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Ice Hotels

Winter hotels here are not the usual northern ones. Two sit in the southern hemisphere, in Patagonia and New Zealand, and two in the North Atlantic, on the Faroe Islands and in Iceland. Winter falls in opposite parts of the year in the two hemispheres, so check the season for the place itself.

On this page

A low building on a bare hillside under snow.
A large modern building in stone and glass on a forested slope above a channel.

Arakur Ushuaia Resort & Spa

Ushuaia, Argentina

The short version

The house stands above Ushuaia on Cerro Alarkén, inside a private reserve of native forest, with the Beagle Channel below it. It is a large modern building in stone, timber and glass, with rooms in wings that follow the slope. The town and the port lie a short drive down the hill, and the airport is not much further.

What the rooms sit in

The site is a reserve, so the building is surrounded by lenga forest with marked paths running through it. Shared parts include indoor and outdoor pools, a spa and restaurants that face the water. Because the address stands above the town rather than in it, movement to and from the door is mostly by road.

Worth an email

Winter in the southern hemisphere falls in months opposite to the northern one, so settle the season before you book rather than assuming it. Ask about the shuttle down to town and its hours. Ask which wing a rate covers, as the outlook differs sharply across the building.

Ice Hotel · Ushuaia, Argentina · Checked August 2026

Separate chalets on a valley terrace surrounded by high peaks.

Minaret Station Alpine Lodge

Wanaka, New Zealand

The short version

The lodge lies in a glacial valley on a working high-country station near Wānaka, and it is reached by helicopter rather than by road. Accommodation is a small number of separate chalets rather than a corridor of rooms. Meals and the shape of the day are arranged for the house as a whole rather than ordered room by room.

What the rooms sit in

The chalets sit on a terrace above a stream, with peaks on either side and no other building in sight. A central lodge holds the dining room and the sitting room, and the rest of the valley is grazing land. There is no road access, so arrivals, departures and supplies all depend on the weather over the pass.

Worth an email

Ask how flights are scheduled and what happens when weather closes the valley, since that decides the whole stay. Confirm what a night includes, as meals and transfers are usually bundled together. Southern winter falls opposite to the northern one, so state your dates plainly when you write.

Ice Hotel · Wanaka, New Zealand · Checked August 2026

A long low building with a turf roof set into a hillside above a harbour town.

Hotel Føroyar

Tórshavn, Faroe Islands

The short version

The hotel stands on the hillside above Tórshavn, under a turf roof that runs on into the slope behind it. It was designed by a Danish practice and refurbished later. Rooms look down over the town and its harbour, and the building is long and low rather than tall, so it is barely read as a building from the road above.

What the rooms sit in

Because of the grass roof the entrance sits at the upper level, and the house is entered from the side rather than the front. Shared parts are a restaurant, a bar and meeting rooms along the view side of the plan. The walk down into Tórshavn is steep, and the way back up is not a short one.

Worth an email

Ask about transfers from the airport on Vágar, since the drive is long and crosses a tunnel. Weather closes roads at times, so ask how arrivals are handled when it does. Restaurant hours are shorter outside the main season and are worth confirming before you count on them.

Ice Hotel · Tórshavn, Faroe Islands · Checked August 2026

A low modern building in a broad valley with birch woodland and distant ice.

Hótel Húsafell

Húsafell, Iceland

The short version

The house sits in the Borgarfjörður valley in west Iceland, between glaciers and lava fields, with one of the country's remaining birch woods around it. The building is recent and low, with rooms along two floors. It works as the base for a small scattered settlement rather than as one address among many in a town.

What the rooms sit in

There is no village around the hotel, only scattered houses, a swimming pool and the wood. Shared parts are a restaurant, a bar and a small gallery of local work. Reykjavík is a drive of about an hour and a half, and the track towards the highland edge starts nearby and is open only in season.

Worth an email

Ask which roads are open for your dates, as the highland routes close outside summer and weather decides the rest. Ask whether the canyon baths and any guided outings are running. If you would rather not drive the valley road yourself, ask whether transfers can be arranged.

Ice Hotel · Húsafell, Iceland · Checked August 2026

The site is independent and descriptive only. Sources are public and may lag behind the building itself. Seasons fall in different months in the northern and southern hemispheres, and access to several of these addresses depends on weather and roads. Nothing here is sold, booked or endorsed; confirm the details with the hotel.