Since 2005, in the heart of the Fagaras Mountains, is built yearly the most distinguished hotel, Romanian Ice Hotel. The hotel is built entirely of snow and ice blocks that are extracted from the largest glacial lake of the Fagaras Mountains, Balea Lake. Ice blocks reach 70 centimeters in height and weigh almost 70 pounds. In less than a month the ice artists manage to raise a home for winter lovers, their work being rewarded by over 8,000 annual guests.
When it comes to sleeping in a bed made of ice you need not worry about the cold because your bed is super insulated with multiple mattresses, reindeer fur, and thermal sleeping bags. Dinner is served on a table made of ice, on plates made of ice in a dining room that is made, you guessed it, out of ice. So it’s kind of like living inside a glacier.
Get away from the tourists in this intimate hotel which is accessed only by cable-car. The only crowds you will see at this 2000ft location sees are the flocks of migrating birds that sometimes fly in the clear air above the Fagaras Mountains. Activities are provided by the boutique operator, ‘Untravelled Paths’.
All the usual snowsports are on offer including the more genteel pastimes of ice-skating and ice-sculpting. There is also the unique opportunity to trek into a warren of ice caves emerging out onto the mountainside to see the frost-polished slopes and valleys below.
The period of time during which the hotel is open for tourists depends very much on the weather conditions. For example, for the 2018-2019 season, the hotel is scheduled for opening on December 23rd, 2018. Most of the times, the hotel was open only in January for a couple of months until March.
Do you like Romanian Ice Hotel? Read an article about the place where is located Balea Lake-Transfagarasan-Fagaras Mountains
