Canadian Ice Hotel Welcomes Cold-Loving Guests

On Tuesday, parts of the U.S. will deal with some of the coldest temperatures in two decades. Perhaps because of that, the last place you would think to vacation is Quebec, more specifically, Hôtel de Glace. It translates to "the Ice Hotel" and is exactly that: a hotel made of ice and snow.

The tourist destination, which opened in 2001, welcomes visitors from January to March of each year. Noah Maynard uploaded to Reddit photos from a recent visit. The pictures depict an ice wonderland: entryways carved out of ice, art engraved in snow-covered walls, and regular hotel amenities such as a spa and bar made out of ice.

"It's actually quite warm to sleep in," notes another Reddit user. "Usually, guests will sleep a few hours, then get up and spend some time in the hot tubs that are set up near the rooms."

The hotel provides sleeping bags on top of box springs that are carved out of, you guessed it, ice. According to the hotel's website, rooms stay between 23 to 27 degrees Fahrenheit, regardless of the temperature outside. The sleeping bags stay warm in temperatures down to 22 below zero.

On TripAdvisor, Hôtel de Glace is ranked 24th out of 98 hotels in Quebec City. A quick search yielded no rooms for any of the remaining Saturdays in January. For the first weekend in February, an overnight stay will set you back $949, at least.

Like other hotels, Hôtel de Glace offers more than just a place to sleep. The ice palace hosts everything from weddings to film sets for Super Bowl commercials. Travelers looking for a more traditional vacation can also purchase a package with both the ice hotel and the nearby Four Points by Sheraton.