Regardless of personal preferences for conveniences such as heat, an ice hotel is definitely a one-of-a-kind destination.

Every year, millions of people stay at hotels throughout the world. While some pay for trashy $30 rooms and others splurge on billion dollar resorts, a surprising number are coughing up cash for the chillingly unique experience of an ice hotel. In spectacular fashion, ice hotels are created every year in the Scandinavian Lapland and Quebec, Canada. Each winter, the Ice Hotel Quebec takes 11,000 tons of snow and 350 tons of ice to create a breathtaking hotel, complete not only with rooms, but also a sauna, wedding chapel, and dance club.

As you might expect, a single night at an ice hotel can range from $500 for a couple to $2,000 for a family of four. If you're willing to drop that much coin on a single night at a hotel in the Arctic, you might want to pack warm clothing. As interesting an idea as an ice hotel may be, it takes a unique individual to spend their day outside in the snow and ice, only to return to their hotel at night to find hallways, bathrooms, and bedrooms made of those very same frigid elements.

Inside an ice hotel, temperatures average around 25˚ Fahrenheit. Compared to the inclement local weather that can approach -13˚, 25˚ is actually quite balmy, even if most of us do not frequent vacation destinations that can cause our bodily fluids to solidify. Apparently the allure of these ice hotels is enough to draw droves of new, cold-blooded fans to the Arctic, more often a destination reserved for Iditarod contestants.

Regardless of personal preferences for conveniences such as heat, an ice hotel is definitely a one-of-a-kind destination. Visitors sleep in rooms made of ice, with warmth provided by sleeping bags or deer pelts. At the ice hotel in Quebec, each suite has a different theme. While an Egyptian-themed room doesn't make your ice cube any warmer, at least shivering guests can dream of warmer climes. Patrons are served drinks in ice glasses, and some hotels even serve meals on plates made of ice. Functioning fireplaces add to the mystery, if not the temperature, of these elaborate igloos.

Though ice hotels typically lack large mountains nearby that make for great skiing and snowboarding, enjoyable winter activities are abundant. If you can manage to leave the warmth of the hot tubs, ice hotels offer activities like dog or reindeer sledding, snowmobiling, ice-climbing, snow shoeing, skating, ice-fishing, and even movie theaters. Just don’t expect to unwind after a long day with a soda - it's likely to freeze.

Though ice hotels will certainly not appeal to every potential vacationer, the experience of surrounding yourself in a cavern of ice would certainly make for a once-in-a-lifetime experience. For more information, a good place to start is the Quebec Ice Hotel at www.icehotelcanada.com. Check out ice hotel packages with online brokers or a local travel agent.