Eerily sculpted headboards adorn rooms at the Balea Lac Ice Hotel

It's been over a year since we last reported on an ice hotel, which we took as a sign that the kitschy travel trend had seen its final day pass. But rounding out this unusually mild winter season is news about the latest contender in (relatively) cheap and chilly accommodations: Romania.

The Balea Lac is one in a series of European icy lodgings that are rebuilt to compensate for melting and other seasonal changes. Temperatures inside top off at a spine-tingling 35 degrees Fahrenheit, though rest assured, every stay includes a "specialist sleeping bag" and some furs. ]]> Heidi Atwal 2012-01-04T09:30:02-05:00 http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2009/11/2/11858/6333

Earlier this year when swine flu first erupted, 280 people were quarantined at the MetroPark Hotel in Hong Kong, we lightly dubbed it a Swine Flu Hotel. But now we have a real Swine Flu Hotel.

Hotel Sinaia, a resort in the mountains of Sinaia, Romania, has been closed after 40 Romainian and foreign law students attending a conference caught the dreaded H1N1 virus.

Health state secretary Adrian Streinu-Cercel says 40 people were hospitalized Sunday in Bucharest, suffering from medium to severe forms of the flu.

]]> juliana 2009-11-02T08:04:20-05:00 http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2007/7/31/0617/93820 <![CDATA[<p><b>[Ed. Note: Welcome to our Good Rate/Bad Rate feature where we look at hotel prices in the same region and decide which one most deserves your hard-earned benjamins. Rates quoted here were captured on July 31, 2007 and are subject to change. Enjoy.]</b><p><img src="http://www.hotelchatter.com/files/3930/hilton_bucharest.jpg" class="imgborder"><p> <p>If you're heading to Bucharest, Romania, you can easily spend two weekend nights for less than $300, starting with this week's <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2007/7/31/0118/72450/hotels/Good_Rate_A_143_Deal_at_the_Rembrandt_Hotel_Bucharest">Good Rate</a> at the Rembrandt Hotel. If that's full, you're not hurting for choices though: European site <a href="http://www.booking.com">Booking.com</a> lists 21 hotels for under $150 a night for a August 17 to 19 and Expedia lists 15. <p>Then there's the <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/hotel-reviews/ATHENEE+PALACE+HILTON+BUCHAREST/ian/135560"><b>Athenee Palace Hilton Bucharest</b></a>, where the lowest rate we could find for Tim L. 2007-07-31T11:11:21-05:00 http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2007/7/31/0118/72450 <![CDATA[<p><b>[Ed. Note: Welcome to our Good Rate/Bad Rate feature where we look at hotel prices in the same city and decide which one most deserves your hard-earned benjamins. Rates quotes here were captured July 31, 2007 and are subject to change. Enjoy.]</b> <p><img src="http://www.hotelchatter.com/files/3930/rembrandt_bucharest.jpg" class="imgborder"><p> <p>A couple of months back <i>National Geographic Traveler</i> raved about <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/hotel-reviews/Rembrandt+Hotel/ian/252118/"><b>Rembrandt Hotel</b></a> in Bucharest, Romania, saying the boutique hotel "has brought long-needed sanity to the city's inflated hotel prices." Then we look on TripAdvisor and it's also the #1 rated hotel there. <p>The 15 rooms are all a bit different, ranging from smallish ones with a "matrimonial bed" to spacious "business rooms." Rates are a max of 117 Euros ($159) on weekends and top Tim L. 2007-07-31T11:10:53-05:00 Search HotelChatter string http://www.hotelchatter.com/search/