Break out for the festive season

Stuck for ideas over the Xmas break? There are great packages with hotels over the seasonal period – where a room at some high class locales can be found for 100 Euro – feign a sickness, escape the family and treat the wife or husband, mistress or toy-boy to a luxurious experience at these top places:

December 2010 - From the Print Edition

At the Radisson Blu there are abundant brunches on Sundays – including traditional Xmas turkey, salmon steaks, roast beef in salt crust, lobsters, oysters and cozonac, plus Xmas dinners from the 24 to 26 December including pan-fried red snapper and roast beef with Yorkshire pudding - plus Christmas pudding. New Year’s Eve fun has packages which include a lavish dinner or a disco-themed party with MC Vasile Calofir, Perpetuum Band and ex-Eurovision contender Luminita Anghel.
Radisson Blu, 63-81 Calea Victoriei

At the JW Marriott warm up at the steakhouse on Sundays through December with US Black Angus cuts, Chantilly cream pancakes and wild boar goulash - plus live Christmas carols. Christmas Day lunch and dinner includes lobster, crab risotto, filet mignon packed with Parma ham, live music and games for the kiddies. New Year’s Eve starts at eight pm - hosted by local crooner Horia Brenciu as a Romanian Sinatra and Vicky Jackson taking on Pink and Lily Allen hits.
JW Marriott, 90 Calea 13 Septembrie

Residence Hotels have a wide range of delightful menus for meat-eaters and vegetarians throughout the festive season and on New Year’s Eve a French-style menu with snail vol-au-vents, salmon mousse and steak with foie gras, washed down with Moet & Chandon and Cramele Rottenberg Merlot – plus a choir, DJ and fireworks.
Residence Cerisiers, 33 Strada Alexandru Constantinescu; Residence Oliviers, 19 Strada Clucerului

In the Howard Johnson Hotel, a traditional Romanian brunch on 12 and 19 December is served up with cold cuts, ciorba, sarmale, live music - plus magic and ‘spin-art’ for the kids. On 26 December Santa Claus puts in an appearance at a special brunch, while from 24 to 26 December, the hotel offers a menu including tender sous beef tenderloin with seared foie gras and baby asparagus, a traditional Romanian cabbage, polenta and mixed grill mash-up or a Japanese mix of sushi, scallops, usuyaki and filet mignon.
Howard Johnson, 5-7 Calea Dorobantilor

At the Intercontinental Hotel early December sees the hotel offering up a wide variety of Thai cookery, while the 21st floor restaurant overseeing the city offers Xmas brunch on 25 and 26 December or a six-course New Year’s Eve dinner with piano music and Spanish guitar in the new Modigliani restaurant – feast on monkfish loin wrapped with pancetta and truffle mashed potato, pistachio crusted rack of lamb or beef filet millefoglie and a selection of top Italian wines.
Intercontinental Hotel, 2-4 Blvd Nicolae Balcescu

Counter-culture hub The Ark is taking us back to the 80s on 31 December – pack in those shoulder pads, fold up those sleeves and perm that hair. Guests also win the chance to attend a Roxette concert! Come join the joyride!
The Ark, 196 Calea Rahovei