The Ice Hotel

Bedtime saw one couple set up camp above the sauna, the others offered to stay in the lodge with the guide, which left us with a whole other lodge to ourselves. This was very toasty with a stove and gas heater, but we were scared they'd burn the lodge down as we slept, so we turned them off before turning in, a BIG mistake to make 200 kilometres inside the Artic Circle. I woke shivering at about 6am dying for the loo which was in a hut about 20 metres away in the woods. Brrrrr.

After breakfast we took a long route on the snowmobiles back to the hotel, before enjoying a bowl of elk soup for lunch.

Chasing Rudolf
Our afternoon activity was a visit to the Saami viste (homestead) where we lassoed reindeer (some more successfully than others) and then drove them in a race around their enclosure. This was a little hairy, as you climbed into a one-person sled while the guide ran with the reindeer to pick up speed, before tossing you the reins and you were on your own.

Thankfully, my reindeer turned out to be the Lada of the reindeer world and we quickly slowed to a walk despite my cries of 'MUSH, MUSH!'

After a few hours of making friends with the reindeer we retired to a Saami tent where we were cooked, yes, you've guessed it, reindeer. If you're wondering, reindeer tastes like stringy beef. Not great, but when in Rome...

To recover from eating Rudolf we hit the ICEBAR hard on our return to the hotel. I guess we'd worked our way through roughly half the cocktail list, before deciding it was probably time to find something to eat. The Ice Hotel restaurant was great. It was heated, and the gourmet menu was delicious, featuring local delicacies such as salmon roe, moose and chard, as well as sea bass and lamb.

By 10pm we were full and very tired. A quick hot chocolate at the bar downstairs was all it took to send us queuing for our Arctic sleeping bags and we were ready for our night on the ice.

Sleeping in ice
We booked a basic ice room which came without sculptures and decoration, but you can look round all the suites during the day as there are no doors. The ice rooms are a sort of igloo with an ice bed (including a mattress and reindeer skins).

It was actually quite comfortable and we were pretty cosy in our sleeping bags, but poke your head out for a moment and you soon feel the cold. The main problem is loo trips. You have to walk outside the hotel to the heated changing rooms for these, so my tip is not to drink too much before bed time.

I didn't get much sleep, I felt a bit claustrophobic in my sleeping bag, but I was glad I braved it. We even got a certificate to say we'd slept at minus 5.

The next morning, we ate a gigantic buffet breakfast - I convinced myself that the cold burns so many calories, that I HAD to eat it all - before heading back to the airport by dog sled. Now that's the way to travel.

To find out more, visit www.icehotel.com