Metal Igloos – Hotel Arctic, Greenland
OK, so we’ve ‘done’ snow igloos (great for freezing your bits off!), glass igloos (great for viewing Northern Lights) but how about metal ones?
The speciality of this place is possibly the best view of icebergs from a hotel room that you can get!
Situated on the west coast of Greenland on Disko Bay and 250 miles within the arctic circle, you will get views of the harbour, the town of Ilulissat (about a mile away which is good as you don’t hear barking dogs!) and of course the ‘bergs’.
A variety of accommodation is available:
• 22 superior rooms equipped with Bang and Olfsen tv and radio, all with sea views. Reviews say these can be a little on the small side
• 44 standard rooms – even smaller and most, but not all, have sea views and tv/radio but not Bang & Olfsen
• Suites – equipped as superior rooms
• 5 metal (aluminium) igloos available from May to September. Igloos are heated, have a bathroom (with shower of sorts – little more than a hose), kitchenette, tv and radio. These are reached by a short boardwalk. Being metal they do heat up quite rapidly during the day and can be a bit airless.
There mixed reviews regarding room curtains – some say they are not blackout curtains which doesn’t help getting to sleep in the summertime with 24-hour sunlight and others actually say they are very good. So, not sure what to make of that.
Other hotel facilities are:
• Conference center
• Ulo Restaurant – offering a speciality of the day, and on occasion Greenlandic buffet dinners and Grrenlandic barbecues
• Brasserie Takanna – more like a bar and grill
• Internet access in reception
The town itself is rather interesting - a bit like ‘Balamory’ with buildings painted in vivid colours (each colour giving a clue to the buolding’s usage) and the name ‘Ilulissat’ is Greenlandic for iceberg. Since 2004 it has been a world heritage site as the bay is fed by the northern hemisphere’s most prolific tidewater glacier. So - even if you don’t fancy cooking in a metal igloo the place is worth a visit for the scenery alone.
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