Sandy gets around.....: Hotel de Glace (Ice Hotel) in Quebec.....

A must-see is the Ice Hotel which is just 10 minutes away in Charlesbourg about 5 km north of Quebec City. It is the first ice hotel in North America, built each December for an opening in early January. In its first year in 2000, it had 22 beds, but I think there were over 80 beds in it this year which are all made of ice and lined with deer furs, covered with mattresses and Arctic sleeping bags. Some of the rooms seemed to look a lot alike, but there were several that were unique. I was quite impressed by the design of the ice furniture in the rooms including the headboards as well as by the carvings of the snow walls, very artsy! Only the bathrooms are heated and they are located in a separate area.

I found out that it takes 60 workers about a month and a half to build the hotel. They make their own snow using a special mixture to adjust the humidity and it is made of 15,000 tons of snow and 500,000 tons of ice. Tthe walls are up to 4 feet thick. In addition to the private rooms in which one can stay, there was a club/bar and a slide. There was also a large open room with whimsical cartoon-like characters, ,etc. All furniture is made of ice as was the glass in which I had my drink...it was like a cube with a cavity! Oh! there was even an ice chapel in which one can get married! I think that is the room in which I am standing under the chandelier. Okay, so here are the pics, enjoy! I did not stay the night, the idea of lying solo (yes, all the sleeping bags are single) on a bed of ice in what feels like a tomb just does not appeal to me! Plus it cost $200/pp!!! But we did a tour on our own for about $15 which was well worth it.