Drive On
I am an extremely active person and I am always ready to drive on. I always have my backpack ready for any new travelchallenge. Since becoming a mother I am even more ready as for two. I am always looking for places to go to where my kid can feel like home after all the drive. So here are below a few regions and places which are close to our hearts.
Sinaia
Sinaia is a place I would even try as a one day trip with the little one and see him falling dead tired in the evening upon our return. I would like to do these sort of trips quite often before he goes to school (5 years from now hahaha). Sinaia is also a perfect place for a quiet vacation. During the summer I love to explore as much as possible the mountains and enjoy to have checked out places to stay or eat. It’s important to enjoy the silence when you have a little one with you. The little ones have also big empathy and it’s important for them not to catch a big fuss around as that will tired them a lot sooner.
Hotel New Montana
It’s an old hotel, renovated at its most, not very luxury, but extremely clean and personally I always loved the view you have of the mountain. It’s a place where I came to quite often in the last 30 years. It was the place that would accommodate our school and highschool trips and I remember even now that, no matter how tired I was in the morning, it was always a pleasure to watch the sun come up and as the smoke would rise from the trees on the mountain in front. Now they have a restaurant with a big glass ceiling and I love that also as you can feel how tiny you are in all that nature. About Sinaia I will also leave below a few places to try. I enjoyed walking every day on short distances and a very good coffee place which I am struggling with my memory to recall by its name. My mother brain is taking action.
Hotel si Restaurant Ioana
For luxury culinary and accommodation experiences I highly recommend this hotel. I am a big fan of sofisticated food and this is the right place for it. Of course there are many things with twisted names, but here you can also find creativity in the plate. They also have a fine selection of wines.
Restaurant Licorna
This is a place where you can find their home made wines which are very good. Of course I am a mother so you may realise I am not a heavy drinker. Food is bot local and international and it tastes extremely good. The place itself may not stand out by its design, but I would recommend it for good food.
Restaurant Snow
This is clearly a rustic place situated at the bottom of the ski slope. Here the tables are pretty crowded, but there are some separation panels. My son tasted here upon his first visit the wool in the egg decorations on the table. It wasn’t such a big panic, but we have taught the little one to stand still while at the table. We didn’t feel that embarassed as the neighboring table also had a family with a little one and the Easter decoration destruction continued. So it’s somehow a good place for families. It seems cosy. We had foreign clients who were delighted by the place and who didn’t like the touristic traps. If you want to try something small and cosy, this is the place to be.
Restaurant Kuib
We came back to Kuib this year after visiting it at least once a year in the past years. It’s a hidden place I didn’t know about until 2017, but many tourists visit it. It’s on the other side of the mountain – Cumpatu’. It’s the area where the George Enescu memorial house lies and where tall trees inspire healthy nature. Food menu is local and my son adores eating here. They also have kid’s menu so that makes them perfect destination for families. They also have accommodation and the settlement is on a hill with many old trees around which are perfect elements when you are looking for a good rest vacation.
Brasov
This is one of my favourite cities in Romania and I always come back with open heart. It has never let me down in terms of expectations and I see things getting improved with each visit. I recommend you spend a few days over here and try the local restaurants, visit a few places, take a walk in the parks.
Hotel Cubix
This is a boutique hotel which is very interesting and nice highly recommended if you are passing by or trying to avoid the heavy traffic downtown. It’s a hotel with a modern design, with comfort and for those on business or on vacation it’s the perfect place to stay. I slept here for a short night, but I managed to get a very good rest. I love the modern design places where I can feel special.
Varful Tampa
You can take the cable car to go up or you can simply hike. I won’t recommend you going up in winter time as the landscape is quite depressive and full of icey paths. We only did once the cable car in the recent years. We were on our own at the time, but we are waiting for him to grow a bit older and then take him on a hike. In 1990 my parents took me on a first vacation over there and I remember going up there on a walk. It was a short hike, but I wouldn’t push the little one to hate the hill already. In a few years time we will take this path.
Parcul Schiller
We stopped accidently over here seeing a nice park as we were coming down from Poiana Brasov. And we have this habit of guiding ourselves by instinct and stopping wherever we find something nice. It was an extremely good choice as they had a soft playground and the kid was barely starting to wander at the time so he enjoyed the soft ground. Then the pandemics hit and we didn’t stop there as the place was marked as being closed. It’s a nice park and we love it being on a slope side, which you cannot find in Bucharest for the kid to climb up.
Parcul Nicolae Titulescu
This is the park in the centre of Brasov. It has an open area with flowers and a darker area with big trees where the kids’ playground can also be found. I loved that htey were very creative at the playground with a small labyrinth. The little one enjoyed playing over there. He hasn’t played till then in one suitable for his age. In the flowers area you can find some outdoor decoractions with lady bugs or tables and chairs with creative rustic models. I love seeing more traditional places.
Piscina Hotel Aro
This is pampering for the parents. It has a glass cube above the pool which lets you enjoy the kind sun in any season. It’s very nice and you can also schedule a massage while spending time there. It’s parent’s relaxing time and to understand how good it is to forget about the chaos at home. It was a weekend without the kid and we decided to do something for us. The little one remained with the grandparents. In the meantime I have found in Bucharest some swimming lessons for the little one so we can take him with us at the pool next time we go. It’s an old pool and the glass dome above it gives it a certain modern feeling. There is also an old jacuzzi with old mosaic which I found lovely. It’s extremely big and you can keep the distance. The hotel is a five star hotel and when checking in you receive a glass of champagne. It was a surprise for me when I stayed there. I do hope others get to enjoy similar treatment.
Fundata
Cheile Gradistei Hotel – 1 hour drive from Brasov
We picked this place from a highly promoted Facebook offer: special deals for the Catholic Easter weekend. I was longing for a long time to come here and I found just what we needed for a quiet weekend: quiet place, pool and some more quietness. We went there before having the kid. Now we would like to redo this experience, but we are waiting a little longer for the pandemics to settle down and to manage to organize such a weekend getaway. The accommodation and facilities are excellent. The first floor restaurant has a lovely view over the valley. They have developed the place so much with the biathlon track and sport hotels. Even if you don’t choose to accommodate at their hotels, you can drive up and let the kids bike or hike around. It’s an impressive view from the top, but also a place kids can outwear their energy fast, and as a mother you can recharge your batteries.
Fundatica
Poienita Ursului
This is an accommodation which I love and in accordance with the current tendencies which require us to be more responsible to the environment. Well, a rustic place by design, but with many trendy ecological rules: selective recycling and responsible use of piping systems. Before we leave for the mountains we decided that all shopping should comply with our concepts about saving the environment. I didn’t expect to meet someone who truly knows how selective recycling is done. And this place is exactly that so I was very happy to see such. We washed glasses, but gave up plastic. The tap water was drinkable and that was very kindly marked since our welcome as a big jar of water was waiting for us with a small note. The hosts know all guests arrive thirsty. Hospitality was another thing we truly enjoyed. And to be honest we didn’t even feel their presence although they were also living there. We really enjoyed the trampoline as the kids were fascinated to play in it. We enjoyed the mountain sun on the chaise-longs or on a blanket. Sleeping was also very good for both adults and kids as it was all so quiet.
Stuff to do in the area: you can ride the bike, yet that is something we missed out on, but we promise to come back and do so. Hikes are good in the area and for me that was excellent. We met some cows on our wander. And at sunset it was exactly the show my son should remember. That kind of landscape is impressive and it’s giving you peace of mind and making you reset your priorities. I wish to return here soon.
Crit
Casa Kraus
Three years ago we decided to spend Easter in a different way, lured by a Facebook ad and we ended up in Crit. It was a very easy drive and I don’t know why it seemed like a far away place. And here we found in an old parish house, a small and intimate accommodation where you can enjoy a lovely garden and where you can also find comfort if you are coming with a child. The garden is lovely as you can watch the road and the large pastures from it. They don’t have high trees, but they have that old architecture with wood and stone. That style which makes it feel old, but which also gives it elegance as an accommodation way above rustic. The accommodation package included all meals and we have gained a few pounds. Now, as soon as the little one grows up a bit to understand about the place, we would like to redo the whole experience. I am aware he won’t understand much from the traditional handcraft which surround the house and all the area. Oh, what impressed me most about this accommodation is that there was a stork nest right on the fortified wall which from our room’s window you could watch closely. It’s true that in April it’s their mating period, but it seemed „Wow” for me to be so close to the tall bird. Their mating period mean loud beak banging. We could still enjoy our rest and found their beak banging amusing.
In the area there are a lot of fortified churches and it would be nice to visit them. Some are open and renovated, others are still in the making, but they all maintain their tall towers and impressive walls, they all have areas where the locals used to keep their goods stored through the year and they would carefully take what they needed for holidays. The remaining foods were kept in churches over the year to safely keep them away from intruders and starve the whole village. Those seem like barbaric times in the history of mankind when funny thing is there were a lot less people on the planet. Maybe I am missing out on the mentality of the times. But what I see as truly important is the education of the society. This is where we came once the barbaric methods were taken out of our lives. We have evolved a great deal, we grew up as population and now basically we must learn to have little balance.
Moeciu
Panner Bakery
I recommend you stop over and try some goodies. We are frequently in the area, but we only stopped by this year. I love first of all the architecture of the place. It’s incredibly eye catching and it lures you to stop over from your drive. It’s an awarded architectural project and that can be clearly seen from the drive by as it has a certain look. It would be nice if the road would be less crowded. We bought some local goodies. All were absolutely fabulous. If you are passing by during the weekend or weekdays on a longer vacation, you can buy some stuff for the hike or for the drive.
Restaurant Turnul
It’s a hotel with a restaurant. They have a wonderful mountain backyard where events take place. Since it was open we have passed by it and always appreciated the architecture and the cleanness of the place. Then we started eating at the restaurant when going there during the weekends. I recommend you going and trying anything from the menu. Serving is very quick and food is always freshly made. Even when we went there with foreign clients they appreciated the dishes.
Sighisoara
Casa cu Cerb
We stayed there many years ago and enjoyed we found the last available room which was looking straigh into one of the city’s squares. Sighisoara to me is a place discovered during my time at the university when I came here for the medieval festival and I saw a lot of young people coming over by train or by car. They were looking forward to enjoying the medieval music and the traditional dances as well as habits and crowded squares. I don’t believe this can be possible anymore as we need to keep a certain social distance. And maybe the accommodation in exactly this place gave me that feeling that I managed to see live the fortress in a less crowded moment with all its beauty. Now I wish to come here with my son as it will certainly be a challenge for him to climb up as the local kids still do. I highly recommend this accommodation with it’s rustic and modern touches. You can serve breakfast in the square and enjoy a cup of good coffe while the city is minding its medieval business.
Impressive Roads to Drive on
Transfagarasan – Conacul Ursului
Well, this is one place we found as we were driving on to rediscover our country. We did that without the pandemics, so I recommend you do it now even more. We just stopped over as we had a feeling about the place and it turned out as soon as we got settled in an electric failure happened in the area. We still enjoyed our time here having spent about two nights when it rained and then it was sunny. The usual mountain unstable weather. It has a big restaurant area where there were many families with kids playing while parents were chit-chatting. Older kids were also playing in their own privacy on the hallways on higher floors. It gave me that feeling of a place perfect for families with kids. And I remember in my childhood days we used to have that in our mountain trips: places to stay, play and where adults could also spend time together with their friends. I can’t wait to have that also with the little one and friends.
Transbucegi – Hotel Pestera
This is a hotel which I long longed to stay in and after three projects when they had no rooms available we managed to come by and find availability for the whole team. It was a lovely moment as we have put together work and pleasure. And yes, for me it’s important when I am away with work to feel good in the accommodation chosen. I am not that sophisticated, but I really wish for decent conditions (clean and quiet) and a good meal. The restaurant we have tried several times and it never failed us. It’s a restaurant where you can eat both romanian dishes and some international cuisine choices. The hotel is extremely clean and I may say has city conditions regarding design and looks. You can choose it with an open heart if you find availability.
Transalpina
We haven’t been here for quite a long time and I cannot name a place to stay as the last visits were not so memorable. I would like to come here again to show my kid as you can watch the mountain above the clouds. It’s an impressive and breathtaking view.
As a last remark, the choices made are many times based on pure inspiration on the road, and if I am feeling good in a place, I am not backing up even if it may seem expensive. I decided a few years back that I’ve had enough student vacations that it’s time I respect myself and choose what I like and what suits me, sometimes even a pick as we drive by. I mentioned this so I don’t get feedback that some places are quite pricey. I still recommend them to anyone who is interested in quality time on a getaway: places to see, to taste and to learn something.




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