Vila Aleea

Really great.

I ended up finding another place to stay after the contact person refused to let us in. We had booked through Booking, and I’d said we’d arrive between 7 and 8 PM, after a demanding mountain route. I also explained in the comments that my wife, our children aged 8 and 13, and I would hike from Busteni to Babele, then to Crucea Eroilor, and return via Piatra Arsa, descending on the Foot of Piatra Arse in Sinaia. We set off at 7 in the morning from the logs and got to Sinaia at 8 PM, worn out. The person I called sounded annoyed that I’d disturbed her at 8 PM, said check-in had to be by 3 PM, and told me there was nothing she could do. They don’t accept card payments either. Avoid this place. If arriving after 8 PM wasn’t allowed, they shouldn’t have accepted the booking when I’d given that time, so we could have looked elsewhere instead of being stranded in Sinaia with two exhausted kids. We eventually stayed at a 4* hotel and paid 600 RON per night. Hotel Arca lui Noe looked after us well, and we were impressed by its professionalism and involvement.

I take responsibility for not telling the owner we’d be late, but the way we were treated was awful. We left Bucharest around lunchtime, at 12:00, and reached Sinaia around 18:00 after the plans changed and we hit an indescribable crowd. Anyone who’s been in the Prahova Valley at that time knows what I mean. When I called the owner from the villa, the woman spoke harshly, even though I’d greeted her and introduced myself. She asked what reservation I had, said Booking reservations were only available until 15:00, asked why I hadn’t announced the delay, and said she had no interest in holding the room for us. Seriously? Yelling, insults, and hanging up on people is no way to treat customers. Such a shame. I absolutely do not recommend it. Avoid!

The owner’s behavior left us with a bad impression. He’s extremely aggressive and insensitive, and lately I’ve seen him threaten customers in the comments. I’d never heard of someone blocking a guest’s car because they disliked how the villa had been left. Room 2’s door needs attention too, along with the burned wall and detached door. I hope those leave him with the same feeling that the new villa and his behavior left us with. The villa itself looks decent, but the rooms disappoint: an entire floor has just two bathrooms. Insensitive to the end, as seems to happen in Romania. Peasant!