Casa Cardinal

We arrived when nobody was at reception, but the keys were in small coded boxes by the gate entrance. There’s a little eating area in the courtyard by the entrance, and each room has a refrigerator. The rooms on the floor vary in interior design and bathroom size, with a nice antique feel. The Wi-Fi was bad. The guest house left a good impression overall.

The hosts were nice, and the location was OK, not too far from the center. Our basement room was large, which was great, but its windows faced the street and the curtains barely stopped people from seeing inside. Even with a room this big, more like a small apartment with couches and a table, I expected a little kettle. They did give us a jar with boiling water. The room wasn’t well maintained: some lamps were burned out, the Jacuzzi didn’t work, and some parts fell off when I filled it with water. The street isn’t a main road, but it’s still very crowded during the day, and parking is hard to find. Breakfast was pretty poor compared with other places we stayed in Romania that cost less. The portions were small, though we don’t eat much, the coffee was very bad, and they served the simplest bread. At least it filled you up.

The accommodation was very nice, but some of the rules felt odd. There’s no key for the gate, so if you come back late you have to wake the owner. She didn’t mind, but I still felt bad doing it. The church nearby rings its bells and holds a service on Sunday morning, which will wake you up.

Large, clean rooms and hospitable people. It’s a nice hotel, but there’s no parking or lift. Breakfast isn’t a buffet: you choose from a fixed menu of five options. The center is a 15-minute walk away.