A Floating Hotel Just Opened in Sweden and It Looks Surreal

From House Beautiful

The technological noise in this day and age continues to intensify–whether it’s the notifications on your phone, how many helpful-yet-interrupting Alexas you own, or another dramatic season of your favorite trash reality show. Sometimes, it's nice to think back to a time when technology was far less advanced and all-consuming. If you’ve ever wanted to run away from it all–if only for a few days–a luxury floating hotel opened in Sweden to give you a chance to do just that at an oasis of wellness and natural design. Looking for an escape? This might be it.

In Swedish Lapland, the hotel Arctic Bath is surrounded by woodland, icy waters, and a glowing sun. The middle of the floating structure is designed to look like a cluster of logs on the river to pay homage to the importance of forests in the country’s development. A giant ice bath lay at its center with saunas and other wellness facilities around it.

The cabins range from a five-bed land cabin to a two-person suite to double-room floating cabins. The rooms on the water are connected to the shore by floating walkways. They free-float in the summers and sit on the frozen Lule River in the winters. Nature is incorporated into the cabins through the use of wood, stone, and leather to encourage guests to “immerse themselves in the elements while leaving a minimal environmental footprint behind,” according to the hotel's website.

Booking a stay in any of the cabins gets you breakfast every morning and a five-course set menu dinner each night (it changes daily). Everything the hotel's restaurant serves is locally sourced. That means breakfast involves a selection of local breads, meats, and cheeses, while dinner involves signature dishes like lightly-smoked capercaillie and Gahkku (Sámi flat bread).

If the idea of focusing on wellness while surrounded by the beauty of nature doesn’t sound like enough to entice you, the hotel also offers a ton of activities to embrace while you’re there. From husky sled rides to village visits, you can explore arctic nature away from the hotel’s main area.

I’m already more in tune with nature just thinking about this hotel’s setup. It seems like the kind of place that will make you want to chuck your phone into the Swedish waterway and never look back.

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