ZERMATT, Switzerland -- Each year the Igloo Village hotel is rebuilt from new snow.

The village is the ultimate seasonal vacation resort. It doesn't just close for the summer; it melts away. But starting in November, Iglu-Dorf reappears to provide a truly unique hotel experience for those who want to say they did something really different in Switzerland.

• Checking in: The hotel has standard igloos, but you'll have to share yours with five others. Go for the upgrade to the ``Romantic Igloo:'' You get a double-occupancy igloo, Prosecco and a snack, and your igloo is decorated with sheepskin rugs. Included in the standard package is a snowshoe hike, which guests take together using snowshoes and poles provided by the hotel.

• Rooms: It's a safe bet that the whirlpools at the hotel will be full before the last guests tuck themselves into their sleeping bags, which is what serve in lieu of beds in an igloo. (Don't worry; The hotel provides them too.) There are toilet facilities (no hot showers, though), and there is even one suite, which is nearly always booked way in advance by true igloo connoisseurs.

• Dining: The one dish that can be made on the stove of the igloo without endangering anyone is cheese fondue, so that's what the chef makes -- every night. After that, guests can loosen their parkas and take advantage of the cozy indoor bar; there's a bar outside too. The specialty drink is red or white Gluehwein (hot mulled wine).

• What to do: Mornings bring sunshine and not much else. Guests check out and ski or sled down to breakfast, which is part of the package but served at a mountain hotel. Most guests stay for one night, playing hooky from other hotels in Zermatt. Every now and then, a couple comes to get married here.

• Iglu-Dorf (Igloo Village) is in Zermatt and five other locations, 011-41-0-41-612-27-28 or www.iglu-dorf.com. Weeknights run about $225 per person; slightly higher on weekends.

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