The Shangri-La hotel in Harbin has again opened its Ice Palace restaurant on the occasion of the Ice and Snow Festival in Northeast China, and just in time for the Chinese new year. An experienced ice sculptor and his team built it in the hotel garden in 20 days. The experts formed a dining hall and four rooms for private events from 700 large cubic blocks of the freezing construction material. So long as the weather stays favorable, the sparkling ice restaurant will keep operating until end of February.
Since the first of the restaurants was unveiled eight years ago, thousands of visitors from all over the world have come to have a special gastronomic experience during the roughly two months of operation. The menu features a multitude of hotpots, including the spicy, traditional local variant and a seafood stew. The Ice Palace bar offers space for 30 people. To keep the guests from freezing, they are provided with miniature heating units and gloves. In addition, there is an electric heater underneath each table.
The Shangri-La hotel Harbin is the first international luxury hotel in the area. The 404-room property is located in the middle of the city’s business and shopping district. Harbin is known for the European charme of its various historical buildings as much as for the annual Ice and Snow Festival, taking place from January 5 to end of February. Zhaolin Park and Sun Island are thoroughly ornated with sophisticated ice sculpures during that period. The showground for the sparkling pieces of art is a 15 minutes’ drive away from the hotel.
Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts, based in Hong Kong, is the leading luxury hotel group in the Asia-Pacific region and is considered one of the most respected hotel management companies worldwide. The group currently operates 59 properties comprising over 28,000 rooms under the hotel brands of Shangri-La and Traders Hotels. More than 50 projects are being developed in China, France, Great Britain, India, Japan, Canada, Macau, on the Maledives, in Austria, on the Philippines, in Quatar, on the Seychelles, in Thailand and in the United States. More information and booking via travel agencies or at www.shangri-la.com.
