Went to the Hotel Du Glace for my 39th birthday! Booked everything online at thier website and then by corresponding with the hotel via email. Had to pay through paypal over the website which I didn't like. Could always have called the hotel to make the reservation however.

My partner and I decided to book the two night package which included one night at the Hotel du Glace and one night at the attached L'auberge Duchesnay. The package included two buffet breakfasts at L'auberge, welcome drink in the Ice Bar and warm drink on waking at the ice hotel. We also booked a "back-up" room at the L'auberge for the same night as we had a room at the Hotel du Glace which I would highly recommend , not in case you get too cold in the Hotel du Glace but just a place to store your luggage, have some privacy and because the Hotel du Glace public facilities are limited and sitting around thier lobby would have been too boring! Remember you do not have access to your sleeping bag/room until 8:30pm. Lots of activites to do in the area and at the L'auberge although changing and keeping warm in your own room seemed so much more humane prior to retiring at the Hotel du Glace for the night! Also, if you are there for a second night, having to wait for your room to be ready would have been inconvenient.

Went in mid-March and there was some above 0c weather a few days before and some rain although this didn't affect the structure of the hotel or the ice experience promised.

As for the hotel, see the pictures and thier website and you will realise how spectacular this hotel is! From the outside and on the hill above, the hotel does not look too spectacular although once you walk inside and spend some time there you really see the artistry and hard work put into providing a 1st class experience to guests and visitors. There were literally 100's of ice sculptures around the hotel. The art placed in the ice walls, the information area on how they make the hotel every year, the Ice Bar, the ice slide which weaves in and out of the main hallway, the spa area are all fabulous and well worth the visit. The hotel offers tours of the hotel to the public and after the official tour you can go visit all the rooms (themed and regular). I think the tour alone is $15 per person but you can stay as long as you like to take pictures, have a drink in the bar, etc.... We took the tour when we arrived just to experience the hotel before spending the night in the hotel. Our tour was in the afternoon on a clear -15c day. Later that night, the hotel was totally light up and looked and felt very different from the whiteness of it during the day. Staying overnight allows you to see the transformation of colours of the ice in its natural state as the sun rises and sets but also to see it illuminated with colour. WICKED.

The staff at the hotel, fully bilingual, were very helpful as well. I found them to be very professional and respectful of your needs. They were very informed about the hotel and really emphasized how YOU can make staying in the hotel a unique and comfortable experience. The info session on preparing to go to bed and how to get into the artic sleeping was essential. Without this info, and without actually doing what you are instructed could easily have made the overnight experience a miserable one. I suspect some negative reviews of this hotel stem from not being well prepared to sleep on a block of ice in below zero weather.

Our room was very simple with a foam mattress in a wooden crate built into an ice slab with coloured lights around the lower portion of the bed. The floor was just scattered snow and there were no windows in the room. There was a small whole in the ceiling which was great in the morning to allow you to see if it was daylight or not. We slept right up until 8am without really stirring at all during the night. The mattress was foam and warmed up with your body heat although the foam around your body shape would get cold and be hard, or frozen if you will. You could easily move around although you could feel where the mattress was formed around your body and where the foam was still frozen. Again the NorthFace sleeping bags and pillows kept you very warm. We actually followed the guides advice and put our winter jacket, pants, sweaters, underneath our sleeping bag to help insulate us from the ice block below. Worked well. The sleeping bags are a little tight however so if you are plus size or more, ask the hotel for alternative blankets so you do not freeze during the night.

The hotel has a spa area with hotubs and a small sauna. Very handy to warm up before you go to sleep or in the middle of the night although make sure to be completely dry before heading back to bed.

As for the bar, I noticed on both nights that the bar had hardly any people partying. It looks like one of the coolest bars around with great music, ambience, lighting, dance floor and an interesting drinks menu. WHen I asked one of the employees she said that "Girls in skidoo suits are not very sexy!" and that is why more locals and people from Quebec don't come up and treat it like a regular bar. The bar area is where the hotel offers acitivities for those spening the night at the hotel. Sort of hokey but all in good stride. You actually got to carve ice which was neat and unique.

The themed rooms at the hotel are much more expensive than the regular rooms and personally I wouldn't recommend staying overnight in a themed room as during the day you can visit the themed rooms at your liesure, take pics and appreciate the artistry in them. If you want to splurge for the room with the private hottub that would be worth the funds in my opinion.

The rooms at the L'Auberge were also well appointed and comfortable. We stayed in the Caribou Chalet, away from the main hotel. Great view, comfortable bed and nice amenties.

The breakfast in the lodge was substantial with eggs any-way -you- like, bacon, suasage, french toast, pastries, cereal, fruit, cheese, meet and sweets. Also lots of coffee, tea, milk and juice. Filled up well on both mornings.

Outside of the hotel we partook in renting a snowmobile at the Kamoutik Aventure as well as going ot the Tyst Trygard outdoor hydrotherapy spa. Both were amazing and worth the visit. We took an unguided snowmobile tour although one of the guides gave us a hand drawn map of a nice 3 hour tour which was amazing and took us through open fields, over a mountain, through a running sugar bush (maple trees being tapped for thier sap) and through small trails with hills, streams and trees. We saw many deers on the route as well. Bring your camera. They also offer dogsledding which I had done in Banff a few years ago.

Also if you are in the area make sure to head to the Irish pub-bistro called Dazibo. Excellent food and service. Try one of thier Brik's, which is an interesting twist on a north African dish which basically is alike a spring roll stuffed with local meats and fresh veggies, etc..... Great beer menu too.

I just got back from the Hotel de Glace. My best friend from college and I went for the weekend. It was a wonderful experience. The hotel itself was a marvel. They let you tour all the different rooms prior to check in so you can see the art of each suite. First you check into your warm room at the Auberge where you can shower and keep your things without anything melting on them. I highly suggest making sure you have a warm room purely for this purpose. The food there was pretty good and the service was very friendly.

After dinner you check into your ice room. We booked the Spa Suite which had it's own elevated terrace made of ice overlooking the lake. The terrace has a hot tub and sauna built into it. There's nothing quite like sitting in 104 degree water on a balcony made out of ice. You wake up at 8 and do whatever activities you pick. We did snowmobiling and got massages.

Suggestions: We bought full suits of underarmour for the trip. This allowed us to just wear normal clothes around the hotel without being encumbered by bulky winterwear. I also suggest going into Quebec city for one night while you're there. The bar/club scene was much better than I expected.

For everyone who complains about the price - just don't go next time because you're ridiculous. You're staying in a hand carved 30,000 sq ft building made of ice. Did you really think it was going to be priced like the Holiday Inn you're used to?

You really can't compare this experience to any other, so I found it difficult to rate i.e. the room: what can you say about a room of ice? Compared to what? However I'll do my best. We stayed one night in the ICE Hotel. Contrary to other reviewers we found the staff extemely helpful and pleasant. The sleeping demo was very informative- "Jennifer" was knowledgable and patient with her explanation and advice. The sleeping bags are amazingly warm. You DO NOT sleep on a block of ice. Inside the ice block is a wooden frame which is topped by a thick foam mattress & fur spread. You sleep in your bag on top of that. I can't say it was the most restful night of my life but I did get to sleep and never felt cold-except my face, which was actually kind of refreshing. The Ice Hotel building iytself is truly beautiful- a real work of art. I have to say, it's not for everyone, but overall we had a very positive experience.

My mom and I just returned from the Hotel de Glace, where we had a most memorable time! The hotel itself is stunning -- the photos on the web site just don't do it justice. I felt like I was in an ice fairy land or something out of a movie. It was much larger than I thought, with 36 rooms or suites, two bars, a slide made of ice, and many ice carvings. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I would definitely return to tour future ice hotels that they build, though I'm not sure I would pay to spend the night again. It's roughly $12 USD to tour and we paid $430 USD for a suite. By touring, you can see everything that an overnight guest can. Although it was pricy to spend the night, I'm glad we did it!

The hotel is part of a "resort" complex called Station Touristique Duchesnay, which is on the pretty St. Joseph Lake. The area has several buildings where guests can spend the night, a main restaurant, and winter activities such as dogsledding, ice fishing, snowshoeing, etc. There is also a new spa that seems affordable compared to US prices, though we did not have time to go there.

This year's theme in the bar area was gargoyles, and there were ice sculptures of gargoyles and gothic-looking alcoves with benches where you could sit. The benches were covered with deer skins so that you would not freeze. There were ice tables and the shot glasses were made of ice. Ornate pillars lined the interior. The bars were made of ice and were truly amazing. You could also take a ride down the little ice slide, which was fun for kids and adults.

Many of the suites had a hockey theme. One had snow carvings of hockey jerseys, one had carved scenes of hockey players, etc. The artistry was really amazing. I requested a room without a hockey theme, as we are not hockey fans. We had the "abbey" room, which had a large gaellic-looking carving and many other carvings. The aquatic room, with a carving of an octopus, was amazing. The rooms had colored lights that enhanced the look of the carvings. Lights were easily turned off with a bedside switch (so you don't have to go hopping around in your sleeping bag to get to the wall). The non-theme rooms were plain on the inside and slightly smaller. We paid about $100 USD more for a suite, which I feel was worth it. Each room has a small hole in the ceiling.

We arrived around 4:00 p.m., based on the advice of other reviewers on TripAdvisor. This worked well. We went to the "pavilion" building for check-in. This building is accessed by a long flight of stairs. This is where the instructional debriefing on how to get into the sleeping bag is held. Debriefings are staggered and held in English or French. The building is heated and open all night. The bathrooms and locker room are in the basement. You can also make a dinner reservation there. If you want to eat at a particular time, I would recommend making your reservation before you arrive. By the time we got there, the only time left was 8:30.

We unfortunately missed the last English-speaking tour. There are tours in English and French which are staggered throughout the day. The ice hotel was busy at this time, so it would have been hard to stay together with a tour anyway. We probably should have arrived a little sooner. We spent about two hours exploring the entire hotel, getting a drink in an ice glass, exploring the small gift shop, and trying maple syrup on a stick.

I would recommend transferring your belongings to the locker room before it gets dark. The lockers were large enough for suitcases. There were men's and women's showers, which were clean, and toilet stalls. There is also a unisex sink area with hair dryers. Although it's like camping, it wasn't too much of a hassle. Unfortunately this area isn't as close to the ice hotel as it could be.

The debriefing lasted about 10 minutes. A young woman showed us how to get into our sleeping bags. The bags have liners that are washed. The liner is what is against your skin.

Dinner at the restaurant at Duchesnay was pretty good. Our waitress was friendly. The restaurant itself is rather nice considering that most people there have come from skiing, snowmobiling, etc.

There were activities after dinner starting around 9:15. Unfortunately we missed the activities because of dinner. After dinner, we went to the locker room to change into our bathing suits and to gather everything that we would need for the night. We left as much as possible in the locker. Towels are already in the locker room (2 bath towels per person) and you can request a robe. We then went to the hot tubs. There are 3 large hot tubs and a sauna. There are tiny changing areas and toilets by the hot tubs. This is where you go to the bathroom at night. The changing area is heated. It's a good idea to bring flip flops for the hot tubs. The hot tubs weren't that warm, in my opinion. The stairs to get in the hot tubs were extremely icy. The sauna was very warm and got me nice and hot prior to bed. They recommend that you get completely dry before putting your clothes on for bed. They also recommend that your first layer of clothing, including socks, be made of synthetic material. I ended up wearing a long underwear top and bottom, a turtleneck, a fleece sweatshirt, and sweatpants.

We went to our room and found the sleeping bags on the bed. They come in a bag that you can use to store your coat, etc. overnight. If you put something on the ice table in the room, it will have frozen to the table by morning. We carefully got into our sleeping bags. I found the bag to be a little constricting but very warm. In fact, I took my socks off and was perfectly warm all night long. Surprisingly, I got a decent night's sleep.

Around 8:00 a.m., the staff wakes you up. We got up and had the buffet breakfast at the restaurant, which was pretty good. Then it was time to leave. The trip was well worth it and something I will never forget!