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Get Down with Dracula at Romania's Rebuilt Ice Hotel This Season

January 4, 2012 at 9:30 AM | by | Comments (0)

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.

Nestled near the Fagaras Mountains, its location is so remote that it's only possible to reach the hotel by cable car during winter time provided weather conditions aren't exceedingly harsh.

We've caught wind of a four-night tour package from Bucharest to the Transylvanian mountains, where, yes, you'll have the chance to take in Dracula's castle in nearby Brasov for a full-on frosty experience. Four nights, transfers, the Ice Hotel lift pass, a welcoming drink (hopefully some variety of blood warming whiskey), tour guide services and a guidebook are included in the €495.00 price tag. Normally rooms run about €120.00 per night.

If trekking through sleet and dancing with Dracula isn't your bag, you could always opt for low key activities like sledding and brush up on your ice sculpting skills. (See: creepy hotel headboards pictured above.) Perfect the latter art a la Bill Murray in Groundhog Day and maybe you'll find yourself taking advantage of what appears to be an onsite ice church for matrimonial purposes. (You may remember a Swedish ice hotel we reported on offering the same services.) The thought warms our hearts.

[Photo: Ice Hotel Balea Lac Facebook]

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