Where is it? In Lapland, Finland, on the northern coast of the Gulf of Bothnia.
What's so special about it? Each winter, the SnowCastle is rebuilt using at least 30,000 blocks of ice. Open until April 10 this year, the SnowCastle is celebrating its 10th anniversary. Finnish architect Jussi Leppala designed the current incarnation of the fairy-tale castle to be bigger and grander than ever. Consequently, it contains a SnowRestaurant, SnowHotel, SnowChapel and Exhibition Gallery, all enclosed by a towering, turret-spiked wall.
How was it designed? Some of Lapland's best artists and designers put their heads together to fashion hotel rooms using textiles that reflect the mood of the Arctic. Heikki Ulvi and Mauri Markkanen collaborated to create water features within the SnowCastle, using steam to raise the temperature of parts of the ice and maintain the water flow. Glass-artist Ulvi also provided the artwork.
What is the SnowHotel like? The double-storey hotel has a 60-metre-long hall with guest rooms on both sides (far right). Despite temperatures below freezing, this year's SnowCastle includes an authentic Finnish sauna and hot tub. Otherwise, the warmest place in the castle is the hotel reception (above), where you can huddle over a cup of hot chocolate. There are 30 double rooms, two group rooms that sleep five and a suite. Despite the chill, you can easily keep warm on your snow bed while tucked inside a sleeping bag covered with reindeer-hide and lambskin rugs. Book into the top-floor suite for a view over the Gulf of Bothnia's sea of ice.
What is there to do? After a husky-dog or reindeer-sledge ride, gaze at the Northern Lights - the mystical Aurora Borealis - while you unwind with a cold Finnish beer. Take a trip on the Sampo Icebreaker, once a working vessel used to batter a route through the Arctic ice for less powerful ships. Today it is the world's only tourist icebreaker servicing ice-adventure tours. And if you'd like your wedding to take place in a winter wonderland, make arrangements to tie the knot at the SnowChapel.
What's on the menu? Cheese soup with smoked reindeer and Finnish flat bread, salmon spits with shrimp sauce and fried Lappish potatoes and cranberries with fudge sauce costs Euro40 ($400). Tables are made of ice, seats are covered with reindeer fur and the restaurant is decorated with ice sculptures.