Every November in Finland, the super cool Lainio Snow Village and SnowHotel (featured in the James Bond film Die Another Day) is created. Approx 1,000 truck loads of snow are used to create the Snow Village covering 20,000 square metres. The Snow Village is an arctic adventure offering a large ice hotel with an ice restaurant and ice bar, along with activities such as an ice maze and snow slides.

Opened in 2000, this ice hotel's accommodation consists of 20 igloo bedrooms and 7 fancy ice suites. Every year the Snow Village is designed different but always a magical experience combining ice artistry, handicraft and breathtaking constructions made of snow.

Snow Village Location
Found in the western part of Finnish Lapland, the location of the Snow Hotel is near the ski resorts Ylläs and Levi, about 150 kilometers north of Rovaniemi, Finland.

Staying Overnight in the SnowHotel
Pack yourself tightly into your sleeping bag during a night at the Snow Hotel. There are approximately 30 rooms, all made of ice and snow. Individually decorated suites with different themes are also available.

The temperature in the Snow Hotel ranges from 0 to -5 degrees Celsius (23-32 degrees Fahrenheit) depending on the Scandinavian weather outside. However, there is a heated area where hotel guests can enjoy warm showers and a sauna, or warm up in the group room in front of the fireplace and TVs.

Ice Bar
The family-owned Snow Hotel also has Europe's largest Ice Bar where you can meet others in a unique bar are with an otherworldly atmosphere, and drink from glasses made of ice. I can assure you, just seeing this bar is worth a visit to the Snow Village.

Leave the hotel and you find prettily illuminated ice sculptures to enjoy in the "park". Active and younger guests mingle at the ice maze and the big snow slide for some winter fun. Nearby, there is a sparkling white Ice Chapel with detailed ice sculpting that's definitely worth seeing.

Weddings in the Ice Chapel
For wedding couples, Snow Village offers remarkable settings for an unforgettable day of ceremony and celebration. To start with couples can choose between an ice chapel with furnishings made of ice and a traditional, cosy wooden chapel.

Here are a couple of the room options available for visitors to the Snow Village....

SnowHotel - Ice Suite

You sleep in high quality thermal sleeping bags. Each suite is individually decorated with unique ice art. Includes a guided tour inside the Snow Village, sleepover instructions, high quality sleeping bags and fleece lining bags, shower and toilet facilities, room wake up with hot berry juice, buffet breakfast in warm log restaurant and a diploma of igloo overnight stay.

Price: 320,00 €/suite/night

Includes a guided tour inside the Snow Village, sleepover instructions, high quality sleeping bags and fleece lining bags, shower and toilet facilities, room wake up with hot berry juice, buffet breakfast in warm log restaurant and a diploma of igloo overnight stay. Inside the snow hotel there are two warm bedrooms as a back up for those who want to change the room in the middle of the night. Evening or morning sauna in SnowHotel's underground sauna: 10 € / person. Sauna must be booked in advance. Warm overalls and boots can be rented from restaurant LainioKrouvi. Price is 10,00 € / set per day.


SnowHotel - Standard Room

You sleep in high quality thermal sleeping bags in a round shaped igloo room. The room is made of snow and decorated with a bedframe and bedside tables made of ice.




Includes a guided tour inside the Snow Village, sleepover instructions, high quality sleeping bags and fleece lining bags, shower and toilet facilities, room wake up with hot berry juice, buffet breakfast in warm log restaurant and a diploma of igloo overnight stay.



Double room: Adults: 120,00 € / person. Children: 70,00 € / person
Extra Bed: 70,00 €
Single room: 180,00 €

Includes a guided tour inside the Snow Village, sleepover instructions, high quality sleeping bags and fleece lining bags, shower and toilet facilities, room wake up with hot berry juice, buffet breakfast in warm log restaurant and a diploma of igloo overnight stay.

Inside the snow hotel there are two warm bedrooms as a back up for those who want to change the room in the middle of the night. Evening or morning sauna in SnowHotel's underground sauna: 10 € / person. Sauna must be booked in advance. Warm overalls and boots can be rented from restaurant LainioKrouvi. Price is 10,00 € / set per day.

Snow Village Opening Times
Snow Village will be opened again on December 10th of 2009 and will remain open until April 15th of 2010. Open daily from 10:00 to 22:00. Entrance fee 7 €/adult, 4€/child. Guided tour 40€/group. (group size 1-40)

Visit the Snow Village website for further details.

Emerald Lake Lodge Hotel in Lake Louise, Alberta, Canada features 85 guest rooms in cabin style buildings and the historic main lodge on the shores of Emerald Lake in Yoho National Park. Built of hand-hewn timber and featuring massive stone fireplaces, Emerald Lake Lodge includes a formal dining room, quiet reading and sitting rooms, conference facilities and a games room and boasts stunning views.



Emerald Lake Lodge is enhanced by an oak bar salvaged from an 1890's Yukon saloon. The historical lodge offers a true escape from the hectic pace of modern life - There are no televisions and no internet access in any of the rooms. There is no mobile phone reception in the entire area of Yoho National Park.

Emerald Lodge Games Room
The games room has billiards, chess, board games and the lodge's only television while the lakeside fire pit offers a bonfire under the stars with hot chocolate and the aromas of the forest.

Emerald Lake Lodge Dining
Dining facilities available at the lodge are the Mt. Burgess dining room with lots of game and indigenous fruits, vegetables and berries on the menu, and Cilantro on the lake, with its own well stocked wine cellar complete with a tasting area offering a selection of wines from France, California and Canada. Also the Kicking Horse Saloon offers the perfect place to unwind and is enhanced by an original wood bar from the Yukon, circa 1890.



Emerald Lake Lodge, Canada - Travel Video

Emerald Lake Lodge Location

Emerald Lake Lodge is located 20 minutes West of Lake Louise in Yoho National Park (2.5 hours from Calgary International Airport). Take the Trans Canada Highway heading West towards Field and Golden BC. The turnoff to Emerald Lake Lodge is located 1km on the highway past Field, BC. Follow the road for 6km until you see a sign that says "Overnight Guest Parking".

Turn left into the parking lot. In the parking lot is a cabin. Use the telephone in the cabin to call the front desk to have the shuttle pick you up and bring you to the main lodge. For transportation from Calgary to the mountains, and around the mountain areas, contact Banff Transportation.


Emerald Lake Lodge Map


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Final Note

For more information and bookings visit the Emerald Lake Lodge website