Balea Lake Ice Hotel — Hotel in Cârțișoara

some previous reviews have been odd with people moaning about the cold and noise and no bathroom - seriously its a hotel made of ice - what do you expect - its meant to be cold! Rooms are separated from the dining hall by a curtain so totally get that noise would be a problem if you want to sleep and others want to party but an ice door would freeze shut obviously so nothing else can be done, you do need to go for the experience and not expect something luxurious. we were the only guest staying that night so had the hotel to ourselves which was awesome but i would like to be back on a party night too.||||its quirky and a definite thing to tick off anyone's bucket list, the staff were great and we had access to a room at the cabin to warm up and leave our things dry. if we wanted to give up ice sleeping in the night we were provided with the mobile number to wake up someone and get access in the cabin for the rest of the night at an 80lei per person cost - again previous reviews have moaned about this but its not fair to expect a second room without paying for it and hopefully it deters people disturbing the staff in the middle of the night because of getting bored. once i was snuggled with the sleeping bag mostly closed over my head i soon warmed up - and more so than i expected.||||food at the cabin was great, food in the ice hotel was also great but no better than the cabin food so really it is a bit overpriced, it includes a shot, but could be more worthwhile with a few more drinks included, your essentially paying for the experience of eating in the ice hotel, maybe if there were more guests the atmosphere would have added to the experience,||||staff were fantastic, catered to my friends complex diet requirements and we went for the trek through the tunnel -...

Visiting and sleeping in an ICE HOTEL is definitely something that you should do - a bucket list experience - something to tell the grandchildren. BUT tho it might be possible on a budget (which hotels in Sweden or Quebec really aren't) and even tho scenery up to and around the hotel is breathtaking, sadly the HOTEL OF ICE is not in the same league... Ice sculptures were very good... But miniature, when compared to Kiruna. During the day men or women (without anything that would distinguish them as staff) would sit beside entrances to the Hotel and the Ice Church and attempt to sell tickets to enter... Despite the fact that those resident at the Hotel of Ice for a night have free access. Within the area of the Hotel of Ice is a large family dining area, also some chalets. There is also skiing and activities with rubber rings and a banana boat, attached to a jet ski. It seemed all of these things received as much attention (and presumably investment too) as the hotel itself.... And it can't be denied that people were flocking to them. Perhaps especially for Romanian nationals a great day out, and for those who love their skiing/sledging/snowboarding. But on the merit of the HOTEL OF ICE alone. Sorry..... NO! Rather...

The host Mario was very friendly and helpful, he told us where we can go for a sightseeing walks, were to eat, and taught us how to use the sleeping back correctly.

Me and my wife liked to stay at the Balea Lake Ice Hotel. It was quite the fun experience and adventure. The mountain views are amazing, you can take great star pictures, and even see foxes. In the evening we met other travellers and we were hanging out in the ice hotel bar. The bar had a Bluetooth speaker, so we could connect our phones and have music. We also suggest to bring plenty of your own food and drinks so you can share and have a little private party with other ice hotel guests.

The only small minus was that the website did not explain at what times all operates. Basically, Ice hotel becomes available only after 19:30, after all tourists have left. Until then you can walk around or stay at the restaurant Cabana Bâlea Lac, but you need to be aware, that you need to order food before 18:00, and the restaurant will close at 20:00. Also, in the morning, you need to leave the ice hotel at 8:00, because it needs to be cleaned by 9:00 to be re-opened...