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My top 5 Winter Wonderlands.

Having grown up in the hot tropics of the equatorial Malaysia, I have never had the chance to experience the change of seasons and indeed I have never experienced the white wonder that is snow.

As winter is rolling around, here are my favourite winter vacation spots.
1. ICEHOTEL, Jukkasjärvi, Sweden

How can one forget the world-famous ICEHOTEL in Jukkasjärvi, Sweden? Every year, the ICEHOTEL is built from scratch, entirely of ice, as the winter months approach. More than just a hotel made of ice, it is a work of art, with beautiful ice sculptures that make up the hotel. The ICEHOTEL is also famous for its ICEBAR that is literally made of ice, complete with glasses made of ice.

You could even tie the knot with your loved one here at the Ice Church within the ICEHOTEL.

2. Alaska, USA

I’ve always wanted to go dog sleding and shout out ‘Mush!’ to those cute Huskies. What better place to do so than Alaska?

One can also enjoy the aurora borealis or Northern Lights in the Arctic Circle, across the Yukon River.

There are also opportunities to experience the native Inuit Eskimo Villages up in the North. Explore by taxi or by foot on the roads.

3. Vancouver, BC, Canada

Aside from the various ski resorts up in the mountains to choose from, there are also other things one can do in Vancouver, BC.

The VanDusen Botanical Garden Festival of Lights is held yearly in Vancouver and it is a sight to behold as beautiful lights brighten up the vegetation. Not only that, you may get a chance to visit Santa or even run into an Elf or two! You can also enjoy Choir Concerts at the Festival of Lights.

Though it is rare to see a lot of snow at sea level in Vancouver, it remains one of my must visit winter locations.

4. Verbier, Switzerland

Cited as having the best snow resort in the Alps, Verbier has some awe-inspiring scenery as a backdrop to boot! One can enjoy various winter sports at Verbier, such as skiing, sledding, tobogganing, and also hiking. For the more adventurous, Verbier is host Europe’s largest hang-gliding and paragliding schools. As for accommodation, there are over 25,000 chalets available for overnight opportunities.

5. Hokkaido, Japan

Last but not least, Japan’s lovely Hokkaido is one of my ideal winter vacations, with its lovely hot springs to take a dip in to keep off the winter cold.

In Sapporo, one can visit the various museums and parks, such as the Shiroi Koibito Park, Historic Village of Hokkaido and Sapporo Beer Museum. The Shiroi Koibito Park is a kind of theme park by a local chocolate company including a chocolate factory. At the Historic Village, one can view exhibits of about 60 typical buildings from all over Hokkaido from the Meiji and Taisho periods. Take a visit to the Sapporo Beer Museum to learn about the local brew.

Not forgetting the Sapporo Snow Festival, held yearly in February, where one can view hundreds of beautiful ice sculptures that line Odori Park.

never had the chance to experience the change of seasons and indeed I have

never experienced the white wonder that is snow.

As winter is rolling around, here are my idealistic winter vacation spots.

1. ICEHOTEL, Jukkasjärvi, Sweden

How can one forget the world-famous ICEHOTEL in Jukkasjärvi, Sweden? Every

year, the ICEHOTEL is built from scratch, entirely of ice, as the winter

months approach. More than just a hotel made of ice, it is a work of art,

with beautiful ice sculptures that make up the hotel. The ICEHOTEL is also

famous for its ICEBAR that is literally made of ice, complete with glasses

made of ice.

You could even tie the knot with your loved one here at the Ice Church

within the ICEHOTEL.

2. Alaska, USA

I’ve always wanted to go dog sleding and shout out ‘Mush!’ to those cute

Huskies. What better place to do so than Alaska?

One can also enjoy the aurora borealis or Northern Lights in the Arctic

Circle, across the Yukon River.

There are also oppertunities to experience the native Inuit Eskimo

Villages up in the North. Explore by taxi or by foot on the roads.

3. Vancouver, Canada

Aside from the various ski resorts up in the mountains to choose from,

there are also plenty of other things One can do in Vancouver, BC.

The VanDusen Botanical Garden Festival of Lights is held yearly in

Vancouver and it is a sight to behold as beautiful lights brighten up the

vegetation. Not only that, you may get a chance to visit Santa or even run

into an Elf or two! You can also enjoy Choir Concerts at the Festival of

Lights.

For the traveller at heart, you can go on a Canada Winter Train Vacation

through the Canadian Rockies. You can travel to/from Canada/Calgary and

experience the magnificent scenery between the two cities.

Though it is rare to see a lot of snow at sea level in Vancouver, it

remains one of my must visit winter locations.

4. Verbier, Switzerland

Cited as having the best snow resort in the Alps, Verbier has some awe-

inspiring scenery as a backdrop to boot! One can enjoy various winter

sports at Verbier, such as skiing, sledding, tobogganing, and also hiking.

For the more adventurous, Verbier is host Europe’s largest hang-gliding

and paragliding schools. As for accomodation, there are over 25,000

chalets available for overnight oppertunities.

5. Hokkaido, Japan

Last but not least, Japan’s lovely Hokkaido is one of my ideal winter

vacations, with its lovely hot springs to take a dip in to keep off the

winter cold.

In Sapporo, one can visit the various museums and parks, such as the

Shiroi Koibito Park, Historic Village of Hokkaido and Sapporo Beer Museum.

The Shiroi Koibito Park is a kind of theme park by a local chotolate

company including a chocolate factory. At the Historic Village, one can

view exhibits of about 60 typical buildings from all over Hokkaido from

the Meiji and Taisho periods. Take a visit to the Sapporo Beer Museum to

learn about the local brew.

Not forgetting the Sapporo Snow Festival, held yearly in February, where

one can view hundreds of beautiful ice sculptures that line Odori Park.

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