Ice hotels are fairly commonplace in northern countries where temperatures regularly fall below freezing, but that didn’t stop the Sharaf Group from opening an ice lounge in the middle of the desert.
The latest in a string of improbable Dubai attractions, the Chillout Cafe offers hot drinks and food in sub-zero temperatures.
Everything inside the Chillout Lounge is made from ice, including the picture frames and curtains, according to the Daily Star.
The tables, lighting fixtures, bar tops are all carved out of giant blocks of ice, while seating areas are, thankfully, covered in fur.
Guests who step out of the outdoors, which easily reach 40C in peak summer, are equipped with designer parkas, boots and hats to keep them warm inside, where temperatures hover at -6C.
They’re given one hot beverage and can order from a small menu which helpfully includes an “eco-friendly sandwich.”
A newly wedded man, a Saudi travel agent, told the paper that the Chillout Lounge was the first stop on his honeymoon trip.
It costs $17 for a recommended 40 minute visit, which comes with the necessary winter gear and one hot beverage served in an ice vessel! Meals are extra.
Like the indoor ski slope, which is home to a colony of penguins, an ice lounge in the middle of the desert must involve an exorbitant energy expenditure, even if attractions like these boost the local economy.
:: Daily Star
Author: Tafline Laylin
As a tour leader who led “eco-friendly” camping trips throughout North America, Tafline soon realized that she was instead leaving behind a trail of gas fumes, plastic bottles and Pringles. In fact, wherever she traveled – whether it was Viet Nam or South Africa or England – it became clear how inefficiently the mandate to re-think our consumer culture is reaching the general public. Born in Iran, raised in South Africa and the United States, she currently splits her time between Africa and the Middle East. Tafline can be reached at tafline (at) greenprophet (dot) com.
Get your heads out of the champagne bucket, you guys! The world needs your money and brains for the challenges ahead.