Every year since 200l, in mid December, the process of raising a new and ever more elaborate Ice Hotel begins in the Duchesnay region near Quebec City in Canada. The dream of Jacques Desbois, known throughout Quebec as 'Mr. Igloo', was inspired by the Ice Hotel in Jukkasjarvi, Sweden. This cathedral-like hotel, made from the purest of all natural resources, namely water, guarantees the most surreal experience to thousands of visitors each year. If you are one of the approximately 4000 people who are expected to spend at least one night in the 2008 Ice Hotel, you are a member of a very small club. As it is every year, the Hotel will be demolished around the 1st of April along with all of its spectacular works of art, sculptures and unique architecture. Another Ice Hotel will arise in 2009, quite probably even grander and more elaborate than the current version, but for me, the 2008 Ice Hotel will be forever memorable because I spent a night in its icy splendor. I wandered its glistening crystal halls where colored fiber optic lights from ice candelabra segued through the towering columns like brilliant northern lights. I sipped ice-cold vodka from glasses made of ice and lounged in the sauna and hot tub located in the snowy interior courtyard just outside the hotel where gently falling snowflakes coated my hair in the eerie, magical and steamy nighttime light. Eventually it was time to retire to my artic sleeping bag, where a thick foam mattress and a layer of fur insulated me from the ice and snow.I slept soundly and warmly until early morning.

The Ice Hotel is made completely of 15,000 tons of artificial snow and 500 tons of ice with ceilings over 19 feet high. Stainless steel moulds are used to form the outer shell of the hotel. Snow is blown onto and between the moulds and allowed to harden for up to three days. The moulds are then removed leaving the four foot thick walls and cathedral ceilings.

Ice blocks, approximately 500 tons, are used for the interior structures such as columns, the bar, furniture, a ceiling to floor ice slide, and sculptures. The entire construction process takes twenty workers about a month to complete. Another 10 or 15 artisans are needed to add the carvings and sculptures. By early January the hotel is ready to open in a grand celebration which includes fireworks, music and art displays.

This year there are 36 rooms in the hotel which can accommodate at least 88 people. The rooms range from simple square spaces to elaborately carved and decorated suites. One special suite contains a fireplace and private sauna. There is also a chapel where between 20 and 30 weddings are performed each year. The Ice Bar and the N'Ice Club lounge can hold over 400 people many of whom sit on ice chairs and banquets lined with wolf and deer furs. The temperature within the hotel is a constant 23 to 26 degrees Fahrenheit no matter how cold it is outside. The total space is over 32,000 sq feet.

For those who do not have the time or inclination to spend a night at the hotel, guided tours are available every day between 10.30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. I have no doubt that many of those who come to look, come back to stay in this magical crystal palace. Whether you choose to celebrate a memorable occasion or just spend a night so you can say, 'I did it,' it is an unforgettable experience. Even the pictures I took cannot completely convey the pure icy beauty and calm stillness of the hotel.

There are a variety of support services just outside and near the hotel. There are hot showers and dressing rooms in the bathrooms located in the interior courtyard. There is also a pavilion just a few steps above and outside the hotel complex where it is possible for visitors to escape the icy cold and sip hot chocolate or coffee in front of a roaring fire and sleep in warm rooms. Surprisingly, very few guests take advantage of this option, preferring instead to pass the night in their cozy sleeping bags. And just above the hotel, also within walking distance, is the Auberge Duchesnay where guests take all of their meals.

There are also a number of winter sports available in the area. The nearby Auberge Duchesnay can help make arrangements for dog sledding, snowshoeing, hiking, snowmobiling, cross-country skiing, ice fishing, or skating.

As April approaches, plans go into effect to demolish the hotel. Instead of letting it melt slowly away into the late Spring, a crew begins the demolition process on April 1st. Nothing is saved. The beautiful artwork, the carved walls, the icy furniture and the giant ice slide all return to the pure water from which they sprang. The water runs into the river and gradually the flowers, meadow grasses and robins of summer claim the Station ecotouristique Duchesnay. Another Ice Hotel is already being planned. I strongly suggest that you be a part of the elite few who will experience the Ice Hotel 2009 in Quebec.

Contact Information: www.hoteldeglace.qc.ca or www.icehotel-canada.com. Tel: 1-877-505-0423. E-mail: information@icehotel-canada.com