Scandinavian Skiing/Ice Hotel

[wcel]

Hi, got a trip to the Ice Hotel booked for March time but was looking to incorporate some skiing into this as well. Can't find any convenient/decent slopes in Sweden so was looking at going home through Norway and spending a week there but the costs of accommodation are rather large!

At the moment its looking cheaper to fly back to Scotland then organise a package ski deal to somewhere like Bulgaria for a week.

Does anyone know any good/cheaper places to head in Norway (I was looking at Geilo) or is going further afield a better bet considering single airfares are on the high side.

Also keen to hear from anyone with experience of Ice Hotel in Sweden/lapland

Thanks

[CaptiV8ted]

Can't comment on the skiing, but two things, first - Scandinavia is bloody expensive. Food, car hire, hotels. Oddly, petrol is about the same as here.

Second, I stayed in the ice Hotel in Alta up near the top of Norway. It was part of a package deal which included a smow mobile safari the nexr day. A great experience, but don't expect a good night's sleep. The rooms were maintained between -4 and -7 degrees. You'll 'sleep' in your clothes, hat scarf and cover up as much as you can. It's a brilliant experience, everything including the glasses in the bar were made of ice.

Buy some good thermal under clothes - you'll need 'em!

[Gruffy]

I've stayed in the ICEHOTEL a couple of years ago. Beautiful place and very expensive, as mentioned. You could skip the sleeping in an ice room and not feel cheated. That part isn't really much to write about. You get to tour all of the rooms during the day.

If you go snowmobiling either insist on a closed face helmet or bring a ski mask with you.

The landscape looked far too flat for anything other than cross country skiing. I think you'd have to travel quite a way out to get anything worth talking about.

[wcel]

Thanks for the advice.

The Ice Hotel etc are all booked already, but we have decided to bail out of Scandinavia afterwards and head to Bulgaria for a weeks cheap skiing. It seems to get good reviews online, here's hoping!

[rhinochopig]

We got a last minute deal to Levi a few years ago and it was by far THE best skiing holiday I've ever had. Blew the Italian, French, and Austrian resorts away for us. Accommodation was better, the snow conditions were superb - like skiing on damp sugar - and there was so much other stuff to do as well: dog sledding; skidoo safari, xc skiing, etc.

Down sides were: the cold (-37 one day although it doesn't feel it due to the humidity); lack of height; the food was only so-so; and it got dark early and the apre-ski wasn't great if you like bars and getting pissed. That said, that aspect was a bonus for us as it was a family holiday.