18 September 2012
Snowflake Slumber
If the very idea of a white Christmas leaves you bursting with festive glee, but visions of chocolate box chalets bore you to tears, we may have just found something to set your heart into overdrive. Ski bunnies and design divas behold: these boutique boltholes are anything but ordinary.
Whitepod, Switzerland
Route des Cerniers, CP 681, 1871 Les Giettes, Switzerland
Live out your Bond fantasies in the midst of the mountains. Eco-friendly, minimalist and hopelessly romantic, these private pods boast enormous beds, ensuite bathrooms and crackling wood burners. Fly down your private ski piste or crunch through fresh snow on snowshoes. Kick off your boots and tickle your toes on an authentic cowskin rug. Watch intricate snowflakes tumble from the comfort of your bed at dusk and awake at dawn to a pastel sunrise over snow-swathed pine trees and dazzling mountain tops.
Kakslauttanen, Finland
FI-99830, Sariselka, Finland
Indulge in a stargazer’s eden, an insomniac’s paradise. Whip through an icy landscape on a husky safari, or glide through mysterious woodland on a sleigh towed by reindeer. Torpedo across snowy plains on a snowmobile and stop to hook fish from the frozen lake. But above all, seize front row seats to nature’s great technicolour light display among the glowing stars in these innovative glass igloos sprinkled amongst towering trees in the pristine Lapland snow.
Treehotel, Sweden
Edeforsvag 2 A, 960 24 Haralds, Sweden
Kick back in your unique designer treehouse suspended from the tree-tops. Pick from five luxurious cabins – for the hedonist: ruffle your feathers in the majestic Bird’s Nest fit for the king of eagles, for the shrinking violet: disappear into the near-invisible Mirror Cube. Learn secrets of the Sami culture in remote villages and test your skills on horse-pulled skis. Dine in a private candlelit tipi on an ice lake by moonlight, or simply relax in your hideout and enjoy a panoramic view that will melt your cares away.
Words by Annie Biziou van Pol
