Tourists in Kashmir’s Gulmarg ski resort have a new place to chill out – an igloo cafe that serves hot food and drink on tables made of ice and snow. Staff at Kolahoi Green Heights hotel on the Indian-administered side of the region took inspiration from Arctic shelters and added a few local touches – an arched door and patterns on the curved walls.
Syed Waseem Shah’s igloo café is the only of its kind in India and is inspired by similar attractions in the Northern parts of Europe such as Sweden, Norway, Finland, Austria and Switzerland. Shah is the owner of Kolahoi hotel chain.
The long-running conflict in the Himalayan region has hit Kashmir’s once booming leisure industry. But crowds still come to its snow-bound slopes ever winter. Domestic tourists seem to have more fascinated with this café as it is something unique for them.
First Igloo Cafe comes up in kashmir's Gulmarg pic.twitter.com/ILcL1uDIuI
— Basit Zargar (باسط) (@basiitzargar) January 27, 2021
The igloo, 26 feet around and 15 feet high, holds four tables with enough room for 16 guests. They can sip a cup of kahwa seated on snow benches inside the café, as the meal is served. Each bench is covered in animal hide to keep it warm.
Kolahoi Green group of Hotels and Resorts has come up with Kashmir's very first Igloo Cafe, at their hotel in Gulmarg.
— JandK Headlines (@jandkheadlines) January 24, 2021
The igloo is 22 feet wide and 13 feet high from inside. It can accomodate 16 people at any given time for lunch or dinner. pic.twitter.com/GwCqx2ZH8Q
However, igloo will probably survive only until the end of February. “It took us 15 days to create this 16-cove igloo café in meadows. Unfortunately, like all good things, it will be there only for a short time,” Shah said to Times of India.