Journal photographer Kate Woolhouse had us astounded by stories of her amazing holiday deep in the Arctic Circle in a hotel made from ice . . .

Cool as anything . . . the Icehotel in Swedish Lapland

Dressed in my thermal underwear and woolly hat, I slept like a log in the cozy sleeping bag on a bed built of snow and ice. Outside, in the freezing Arctic Circle, the temperature was -17 Celsius but in our bedroom, decorated with hand-made ice art and amazing ice sculptures, it was a relatively cosy -5.

Even so, the offer of a hot lingonberry juice, served at our bedside, was one both I and my partner Daniel couldn’t refuse.

Our room was one of more than 100 in the Icehotel in Swedish Lapland; a unique hotel created every winter in the little village, Jukkasjärvi, 200 km north of the Arctic Circle. The nearest town is Kiruna and it was to there that we flew from Heathrow for our short-break holiday that was simply amazing.

It really is an experience like no other. The hotel is literally created from blocks of ice from the nearby frozen Torne River and is a place where time stands still. When the spring comes and then finally the summer, the entire creation will once again become part of the rushing rapids coursing towards the sea.

Snow builders, architects, designers and artists from all over the world are invited to participate in the hotel’s creation each year. As one section is completed, it opens to visitors and overnight guests, while the other sections are still under construction. Each room is created by a different artist and is unique; in ours, the bed appeared to be suspended in mid-air.

As part of the complex there is also a church and bar made totally from ice; the restaurant, however, is a more traditional building, although even here you can eat on plates carved from ice.

There is also chalet-style “warm accommodation”, nearby and most people visiting Icehotel will “mix and match” their stay – perhaps one night in an ice room and two nights in warm accommodation.

One of the Art Suites, similar to the one occupied by Kate and Daniel at the Icehotel. The bed consists of an ice block and a thick mattress, covered with reindeer skins

Activities on offer include safaris through the Lapland countryside via snowmobiles and trekking through forest and mountain. If you’re lucky, you might see the enormous antlers of a bull moose on a nighttime excursion to their winter grazing lands.

There’s ice fishing, the chance to have a go at ice sculpting yourself; even the possibility of living and sleeping in the great outdoors at a “wilderness camp”.

I must admit this was the only time I’d had to prepare for a holiday after reading advice on “how to sleep well in -5C” and athough I’d packed my suitcase full of warm clothes, there was no wardrobe in which to hang them. Luggage is left in a central reception area under lock and key; to take it with you into your room would mean everything you had taken for your holiday would be frozen stiff by morning!

I’d brought with me a ski jacket, thermal trousers and underwear, ski socks and lots of jumpers to create layers. Hats, gloves and scarves were other essentials I’d brought along, although we were provided with snowsuits, a balaclava and hat, as well as snow boots which I wore the whole time.

The bed you sleep on consists of an ice block and a thick mattress, covered with reindeer skins. Our room was called an Art Suite but had no bathroom. Instead, we used a shower block, with steaming hot water, toilets, a sauna, and hairdryers, to prepare for our night in our icy bedroom. Luckily we didn’t have to get up again once we’d gone to bed, but other guests did and dashed through the corridors in their long johns!

Our buffet-style breakfast was served in the Icehotel restaurant and offered a choice of full English and hot drinks as well as a healthier continental option.

Enjoy an expedition by dog sled

From the many activities on offer, the two I really wanted to do were snowmobiling and a dog sled tour. The dogs were so focused on pulling the sled and were very strong and fast. When we stopped en route for cake and coffee, served in wooden cups and sipped next to a roaring campfire, we got the chance to get to know the dogs better. Surprising friendly, they loved being fussed over and stroked after all their hard work. Our coffee drunk, we jumped back on board and returned to the hotel via the woods and over the frozen River Torne.

We each had the chance to drive the snowmobile and followed the same route as the dog sled. Although it was dark, there was no escaping the sense of the vast wilderness that surrounded you as you travelled at 35mph, one behind the other. This trip coincided with the coldest afternoon of our stay – it was -26 degrees – and on the journey back, I could feel the icicles on my eylashes and nose.

Called “the hot bar for cool minglers”, the Absolut Icebar at the Icehotel is a also a must-see. Under the magic blue light of the bar, the ice sculptures seem to come to life.

All your senses are touched and as warm lips leave impressions on the ice glasses, created from the pure ice of the Torne River, reality seems very distant. We visited the bar several times just to marvel at the place and relax in our snow suits. The barman, wearing a huge fur hat and coat, was straight out a James Bond film . . .

As well as our stay in the ice room (for which we were given a certificate to prove we’d done it), we spent two nights in the hotel’s warm accommodation, the “Nordic Hotel Chalet”. The snowy views were superb, and with the temperature plummeting towards -30 degrees outside, the cold was actually making the walls of the buildings crack. It felt so good to come in from the cold, especially after an entire day spent outdoors!

Although the chalet had a lovely bathroom with shower, we were advised not to have too many hot showers as this can make you colder when out in the freezing temperatures. We also had one double bedroom, one room with two bunks, a small kitchen area and a dining area with TV.

A lovely retreat when the cold got a bit too much to bear, it was nice just to pop back and make a cup of tea for half-an-hour to warm up before going back into the cold. The bed was extremely comfortable and, because there are just a few hours’ daylight in December and January, it was difficult to get out of it.

We did do, though, because the breathtaking scenery, the exciting winter activities, and sleeping in our other bed, a bed made completely of ice, was a dream come true.

Icehotel accepts reservations all year round for its winter season, which starts in the middle of December. The final closing date each year is always in doubt, because of varying weather conditions, but experience shows it normally closes sometime at the end of April, as the structure begins to melt.

The number of rooms available each year varies, currently there are 80 rooms available. Usually, guests stay one night in Icehotel proper and then a night or more in warm accommodation. Most people stay at least two nights

Kate and her partner stayed at the Premier Inn, Heathrow Airport, before and after their flights and travelled courtesy of Discover The World, who offer packages from £881 per person, including flights, one night in cold accomodation and two nights in warm. If booking your own accommodation, rooms cost from £150-£255 per night in the cold hotel room based on a double room in an Art Suite and £120-£150 in the warm hotel chalet.

Discover the World is the only operator which offers the direct flight to Kiruna as part of its package; however, you can fly via Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) on a non-direct flight via Stockholm or British Airways on non-direct flights via several different routes. The dog sled experience costs £141.50 per person based on a four person dog sled. Snowmobiling costs £79.40 per person.

For further information contact, Icehotel, 981 91 Jukkasjärvi , Sweden, +46 980 66800. Discover the World, Arctic House, 8 Bolters Lane, Banstead, Surrey, SM7 2AR, 01737 218 800. Premier Inn, 15 Bath Road, Hounslow TW6 2AB, 08706 075 075.