Free food 24 hours a day, no alcohol and the threat of polar bears on the doorstep – welcome to one of the northernmost hotels in the world.
South Camp Inn is located in Resolute, which is an extremely remote pint-sized settlement around 500 miles north of the Arctic Circle in Nunavut, Canada.
Getting there involves flying from Ottawa, Montreal or Yellowknife to the city of Iqaluit, and from there, it is about another four-hour flight with the airline Canadian North, with a return trip coming in at well over $2,000.
The only tourists venturing to this part of the world are either wildlife enthusiasts, hunters or adventurers and I fell into the latter category.
I was taking part in an all-female ski expedition venturing to the 1996 Magnetic North Pole to collect snow and ice samples to better understand climate change and our team – five of us in total – checked into modest-looking hotel before setting off.
From the outside, the South Camp Inn looks pretty nondescript, with a cream, ridged exterior akin to a giant shipping container.
South Camp Inn is located in Resolute, which is an extremely remote pint-sized settlement around 500 miles north of the Arctic Circle in Nunavut, Canada
The only tourists venturing to this part of the world, are either wildlife enthusiasts, hunters or adventurers
Resolute is home to around 200 full-time residents and the majority are Inuit
DailyMail.com’s Sadie Whitelocks, pictured left, only intended to stay at the hotel for a few days but bad weather meant she was stranded there for six nights
As with other hotels in the Arctic region, rates at South Camp Inn are very high and it costs around $350 (CA$500) per person, per night to stay there
While Sadie was staying at the South Camp Inn, she met two hunters – a man from Texas and a man from Denmark – who had traveled to Resolute to hunt polar bears with locals
Resolute is the second northernmost community in Canada and it is difficult and expensive to get there
On stepping inside, the first thing that we noticed was the tropical warmth, which was most welcome after being hit by temperatures below -4F on arriving into Resolute via a charter plane.
To prevent guests from traipsing snow and dirt through the building, there is a boot room at the hotel entrance to store shoes and outerwear.
Our first attempt at reaching Resolute had been thwarted by bad weather, and the only commercial airline running flights there – Canadian North – had canceled all takeoffs for the next week.
In the end, we resorted to chartering a small plane to get there as it was necessary for us to sort our ski gear and start planning before heading out on expedition.
At reception, one of the hotel workers handed us our keys and we each got a room to ourselves.
As with other hotels in the Arctic region, rates at South Camp Inn are very high and it costs around $350 (CA$500) per person, per night to stay there.
The cost does however include all meals and 24-hour access to snacks, which are regularly replenished in the dining room.
As alcohol is restricted in Resolute – as it is in many communities across Nunavut – there is no alcohol available to purchase at South Camp and only soft drinks and hot beverages are on offer.
The rooms include everything you need for a comfortable night’s stay and there are various room configurations to pick from depending on the number of people you’re traveling with.
Some of the newer accommodation units have ensuites, while other rooms have shared bathrooms.
Amenities include a gym, conference room and laundry rooms, which are free to use.
While we only intended on checking into South Camp in for three nights, due to more bad weather which involved biting 40mph winds, we were stranded there for six nights in total.
The cost to stay at South Camp Inn includes all meals and 24-hour access to snacks, which are regularly replenished in the dining room
From the outside, Sadie says the South Camp Inn ‘looks pretty nondescript, with a cream, ridged exterior akin to a giant shipping container’
Amenities at the hotel include a gym, conference room (pictured) and laundry rooms, which are free to use
A musk ox on display in the hotel’s conference room. The area is popular with hunters
While the hotel is basic, Sadie said it ‘felt like the Ritz’ on returning there after her ski expedition which involved sleeping in a tent
As there wasn’t much to do in Resolute, Sadie said she gradually found the the days mainly revolved around meals times – breakfast at 8am, lunch at 12pm and dinner at 5pm
One of the refrigerators at South Camp Inn, stocked with goodies for guests to gorge on
This meant the stay for the team came out at $10,500 (CA $14,372) by the time we had finished.
When it comes to passing time at Resolute, there isn’t an awful lot to do and by the second day we had seen most of the sights, including the Co-op, the post office, the local police station and national parks office.
As the Resolute area is prime polar bear territory, long walks around the frozen bay area are not advised without carrying a gun or ‘bear bangers.’
However, several of us decided to stretch our legs with a hike up Signal Hill which is a small mountain standing proud behind the community.
From the top of the hill, the community looked tiny and other islands around Resolute could be seen across the frozen expanse.
Resolute is home to around 200 full-time residents. The majority are Inuit and the history behind how they came to live in such a stark place still carries a sadness.
Some locals we spoke to explained that their ancestors has been forcibly relocated to Resolute during the Cold War by the Canadian government to help the country exert sovereignty over the High Arctic.
For decades the Inuit struggled to adapt to the alien environment and many perished.
However, the community gradually learned to navigate the new hunting grounds, and the bay and surrounding waters proved rich in beluga whales, narwhal and seals.
As with other communities in Nunavut, Resolute gets a quota to hunt certain animals to ensure it is a sustainable practice, and this includes polar bears.
To supplement their income and government welfare, many Inuit take foreigners out on hunts with them.
While we were staying at South Camp Inn, we met two hunters – a man from Texas and a man from Denmark – who had traveled to Resolute to hunt polar bears with locals.
Polar bear hunts cost around $70,000 and then it costs even more if hunters wish to export their prize hides for taxidermy.
Currently polar bear skin products are prohibited for export to the USA and Mexico but it is possible to ship them to Europe.
The Danish man we met told us he had helped shoot a 14-year-old male bear and he was getting the hide shipped back home for it to go on display.
Along with the hunters, we did meet one couple who were tourists at the hotel.
The man and woman, both intrepid retirees from Australia, explained that they had a passion for the Arctic and some of the activities they had indulged in while in Resolute included dog sledding and a snowmobile tour to try and spot polar bears.
As there wasn’t much to do in Resolute we gradually found the the days mainly revolved around meals times – breakfast at 8am, lunch at 12pm and dinner at 5pm.
Then, there was a living room to watch a spot of Netflix before bedtime.
Finally after days stranded at South Camp Inn it was time for us to leave and head out on expedition.
But after spending a week much further north in a tent battling yet another storm, the modest hotel felt like the Ritz on our return with a mere shower and flushing toilet proving blissful.
