Russia opens its first ice hotel

The first ice hotel in Russia will be opened at a ski resort in Arkhangelsk region on St Valentine’s Day, just ahead of Pancake Week, widely celebrated throughout the country.

Situated about 850 kilometers to the north of Moscow, the heart-shaped hotel is going to be built of crystal-clear ice taken from taiga lakes and the white snow of Russia’s north.

So, if you feel like drinking a shot of vodka from a shot glass made of ice, or sleep on an ice bed in a sleeping bag, your destination could be not only Scandinavia or Canada, but Russia as well.

The Russian Snow project boasts to have an ice bar, ice cinema, ice gym (with all the equipment made of ice, of course) and even a wedding palace!

Inside the hotel there will be ice sculptures dedicated to the famous Russian scientist and university founder Mikhail Lomonosov, marking his 300th anniversary in 2011.

The temperature inside the ice building will never rise above 0º Celsius.

The hotel will be open until the end of March and, with a bit of luck, could last even longer.