Let’s take a look at a few of Scandinavia’s unique hotels. Accommodation across the world has come a long way in recent decades: with the rise of posh-tels, flashpackers, and Air B’nBs; the diversity of accommodations for travelers has never been greater. Sure, the commonplace hotel continues to provide, but others have embraced the shifting industry by transforming their product and carving out fresh niches by offering experiences that no other provider can match.
Scandinavia’s Unique Hotels
Take a journey through Europe today and you’ll find some of the most outrageous, unique and unusual hotel experiences in the world. Many of these unique hotels lurk in the intrepid climes of Scandinavia (though here it’s more about what’s outside the hotel than what’s in it).
Krakenesfyr, Norway
Enjoy a night or two in an old weather house
The lighthouse option (while unique) might not be anything too new, yet this one in Kråkenes, Norway, is possibly one of the most unforgettable in the world. Located on the tip of Norway’s western coastline – notorious for its harsh weather – this old weather house and storm station provides a truly unique getaway from the hum and rumble of day to day life: a cozy, warm lit, 100-year-old set up where the winds howl wildly and the sun sets like a dream.
6710 Raudeberg,
Norway
Ice Hotel, Sweden
A dazzling blue suite in the Ice Hotel
For a quarter of a century, high up by the Lapland town of Jukkasjärvi, Sweden’s Ice Hotel has sprung up year after year, dazzling lucky guests with its incredible arctic décor. After melting the previous spring, its walls, ceilings and floor are carved and shaped each winter to become the canvasses of some of the world’s greatest artists and designers. Ice Hotel thrives as a beloved institution, a bona fide art installation and hotel experience like no other. Fair to say, it’s the coolest place to stay on earth (and the closest thing to Superman’s ‘Krypton’ this side of the universe).
Marknadsvägen 63, 981 91
Jukkasjärvi,
Sweden
Book your stay at the Ice Hotel here>>
Treehotel, Sweden
The Mirror-Cube at the Treehotel
Located in the sleepy northern township of Harads, the five-year-old Treehotel is Sweden’s latest concept hotel. Comprising six artistically constructed ‘treerooms’ suspended in 100 year old spruce trees, each unique space – from the rustic dragonfly, to the martian-esque UFO, to the ethereal mirror cube – is a stunning work of art, each offering a truly glorious view of the Lulea Valley and surrounds.
Inside the Mirror Cube, at the Treehotel
This unique hotel is for those who prefer the alpine option to the far chillier, and much icier, arctic north.
Compare prices and get the best deals for the Tree Hotel here.
Kakslauttanen, Finland
The warm lit igloos of Kakslauttanen, a great place to sleep under the Northern Lights
Billing itself as one of the most enchanting vacation experiences in Scandinavia (and one of the best spots on earth to enjoy the dancing emerald Aurora Borealis), Kakslauttanen takes ice hoteling to the next level. Kakslauttanen is one of the most unusual of Scandinavia’s Unique Hotels. Along the road to the Arctic Sea, two hundred and fifty kilometers north of the Artic Circle, you will get to literally sleep under the northern lights; suites take the form of Kelo-glass-ceilinged igloos: cozy pods of warmth amidst the snow and natural splendor. Of course, if winter’s not your thing, Kakslauttanen’s Lapland is a fine place to enjoy the rugged wilderness and a few extra special sleepless nights under the eerie Midnight Sun.
Kiilopääntie 9, 99830
Saariselkä, Finland
Find great deals for the iconic Igloo Hotel in Finland here!
Kirkenes Snow Hotel, Norway
Unique suites in the Kirkenes Snowhotel
While Sweden has its Ice Hotel, Norway has its ‘snow’ equivalent. Roughly two hours in the air from Oslo, not far from the Russian border, Kirkenes offers an equally enchanting winter hideaway to its Swedish counterpart. It too is seasonally constructed: it comprises 40 icy suites, an ice bar, hotel, chapel and a restaurant serving the finest Arctic fare. Dog sled and snowmobile by day, rug up under a reindeer fur blanket at night, the Kirkenes is without doubt the most unique place to shack up within a shell of frozen water in all of Norway.
Sandnesdalen 14, 9910
Bjørnevatn, Norway
Book your room at the Kirkenes Snow Hotel in Norway here.
Sala Silvergruva
A cosy night in the depths of the Sala Silvergruva’s mine suite
Home to the deepest hotel room in the world, and surrounded by ‘winding galleries’ and ‘thrilling cavities’, the Sala Silvergruva’s trademark suite lurks 155-metres inside the depths of a repurposed mine shaft. With a champagne supper, and a radio intercom as your single link to the outside world, a night at the ultra-subterranean Silvergruva is certainly not one for claustrophobes.
Drottning Christinas väg, 733 36
Sala, Sweden
Jumbo Stay
The Deluxe Cockpit Suite at the Jumbo Hostel
Laying over but preferring not to leave the plane? If you happen to be passing through Stockholm, now you can enjoy an extra night’s rest in the hold of a decommissioned Boeing 757. Sitting idle just 65 meters from the terminal exit, the former Pan Am passenger jet has been stripped of its 450 seats and converted into 33 separate rooms. By far, this is one of Scandinavia’s most unique hotels.
Dine in style at the Jumbo Hotel
Guests can book an ultra, unique overnight experience, replete with a retro lounge fit-out with en-suite bathrooms, and a panoramic view of the Arlanda runway.
Jumbovägen 4, 190 47
Stockholm-Arlanda, Sweden
Book your night on board a Jumbo here!
Written by Cam Hassard for EuropeUpClose.com