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Deep in the Swedish forests, an hour drive north of Stockholm, lays what has been dubbed the "world's deepest hotel." The guest suite is located 155 metres underground in an old unused silver mine and has a bed, a dining table with chairs and a lot of candles. Luxury living it is not, there is not even a toilet or shower. But what this unusual hotel is lacking in amenities it is making up for in novelty value. Since 2006, when the accomodation opened, thousands of guests have stayed overnight in the old mineshaft. The mine itself dates back to the 15th century. The section where the guest suite is located was dug out sometime in the 18th century by workers swinging axes and lighting fire to break up the mountain. Lots of silver was extracted from the mountain throughout the centuries. It is thought to be one of the world's most profitable silver mines. But in 1962 operations ended and the mine was unused up until 2005 when the local council bought it and turned it into a tourist attraction. Apart from the sound of dripping water and the murmurs of the mountain the mine is quiet. Perfect for stressed urbanites that need to relax according to Maaike Ouwehand, who runs tours of the mine and helps overnight guests with settling in. "It is like being in a retreat I think. It is calm and it is cold, here in the suite it is warm and nice, but in the rest of the mine it is cold. But mostly, it is just so quiet and relaxing," she says. On the ground level there is a small village of buildings, all dating back to the mine's heydays of the 18th century. There is a museum and a silver shop but most people head straight for the elevator building. From here, guests have a five minute wait as the lift makes is way down to 155 metres below the surface. Once down below, guests can take a scenic route that goes through some of the old mine shafts. There is a large underground lake that is around 30 metres (98 feet) deep and a favourite attraction for divers. There is also a large circular room that is called the "echo chamber." Here a human voice can be heard several minutes after the person stopped speaking or singing. But, being underground guests do have to forsake some of the modern technologies that they might be used to have at their fingertips, according to Ouwehand. "Here in the mine there is no mobile phone coverage. So you can't use your mobile phone or the Internet. It is guaranteed free of these sorts of technology," she says. The mine stretches for about 20 kilometres (12.4 miles) but a large part is now submerged under water. The part accessible to guests stretches a few hundred metres on each side of the guest suite. "Quite a lot of couples come here. Many propose down here actually. That is always exciting. You notice it when they arrive, everything has to be secret. And then they leave smiling, most of the time anyway," says Ouwehand. The guest suite costs 4290 Swedish kronor (652 US dollars) per night and that includes a food basket for guests to nibble on during the evening and a 24-hour guard on ground level who can help out in case of an emergency. The room has a phone line to the guard house above. But according to Ouwehand, the only emergencies they have had so far are people that develop claustrophobia panic attacks and need help to come up to ground level. But is there a chance to claw back the money spent on the suite, with some private silver mining down there? That's not likely, says Ouwehand. "Its not very easy to find silver. It is always in combination with zinc or lead that you find it and the silver level is quite low, about one percent," she says. Sala silvermine can be reached by train or car from Stockholm in about one hour. But unsuprisingly Valentine's Day is already booked. You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/c485d37038e87dfd6e34fde609f4a0dd Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork