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spacious and generally comfortable, although beds are merely adequate and bath-
rooms on the small side. Units on the first floor have views from private balconies that
stick out over the park; note that third-floor rooms have shared balconies.
4 B-dul Carol I, Sinaia. & 0244/31-3551. Fax 0244/31-0625. 72 units. L154 ($55/£30) double; L212 ($76/£41) suite.
MC, V. Amenities: Restaurant; bar; dining terrace; salon; room service; laundry. In room:TV, minibar.
New Montana A hefty bouncer stands watch at the entrance to this, Sinaia's
smartest hotel; big, brash, and right in the center, New Montana seems a little out of
place in this small town with its crumbling houses and mountain scenery. Built for
Bucharest's wealthy weekend-getaway crowd, it's popular with loads of tourists who
are bussed off for sightseeing trips from the front door. Inside, everything is shiny and
modern, and more often than not it's western hip-hop music that's playing in the
bright lobby bar. Tight, gold-trimmed elevators whisk you up to your room, which are
quite ordinary, despite soothing white cotton linens; bathrooms are slightly larger than
the elevators, though. Ask for a room overlooking the main road; oddly, these are your
best bet, since dogs bark perpetually at night round the back, where rooms don't have
balconies.
24 B-dul Carol I, Sinaia. & 0244/31-2751/2/3. Fax 0244/31-2754. www.newmontana.ro. 177 units. 99
($124)
double; 195
($305-$318) suite. Amenities: Restaurant; lobby lounge and pub;
bar; health center. In room:TV, Internet, minibar, hair dryer.
($244) junior suite; 244
-254
WHAT TO DO & SIGHTS TO SEE
In addition to the top sights in town, Sinaia is just 1.2 miles ( 2km) from the George
Enescu Memorial House ( Casa Memorial â George Enescu; Cump â tu; & 0244/31-
1753; Tues-Sun 9am-3pm; L6/$2.15/£1.15 adults), worth a visit if you have time.
Built in the 1920s as a summer home for the country's great composer, it preserves
antique furnishings, Enescu's piano, and also some poignant memorabilia; best of all,
you'll get to hear recordings of his music as your explore the house, which surprisingly
given that the Ottomans never got a look in, echoes the style of a Turkish Conac. On
the way to or from the castle grounds you might want to take a brief look at Sinaia
Monastery (Str. M â n â stirii 2; & 0244/31-4917; daily 9:30am-6pm; donation
expected), where almost two dozen monks still actively worship at the two Orthodox
churches, the smaller of which dates from 1695. The first Romanian-language Bible,
written in Cyrillic script in 1668, is the prize exhibit in the monastery's little history
museum.
Muzeul Na$ional Pele@ Easily the most beautiful palace in Romania, and
one of the finest in Europe, magnificent Pele @ Castle—the summer residence of
Romania's first king, Carol I (it's his statue at the entrance)—looks from a distance like
something out of Harry Potter . Begun in 1875 and inaugurated in 1883, it's a triumph
of German neo-Renaissance architecture, with various modern conveniences added
over time: this was the first palace in Europe to be completely served by electricity; the
first to be centrally heated, and the first castle with a central vacuum-cleaning system.
Pele @ sports around 170 rooms, and the handful on public display are spectacular
examples of “tasteful opulence”; the reception rooms, libraries, studies, bedrooms, and
ballrooms are decorated with carefully selected works of extreme quality and value.
Alongside the 2,000-strong collection of paintings are imported statues, chandeliers,
exotic furniture, gigantic mirrors, and phenomenal hand-woven carpets; each room
suggesting the ambience of a different country or region, and perfectly preserved.
Although Ceau @ escu claimed to have little regard for Pele @ , he did use the palace to
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