cold for me.2:09
It's not as cold as you might think.2:13
Even when the temperature outside is minus 30, the temperature inside rarely falls below minus 3 degrees.2:15
The air is very dry despite all that ice, so it's not quite as bad as you would imagine.2:22
Of course, guests are told to bring warm clothes, but the hotels will provide them for people if necessary.2:27
And on the plus side, the beds are actually very warm, so a good night's sleep is no problem whatsoever.2:33
It all sounds very interesting, but I'm not too sure that you've convinced me to go.2:39
It is expensive and it is a long journey for such a short break.2:44
Look, this is not the sort of place you would take the family to for a two week summer break.2:48
But if you're looking for a holiday with a difference, I'm sure you'll find the ice hotel an unforgettable experience.2:51
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