La Conac In Bucovina

We came to celebrate my father’s birthday, but the restaurant reservation for nine turned into a frustrating mess. I had called ahead and specifically asked whether they could definitely seat us as a restaurant-only booking. I was told it was no problem and that we could come. Nobody said hotel guests eating there would take priority. My parents arrived a few minutes before me. They were offered a table for six and a lemonade, then asked to wait for the nearby table to finish. They were only just being served their food, so there was no sign they planned to leave, and of course they had every right to stay. I was outside with my husband and the kids, trying to inflate balloons for the birthday surprise. When I went in at 2:20, twenty minutes after our reservation time, there still wasn’t a table for all of us. The kids hadn’t gone inside or used the playground, despite what the restaurant later claimed. I tried to speak with several waiters. Nobody apologized, and one person told me it wasn’t her section. We didn’t shout, but I explained how awful it felt to have this family celebration spoiled. There were empty tables booked for later, but apparently they weren’t in the same “sector.” The restaurant said they were very busy. We left the lemonade and went elsewhere, with two hungry little kids still without seats, after waiting outside. Nobody made an effort to accommodate us or even apologize. I can’t say how the food is. I’d hoped to try it, but we never got the chance. In response to the reply I received: I’m repeating what happened because there were a lot of assumptions in it. The reservation was for nine, for the restaurant only, and I was told it was definitely possible. My parents did get a table for six and lemonade, which I hadn’t known about at first. The other table had just received its food. My husband, kids, and I were outside with the balloons. When I saw there was no place for all of us, I asked several waiters for help. One said it wasn’t her section, and no one apologized. We didn’t raise our voices. We left the gifted lemonade and went away. The restaurant could have acknowledged the problem and said it would manage reservations better next time. Instead, it answered as it did. I hope people can read this and understand what happened.

The setting near the forest is quiet, and the rooms are clean and a good size. There are nice play areas both indoors and outside, plus a spa and massage service. Kudos to Cosmin for a professional massage. A few things about the hospitality let the place down. There was no drinking water in the spa, and breakfast wasn’t very good: the juice was low quality and not fresh, the yogurt was expired, and the bread wasn’t as good as the à la carte version. Restaurant service felt hit-or-miss. One day we waited 30 minutes for a waiter even though it wasn’t busy, and we had a little kid with us. It came across as if getting our money mattered more than making us comfortable. The place has a lot of potential.

Elena made us feel at home during our New Year’s Eve stay, and the service was very good. We didn’t need to eat elsewhere since the hotel restaurant served such good food. Breakfast was tasty and varied, with local meat and dairy products. The location is gorgeous, and the hotel has everything you might need.

We stopped for lunch at the hotel restaurant with a large group, between visiting Voronet Monastery and continuing our tour of the region’s famous painted churches. The staff had some trouble keeping up with the group, so service was delayed, but the local dishes we got were lovely.