Luxe Beat Magazine JANUARY 2015 | Page 99

Travel G aylord Palms Resort is an oasis in the midst of busy Orlando, or nearby Kissimmee to be exact. Stroll along serpentine paths lined with giant ferns, cabbage palms, and verdant greenery. You’ll feel like you’re walking in a botanical garden, the Louisiana bayou or an island paradise; orchids, waterfalls, and streams -- even a lake with a boat, fit inside the hotel atrium. The behemoth structure seems like a biosphere. Why, one could live within the confines for days and never need to go outside. By Thanksgiving, the resort hotel adds holiday sparkle-- over two million twinkling lights, beautiful bows and garland, plus thousands of poinsettia plants intermingled with the foliage. The expanse is gorgeous and the illuminated Christmas tree simply stunning. For the past twelve years, Gaylord Palms has turned their convention center into the “Florida Fridge.” The event begins to take shape in October, when 40 Chinese artisans and their cook arrive from Harbin, China. The ice men cometh to carve two million Debi with Gingy pounds of frozen water into a frosty fantasyland. The job takes approximately one month to complete. Originally, only crystal-clear ice was used, created by filtering de ioni ed water for three days. Then, colored ice blocks were developed by adding food coloring. The process is not as easy as it sounds; the mixture must be stirred constantly to obtain consistent color. Making white ice is easiest, just freeze quickly for a cloudy look. The themed project starts with detailed architectural blueprints. Gaylord Palms Tree Gaylord Palms Resort in Florida 99 Measurements are transferred and marked off on the oor. Like a home building site. Ice blocks start arriving from the factory at a rate of two truck loads a day for fifteen days. Each block weighs four hundred pounds, so they must be moved around by a forklift. Workers begin to assemble the blocks, adding spec ial uorescent lights between some of the pieces, and cutting others with chain saws. Sculptors denote points to guide them as they work like Michelangelo. Each artist brings his own set of tools, akin to a chef and his knives,