Jaunted

In Hungarian Hot Water

6/07/2006 at 9:25 AM
Tags: Balaton, Budapest, spas (all tags)

We've already reported that Ryanair's new flights to Balaton will land you not far from the Hévíz thermal spa. Floating around in this slightly radioactive lake (it's healthy, they say) amongst the water lilies is just one of many ways to get into hot water in Hungary.

In Budapest, several famous thermal bath resorts are attracting visitors of all kinds, too. It's not just for those flabby, hairy old guys playing chess that were always in the tourist photos: now alcohol-laden stag and hen nights are also starting to get into some Hungarian hot water, literally. One travel group, for example, promotes the Thermal Bath and Detox and Relax day as part of their stag weekend activities, promising "a lovely bikini clad guide to serve up the poolside beers". Whether they're plunging into gorgeous Gellert or getting massaged at the Szechenyi, not everyone's sure that this is healthy fun. A rep of the Hungarian Tourist Office said this week:

There is nothing we can do against this type of tourism but we are not actively promoting it.

Whether or not you want to share your ancient Turkish bathtub with a drunken group of bachelors is up to you: just choose your hot water wisely.

[Image via golfscubadoctor/Flickr]

Related stories:
Stags and hens welcome [Budapest Sun]