Luxury Igloo Hotels Set To Open In The North Pole This Spring
Have you ever had the desire to live like Santa and the elves in the most northern point on our planet? You’re time may finally be here because for one month only, a temporary hotel site will be built in the North Pole and you could stay there!
North Pole Igloos is a company that is now dedicated to providing the most elite North Pole tourist experience out there, and with little to no competition, they most likely will. The “hotel” isn’t even actually a hotel, at least not in the traditional sense. 10 individually heated igloos are spread throughout the plot of land, and all are mainly open concept, meaning the igloos are transparent in areas so you can sleep under the northern stars.
“The North Pole has been one of the most exclusive travel destinations in the world for years, but no nice and comfortable accommodation facilities exist there. I wanted to create a more comfortable way to experience the North Pole as it is, by bringing cozy facilities to extreme conditions,” explains Janne Honkanen, founder of Luxury Action, the travel company behind North Pole Igloos, in an interview with CNN travel.
The igloos are set to open up April 2020 for one month only. The extremely limited amount of time is due to the weather conditions in the North Pole. The intensely cold climate conditions make the location inaccessible pretty much all year, however, in April it’s accessible via helicopter, and in June and July it can be reached by ship. Otherwise, massive blizzards and below freezing temperatures make the North Pole completely stark, baron, and devoid of life, besides Santa and the gang of course.
Normally only about 1,000 individuals travel to the North Pole every year, and it’s mostly scientists and weather experts who continue to try to learn more about the unique habitat. These individuals also have to provide their own tent housing and equipment for survival, since there’s no Marriott service up there yet.
The new Igloo hotels all are heated with indoor plumbing, an on site camp manager, arctic wilderness guide, chef, and personal security. The hotel service provides everything you need but don’t be mistaken, this isn’t like you average family ski vacation to Vermont, you’ll need to have the attitude of a real explorer, and also a spare $100,000.
Yes, for a grand total of $105,000 you will get all the services listed above for one night, meals, guidance, as well as flights and additional travel costs to get yourself to and from the extremely isolated Pole. The town that the igloos are near is known as Svalbard, and is fixed between the edge of Norway and the North Pole itself, this town is where you will spend the first two nights of your ice world vacation. After that you will take a two hour helicopter ride to a North Pole Ice Base Camp. From base camp you’re transported to the specific glacier that the igloos will be fixed on. Once there you will be ready to settle into your igloo for an evening spent under the stars and aurora borealis, That’s right, during the entire month of April the northern lights are normally always visible at night in the North Pole, talk about a view.
Before the base camp guests will also have the option to stay at Hotel Octola, which is also owned by Luxury Action, which is a five star resort in Lapland. This hotel provides a little bit of North Pole training, which basically means what you should plan on seeing, experiencing, and conditions to look out for, and how to handle them if they occur. The detour to Octola will cost extra, but is also recommended for individuals who have never dealt with extremely cold conditions, even though they’ll be in a heated igloo.
“Rather than remain on a fixed spot on one of the Arctic glaciers, the igloos will be moved around to the safest places if and when weather conditions change. While the main aim is for travelers to experience the North Pole in a new and unique way, I hope those who stay in the North Pole Igloos hotel can act as ‘messengers’ and help raise awareness about the effects of climate change in the region,” Honkanen says.
The people at Luxury Action experience the way climate change affects the North Pole and its surrounding Ice neighbors first hand. They really emphasize the “transformative travel” experience it hopes people gain from making the journey. They want everyone to see the effect climate change has on culture, food, and especially the arctic wildlife. Honkanen also emphasized that the igloos are a “purely sustainable experience” and any equipment used for the igloo experiences are brought back to Svalbard and their other hotel properties for safe keeping.
“Since I opened Hotel Octola, many guests have asked about the current state of Arctic nature,” he says. “I think this is a great opportunity to give them a chance to experience the North Pole in a safe way.”
Eric Mastrota is a Contributing Editor at The National Digest based in New York. A graduate of SUNY New Paltz, he reports on world news, culture, and lifestyle. You can reach him at eric.mastrota@thenationaldigest.com.