14 Nov

SLEEK WINTER CHIC IN MONTREAL’S SNOW VILLAGE

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Starting January 6, Montreal’s Parc Jean Drapeau will be blessed with a magically stylish winter wonderland known as the Snow Village. For our friends from warmer climates: yes, stylish winter wonderlands are possible. Montreal is, after all, a city that holds one of its coolest festivals, Igloofest, in January. And since this village boasts a hotel, restaurant and bar among many other icy delights, I’d strongly consider cancelling that trip south and booking a ticket to come get down up north…

Since construction won’t be completed until December, the images and video you see below are from the original Snow Village in Finland. Which is fitting, as it was the inspiration for Montreal’s newest winter attraction.

“We fell in love with the original project and decided to import it to Montreal,” says Carl Fugère, one of the project’s promoters. “In fact, the Montreal version of Snow Village will be much more elaborate and have more features than the Finnish version. What’s more, the Village will depict a different city each year, particularly through its sculptures, design and activities. For our first year, it seemed only natural to showcase Montreal.”

Let’s start with what must be your first question: how cold does it get? Due to snow’s insulating properties, warmer than you’d think- the interior temperature ranges from -2 to -5°C (23° to 28°F). So absolutely nothing some decent outerwear and nice warm drink or two can’t handle. Boasting heated outdoor spas under the stars, a 60-seat restaurant, a 250-seat bar, a huge conference centre, maze, slide and even a chapel, you probably won’t even have time to be cold.

Like all good hotels, the Snow Village offers a range of options. At the Snow Village, you’ve got standard rooms, prestige suites and, clearly coolest (pun sort of intended), igloos. All the rooms come with thermal sleeping bags for the night, welcome cocktails, continental breakfast and much more. (TIP: book before January 6 to take advantage of their promotional deal.)

If you’re not ready to take the full plunge, why not just spend a couple hours in their restaurant, a 100 square meter igloo decorated with illuminated ice and snow. The menu details haven’t been released yet, but you can check out the Snow Village’s Facebook and Twitter pages to keep track of any new announcements.

The Snow Village’s bar, aka The Kube, is sure to be one of Montreal’s new winter hotspots. And if you’re still not convinced about how much fun can be had in the cold Montreal months, check out our video from last year’s Igloofest, which is held on other side of the Saint Lawrence River in Old Montreal. Pack something warm… and stylish.