Luxury floating hotel opens in Sweden

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(CNN) — Framed by abundant woodland, surrounded by icy water and bathed in the glowing winter sun, this new hotel in Swedish Lapland already sounds pretty special.And that’s before you realize its centerpiece is a circular structure adrift on the Lule River, reachable only via wooden walkway and designed to resemble a cluster of logs caught adrift on a Swedish waterway.Welcome to Arctic Bath, a “floating hotel” in the Scandinavian north. In the middle of this floating edifice is a giant ice bath, open to the elements and offering a pretty spectacular spa experience for guests who brave the cold. The rest of the building is comprised of various saunas and bathing experiences.The hotel’s 12 rooms are dotted around the river banks and on the water’s edge, Scandi-chic cabins offering eye catching views of the ever-changing skies and cozy, minimalistic interiors.This new accommodation spot, designed by architects Bertil Harström and Johan Kauppi, suggests a constant dialogue between nature and the man made structure.Unusual designThe centerpiece of Arctic Bath is this circular floating structure.Courtesy Anders BlomqvistDesigns for Arctic Bath premiered back in early 2018, with its striking architecture and watery theme capturing the imagination of travelers across the world.Now the hotel — located about an hour and 15 minutes from Luleå Airport — is open for business, and also offers first-rate culinary offerings at the hotel restaurant.The theme of wellness is pretty high on the list of priorities for Arctic Bath, the food’s got a healthy bent, with locally sourced ingredients, while the emphasis on cold bathing is to aid muscle pain. Guests brave enough to plunge into the pools will be able to enjoy an incredible spa experience.Courtesy Daniel HolmgrenActivities on offer include — unsurprisingly, perhaps — yoga, mindfulness and meditation.There’s also the opportunity to enjoy the great outdoors — think bear watching, horseback riding and courses in wildlife photography.Arctic Bath is located in pretty stunning spot in Swedish Lapland.Courtesy Anders BlomqvistDuring the winter months, the Northern Lights illuminate the skies above.The Arctic Bath team is also keen to bridge the gap between tourists and locals living in the neaby village of Harads, and guests will have the opportunity to learn more about the local Sámi culture by visiting a local resident at her home.The team behind the new hotel also helped bring the nearby, successful Treehotel to life. “I think TreeHotel prepared the world for Arctic Bath as the next project,” said co-architect Bertil Harström of Arctic Bath back in 2018.

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