Hotel de Glace, Quebec
Hotel de Glace corridor, via Octobre46 flickr
Jukkasjarvi Ice Hotel, Sweden
Jukkasjarvi, Sweden
Jukkasjarvi Ice Hotel, Sweden
Jukkasjarvi, Sweden
Jukkasjarvi Ice Hotel, Sweden 
Hotel de Glace via Octobre46 flickr
Hotel de Glace Bar, Quebec, via Octobre46 flickr
The dacha from Dr. Zhivago Although they look like movie sets, Ice Hotels are temporary structures made entirely of snow and ice (except for the fireplaces and the vodka). The first one popped up in 1989 in Sweden as an igloo intending to provide temporary shelter for an art exhibition. Some people brought reindeer hides and spent the night, reporting it to be an amazing experience. The builders of the igloo expanded on their idea and the Jukkasjarvi Ice Hotel was born.
The hotels offer day tours or for the heartier tourist, overnight stays. There are wedding packages available, including same sex weddings (forget California, make it really memorable!). Their beauty is truly ephemeral, lasting about 3 months before they disappear.
For more on the Hotel de Glace, click here. The website wouldn't allow me to download photos and they are worth seeing. For the Jukkasjarvi Ice Hotel, click here.
