Sorrisniva Igloo Hotel

The Sorrisniva Hotel experience blew us away. It was a beautiful hotel, wonderful helpful knowledgeable staff where nothing was ever any trouble and where they just went above and beyond expectations. The food, particularly the A le carte restaurant, was really lovely. Its a very picturesque location, ideally situated for local excursions and experiences. The hotel offers tranquility, a home from home feeling and the staff were so kind and great at each of their jobs. Highly recommend this place for a northern norway relax and spoiling of yourself!!

Overall bad experience. Room only available in the night. During the day it’s required to leave the room with all luggage and to stay in the entrance lobby. Luggage can be stored at the reception room however due to lack of insurance it is recommended by the hotel to not leave valuable things in. Only public bathroom and shower of the spa are available for igloo hotel customers. Hotel restaurant reservation times are not flexible and set by the hotel (we got the offer to adjust by 15min). Experiences are overpriced and even better organised by local restaurants.

When we planned our trip to Norway, we mainly wanted to see the Northern Lights, but we also wanted to stay in an ice hotel (just for one night). It was a bucket list experience of a lifetime and worth every penny! We arrived in time for dinner in the dining room shaped like a traditional Sami teepee. It was delicious and hit the spot after our long and white knuckle drive from Tromso. The hotel's website has very explicit instructions for what to wear to sleep in the ice hotel (basically just a merino wool top and bottom and socks and a balaclava and gloves) and what not to do in the igloo (don't leave your cell on an ice table or it will get frozen to it and leave it in your sleeping bag). You are given a mummy sleeping bag that is rated to below zero, a pillow and you sleep on a bed of reindeer pelts. We chose to sleep in a suite, which have the intricate artwork and themes, rather than in a plain room. The entire hotel is like an art gallery or museum because everything is made from snow and ice. The whole hotel melts away at the end of the season except for the LED lights. This was the 25th year of the Sorrisniva Igloo Hotel and their theme was the best of the last 25 years, so the snow and ice carvings were varied and very interesting. The biggest take away from the ice hotel for me was how quiet it was inside. The snow deadened all the noise. For me, it was hands down the best night sleep of my life. I felt like a baby in the womb snuggled in my sleeping bag and I wasn't cold at all. Now my husband, on the other hand, didn't have a restful sleep because he is of the age when a man gets up frequently at night to go to the bathroom. To do that, you have to get out of the sleeping bag, put on your boots without getting snow on your socks or wool undergarments and walk to the bathroom. Luckily it was right next to our room. He was certainly glad he had this experience and I wish he had the night's sleep that I did. The next morning we had a delicious and filling breakfast and then we headed out for a morning snowmobile ride. We each had our own snowmobile and the fresh snow on all the trees was breathtaking. They had special thermal suits for us to put on and we weren't cold at all. It was a ton of fun and I recommend adding this on to your stay. They also have a non-igloo part of the hotel and we were told that the King of Norway stays there in the summer to fish in the river on the property. So you know this is a well regarded place to stay.

Spending a night in the Ice Hotel had been on my partner’s bucket list for the last 10 years, and it didn’t disappoint. It’s both a wonder and a spectacular creation. Sleeping in arctic sleeping bags on reindeer skin in -4 to -7 temperatures with the eerie damping effect of the snow meaning you hear almost nothing. The Ice Hotel is attached to the Wilderness Lodge which has excellent facilities at your disposal. There were luggage rooms that were always accessible, toilets, lockers for valuables, and really nice shower rooms. The lodge was built in 2021 so everything is new and fresh. The staff are so welcoming, friendly and genuinely proud of their Ice Hotel, wanting you to have a great experience. I would definitely do it again.

We booked this experience through Fjord Adventures. We arrived at the Lodge and were guided to the Ice Castle first thing so we could pick our room before all the good ones were taken. It was very cold inside the igloo/Ice Castle. The beauty the surrounds you as you enter the castle is breath taking. Not just because it is cold, but because it is so beautiful with all the ice sculptures. For me a once in a lifetime event. I made the most of it. We were given free access to the Sona and whirlpool. My daughter and I took advantage of the spa before hoping into bed with this incredibly warm sleeping bag as we lay upon reindeer hides on a bed of ice. We slept in the Goddess room beautifully adorned with snow sculpture on the head of the bed and on the opposite wall. Excellent, experience. Not recommended for everyone. But if you think you dare, then so worth the experience.