We have just returned from a great prolonged weekend in Romania, where we visited Dracula and Europes largest spa.
The past months we have been talking about returning to the famous spa’s in Budapest, we visited for several years ago.
However there has been a lot of negative reviews, some of them mentioning dirty water and guests getting ill.
This got us looking for alternatives, and Tanja quickly spotted Therme in Bucharest, Romania, often noted as being Europes largest spa.
The fact that none of us have been to Romania, was only a bonus.
The plane tickets were booked with Wizzair (another first), who flew us directly from Copenhagen Airports low-low budget terminal F, to Bucharest.
I suspect this was the last trip with Wizzair, they were terrible. Absolutely no service, and they have taken the art of earning money thru extra fees to another level.
They charged us extra for luggage, even cabin luggage. All passengers are given a random seat at check-in, and if you wish to sit with your family during the flight, you have to pay extra.
The seats were hard as rocks, and so close together, that I had to have my knees sideways. On the way home water dripped onto me from the panel above me. The stewardess came with a bunch of napkins for me, without me asking, so I expect it has been a known issue for some time 😏
Well we arrived at Bukarest, and was able to get our rented car. A 2024 Hyundai Tucson SUV, that would transport us around Romania.
However it was very late, so the first trip would be directly to our hotel, Orhideea Residence & Spa, that has converted 77 large (as in 100 m2) apartments into hotel rooms.
The rooms have two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a large sofabed, full kitchen and a washing mashine.
The views include the neighbouring tower blocks and a 100MW gas powered powerplant.
Friday was spent in Therme Spa, where we end up enjoying their baths, saunas and steam rooms for more than 6 hours.
Saturday was roadtrip day, and the Hyundai Tucson takes us on a approximately 500 km roundtrip to Transylvania, where we visit Bran Castle, that is said to have given Bram Stoker inspiration for his epic story about Dracula.
On the way back we stopped at an abandoned road tunnel, that I had spotted on our way out. The road now passed round the edge of the mountain, instead of thru it, and now the old tunnel had been repurposed as a stable, and there was a huge trough, where their food could be placed.
The third, and last day was spent on shopping, and last but not least, we visited the local Romanian cat café, “Miau Cafe”, where 23 og their approximately 100 cats were looking for their new family.
During our prolonged weekend in Romania, we enjoyed a lot of their local, and very brown food.
Have you been in Romania?
If so what did you do, and what would you recommend to others?
