Who wants to spend their winter vacation trying to get sand out of their pants, getting sun burned and using a palm tree as a Christmas tree? Try one of these cool winter getaways, instead.
Winter Vacation - Sweden (Ice Hotel)
This hotel is built from scratch every year, which means brand new beds, sparkling clean walls and no tacky decor that your grandma would love. It's called the Ice Hotel for a reason - it's made completely out of ice. The Ice Hotel is on the shores of the Torne River in the old village of Jukkasjarvi, Sweden. 10,000 tons of crystal clear ice from the river and 30,000 tons of pure snow are used to build the Ice Hotel every year. There's even an Ice Chapel, an art gallery, a theater, and a bar. Each room is unique. You sleep in a cozy warm sleeping bag on top of a bed made from snow and ice, and covered with reindeer skins. In the morning you'll find hot lingonberry juice by your bed. What service!
Winter Vacation - Lapland, Finland (SnowCastle)
Cross the drawbridge and step into a winter wonderland. The SnowCastle in Kemi, Lapland has a courtyard full of famous fairytale characters. You'll also find these frozen figures in every cave and secret chamber. There's even the fierce Dragon Slide to watch over the throne. SnowCastle also has a SnowRestaurant, SnowHotel, SnowChapel and the CastleCourtyard. There are 15 rooms you can stay in and all of them are decorated with characters from the Northern Gulf of Bothia.
Winter Vacation - Quebec, Canada (Ice Hotel Quebec-Canada)
The Ice Hotel in Quebec, Canada has 16 foot high ceilings, walls covered in artwork and furniture (made from blocks of ice) to chill on. There's also an art gallery, a movie theater and a very popular ice bar where there's no need for ice cubes cuz the glasses are made of ice. It takes about 10,000 tons of snow, 350 tons of ice and five weeks to build this Ice Hotel. There's no need to sleep in long underwear - you have a warm sleeping bag to go on top of your bed of deer pelts. Each room is unique because different artists add their personal touch.
Winter Vacation - Greenland (Crystaline Igloo Hotel)
Greenland isn't a tropical island with green land. In fact, it's cold enough to have an igloo hotel. The Crystaline Igloo Hotel looks really cool when it gets dark. Candles light the way, and cast a romantic glow around the place. It'll be freezing cold outside but, wrapped up in your musk-ox furs, you'll look slightly odd but you'll be warm. You'll also have sleeping bags that can handle the cold. There are several ice sculptures inside and around the hotel. Most of them are lit up and made by local artists and igloo builders.
Winter Vacation - Manchuria, China (Habin Ice Latern and Sculpture Festival)
If you want to check out the most amazing ice sculptures in the world, head to the most northern part of China from January to March. The Habin Ice Latern and Sculpture Festival takes place in Manchuria, the coldest place in China, just across the border from Russian Siberia. The display of ice sculptures will leave your jaw hanging. That's why people pay to stand in the freezing cold and watch teams of sculptors carve 7-foot high blocks of snow into animals, mythical figures and other art. There are also castles, towers, the Statue of Liberty, the Great Wall of China, and even a huge Russian church made completely from ice. The best time to see it is after dark. Purple, pink, blue and green neon tubes glow inside these crystal works of art.
