Don’t you know much about Romania beyond Dracula? Well, then it’s time to visit my native wonderful country. I can tell you, you are gonna fall in love with its fairytale landscapes, all the small villages stuck in the nostalgic times, its marvelous painted monasteries, fortified churches, and the national obsession for the delicious stuffed grape leaves, sarmale, and mamaliga (a porridge made out of maize flour).
As hospitality is one of Romanians strengths, I’ve put together this list of awesome properties to excite and inspire – whether you’re a guest looking for the next amazing place to travel, or a hotelier looking to steal ideas and elevate your own property;)
1. Oberwood – Porumbacu de sus, Sibiu
Offering a sunbathing terrace and tennis courts, Oberwood is situated 4 km from Castelul de Lut Valea Zanelor. The venue provides smokers lounge and a parking lot. The center of Porumbacu de Sus is close by from the accommodation. Paltinis, the highest resort in Romania (1440 m altitude) is at 35 minutes distance by car, while getting to Sibiu will take 35 minutes. Sibiu International airport is 50 km from the villa.
Book Oberwood here .
2. Egreta Complex – Berzasca, Caras-Severin
Being the first lake resort in Romania, Egreta is a unique project. The 15 houses suspended on pillars above the Danube were completed and waiting for their guests, a long pontoon being their connection with the Romanian bank of the river. There are many attractions in the immediate vicinity: Bigar waterfall, the 55m high bas-relief face of the Dacian king Decebal near the city of Orsova, the watermills from Rudaria and Beiului’s Eye, the unreal beautiful lake.
Book Egreta Complex here.
3. The Hotel of lce – Balea Lac, Sibiu
Since 2005, in the heart of the Fagaras Mountains, is built yearly the most distinguished hotel of Romania, the Hotel of Ice. The hotel is built entirely of snow and ice blocks that are extracted from the largest glacial lake of the Fagaras Mountains, Balea Lac. 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.
Book The Hotel of Ice here.
4. Wegloo – Azuga, Prahova
If your dream is to sleep under a sky full of stars, but still in a comfortable bed, having a heating system, a warm shower, and wi-fi, then this is the place to be! Wegloo is located in Azuga and is a luxury mix of nature and glamping.
Book Wegloo here.
5. Cob Village – Berca, Buzau
The houses from Cob Village are built of cob, that mixture of clay, sand, straw, and water, which carefully shaped by human hands, can turn a normal building into a dream place that will gladly remind you of your grandparents’ house or make you transpose it into a world of stories, reminding you of the wonderful world of childhood. The houses are concentrically oriented to keep you in this world, to break away from the surrounding reality. The houses are eco-friendly and although they look the same, they are unique because the human hand cannot create faithful copies.
Book a house in Cob Village here.
6. Porumbacu Treehouse – Porumbacu de sus, Sibiu
Book Porumbacu Treahouse here.
7. Raven’s Nest – Sub Piatra, Transylvania
It took several years and the help of local craftsmen, artists, builders, and friends, who teamed up to create this unique project, making sure that everything is in line with the authenticity of these grounds. The establishment is made entirely from wooden structures, originally rural houses or sheds from the Apuseni mountains, with the oldest building dating to the 19th century in 1896.
Book Raven’s Nest here.
8. Bethlen Estates – Cris, Mures
Since 2007, countess Gladys and her son, Nikolaus, have been gradually acquiring tumbledown properties of all shapes and sizes in and around Criş; from charming Saxon cottages and the castle’s former Caretaker’s House to the Bethlen family manor house, abandoned school building, and granary. It has taken years of painstaking research and work to rebuild these first buildings into modern marvels, bringing their historical façades back to their former glory and transforming their interiors into contemporary, stylish rural spaces – the perfect base from which to explore the wild and wonderful countryside which surrounds us.
Book Bethlen Estates here.
9. Zaga Zaga Land – Doaga, Vrancea
Between Vrancea and Galați counties, on an area of over 82 hectares, Zaga Zaga helped to form an impressive delta, of a special beauty – also known as the Siret Delta. A blessed peace that only nature can offer you, boat trips on the canals that embrace forests and meadows, an intimate and comfortable space that can become your bed for a few days, sunrises and sunsets that will remain in memory, tasty meals with freshly produced fish on your own farm and a multitude of leisure alternatives.
Book Zaga Zaga Land here.
10. Dealul Verde Guesthouse – Porumbacu de Sus, Sibiu
Beyond the location and activities, the accommodation rooms have their own stories and, at Dealul Verde, no story is like the other. So, depending on the room you choose, let yourself discover the universe of the farmer, craftsman, weaver or artist, agriculturer, carpenter, blacksmith and traditional.
Book Dealul Verde here.
