Sinaia - a town with hidden treasures - IgoUgo Sinaia Journal

Sinaia - An Overview

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Sinaia has the advantages many towns hoping to attract tourists would love. Not only is it situated at the heart of Romania's main ski region, but it also has several of the most impressive historical sights in the country. And there's more: Sinaia is on the edge of Transylvania, perhaps the most striking and beautiful area of the country which makes it ideal for walkers and hikers who can use the cable cars which carry the skiers in winter.Sinaia is perhaps, at first glance, like any western European tourist town; it has an air of prosperity and in Romanian terms it probably is better off than many towns, but you need to scratch the surface to find the real Romania underneath....Read More

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Hotel Economat

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Hotel | "A Night in the Servants' Quarters"

Hotel Economat - a peaceful place to stay Photo - Hotel Economat, Sinaia, Romania

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Although we were approached by lots of locals offering private rooms when we arrived in Sinaia, we decided to hike up the hill and try our luck at Hotel Economat instead as we were only planning to spend a short time in Sinaia and the things we wanted to see were at the top of the not inconsiderable climb. Although we hadn’t booked in advance and it was the height of summer we were able to get a room on spec. The hotel is notable because it was formerly one of the buildings that housed servants’ quarters – those servants being employed at neighbouring Peles and Pelisor Castles, two of Romania’s most visited attractions. It is built in a similar half timbered style to the main houses (alth...Read More

Although we were approached by lots of locals offering private rooms when we arrived in Sinaia, we decided to hike up the hill and try our luck at Hotel Economat instead as we were only planning to spend a short time in Sinaia and the things we wanted to see were at the top of the not inconsiderable climb. Although we hadn’t booked in advance and it was the height of summer we were able to get a room on spec.

The hotel is notable because it was formerly one of the buildings that housed servants’ quarters – those servants being employed at neighbouring Peles and Pelisor Castles, two of Romania’s most visited attractions. It is built in a similar half timbered style to the main houses (although much less lavish of course) and nestles among the trees making it look quite picturesque. In actual fact it comprises a couple of buildings around a courtyard which have been linked by newer stairways. The central building houses the restaurant which is also open to the public and also has some outdoor seating.

When you reach the summit of the hill and the entrance to the grounds, keep walking until you find the office which is in a separate building a little way down on the right hand side before the road forks (left to the hotel, right to the castles). The staff spoke enough English for us to get a room and while they weren’t exactly effusive they were efficient. We paid approximately €25 for a double room with private bathroom and this included not only breakfast but also one meal each in the restaurant – this could be dinner or lunch, the choice was ours.

The room was like the corridors and stairways – bland and uninspiring. At least everything was spotlessly clean; it had to be really because the spartan nature of the interiors meant that any particle of dust or flaw would have stood out like a sore thumb. We were told which building our room was in and climbed to the second floor and found it easily. Only rarely will you see any staff in the accommodation as everything is managed from the office. Due to the design of the building the hotel is very quiet (although admittedly I don’t think there were many guests when we were there); it doesn’t have rooms off long corridors, the rooms are in small clusters with a door separating them from the main landings.

The room contained a wardrobe, a bed and bedside tables. The bathroom, too, was simple but adequate and in good repair. We had a view of the woods behind the hotel and found we got an excellent night’s sleep. Even if your room is at the front of the building, vehicles can’t come this far into the grounds and once the day visitors have left for the day the place is almost deserted. the only downside was that the room was always quite dark no matter the time of day but only to be expected if you are at the back where the trees are.

Breakfast was average but service was quick and we were able to eat enough to give ourselves a good start on the day with bread, cheese, meats and eggs as well as insipid orange juice and instant coffee.

Dinner was OK, not the best food in Sinaia I’m sure, but as we were getting it included in the price it seemed pointless not to bother. We could have had soup to start but usually made do with complimentary bread. I tried the sarmele – a traditional Romanian dish of pork mince and rice inside cabbage leaves – which was very tasty and filling, my companion had the only vegetarian choice of deep fried cheese and boiled vegetables, not inspiring but at least filling.

One lunchtime we ordered toasted sandwiches to eat sitting in the outdoor dining area in front of the hotel. As so often happens when eating outdoors in Romania, a stray dog appeared on the prowl for food. Alas, this poor creature had a nasty open red wound on his side, perhaps from a fight with another dog and while I must admit we fed him and probably shouldn’t have, it wasn’t a very nice experience. I know that un-owned dogs are a problem in Romania but you would think that within grounds like this they would be able to prevent them in coming in. I did feel sad about this animal but it could have turned vicious and the open wound was a cause of concern.

If you don’t want to eat at the hotel there is a cafe beside Peles Castle and a few minutes walk away Hotel Furnica also has a restaurant while another restaurant near the entrance to the grounds serves traditional game dishes (look out for the footpath beside the chained bear). If that still isn’t enough for you then it’s a twenty minute walk or a €3 Euro taxi ride down the hill into the town centre where there are loads of options.

Hotel Economat may not have much in the way of facilities but it is in a brilliant location for people visiting Peles and Pelisor. It is also quite near Sinaia Monastery. I wouldn’t recommend it for skiers and snowboarders as it is a very quiet place and perhaps just a little too far from the cable cars to be a viable option.
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Member Rating 4 out of 5 on June 7, 2009

Hotel Economat
Aleea Pelesului 2
Sinaia, Romania
244 311 151

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Peles Castle

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Attraction | ""How Not to Decorate" Romanian Style "

Peles Castle, Sinaia Photo - Peles Castle, Sinaia, Romania

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Romania's Bran Castle is understandably one of the country's most visited tourist attractions; the somewhat tenuous association with Vlad Dracul - aka Count Dracula - draws thousands of visitors to explore this rather attractive but (for me) slightly disappointing castle. But not far away in the town of Sinaia are two wonderful castles that are, in my opinion, much more interesting and worthwhile to visit. The castles of Peles and Pelisor are right next to each other, for reasons I'll explain later, but it's a visit to the bigger, grander Peles Castle I'm reviewing here. The castle was originally built as a summer residence for King Carol I who was actually German; the guide who took us ro...Read More

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on April 23, 2009

Peles Castle
Romania
Sinaia, Romania

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