Mountain Tale - Hostel

After trying many places in Brașov, including the 5-star hotel in the new center, I've decided I'll stay at Pensiunea Brașov Vechi whenever I come back. It's a very clean, high-end pension, and the staff take cleaning seriously. Everything is top notch, from the great showers and beds to the old-style furniture, which is a pleasure to see and experience. The staff have been very nice and helpful. There's free car parking, and street parking is free too if you can find a space, which I did.

It's a nice traditional Pension on the edge of the Schei district, with a wonderful view of Brasov, but the price is far too high for what you get. Our triple room was nice, but it was packed with unnecessary furniture and we couldn't find space for our suitcases. There was no way to darken the room, so setting an alarm for the morning was pointless. The bathroom had the basics but needed a lot of maintenance, especially the shower. The extra bed for my little girl, who thankfully weighs under 30 Kg, was completely unacceptable: it was broken down and had a mattress only three or four inches thick. Breakfast was so-so too, since you have to pick from set menus, which leaves little flexibility and means eating things you would have skipped otherwise. The Wi-Fi was good and there was cable TV, but that wasn't enough to make up for the totally anonymous service. In response to the reply: Dear Pensiunea Brasovu Vechi, your staff deserved a scolding, though I never insulted them. I was impaired but not drunk. When I returned, the pension was closed, despite the assurance I'd been given, and I had to climb over dangerous bars to get in. That has nothing to do with my review, which I believe is impartial, as are the hundreds of reviews I've written across Europe. I don't think you could have emptied the room, replaced the bed, changed the bathtub, or installed blackout curtains during my three-day stay, even if I'd told you. I did report the leak, and you said you didn't know about it. If you want to use my comments to improve, fine. Otherwise, "without spite". Regards, Stefano

The hosts were friendly, the rooms roomy, and breakfast was good, all for a decent price. It’s also quiet at night, with a mountain right outside the window and the old city center about 1km away.

The one drawback is that there’s no elevator. Otherwise, it’s a very nice hotel: the hostess was kind and helpful, breakfast had five options, and free private parking was really convenient. It’s a five-minute walk from the city center.