Romania - Eastern Europe - page 545

(Victoria does speak French), but they are warm and welcoming, and it's a bizarre
honor to spend time with the village's spiritual leader (a man who incidentally also
makes a potent plum tuica, which you'll sample at mealtimes). There are three upstairs
rooms available in the priest's private home, a brick house stuffed full of books, handi-
crafts, animal skins, and family photos, but you'll probably want to opt for a room in
their nearby guesthouse, fashioned out of wood in traditional Maramure @ style. There
are four twin-bedded rooms sharing three bathrooms. Accommodations are on the first
floor, reached via a spiral staircase, while downstairs are themed artisan studios where
Victoria works on her woolen handicrafts. You'll have just about everything you need
for a relaxed escape from modernity.
No. 743, Botiza. & 0262/33-4207 or 0262/33-4107. 6 units. 20 € -25 € ($25-$31) per person per night. Ameni-
ties: TV; fishing; horseback riding.

IN SIGHETU MARMA# IEI
Casa Iurca de Câline@ti This gorgeous pensiune, next door to the Elie Wiesel
Museum, is owned and operated by a noble family whose members trace their lineage
from 1374; they've combined traditional elements such as carved doorways and craft-
work furniture with modern comforts to create the best accommodations in Sighet.
Neatly appointed twin-bedded guest rooms (there are no double beds) feature wooden
floors and attractive country-style wooden furniture; they also have large bathrooms
with showers. Room no. 5 has a small porch overlooking the wood-beam courtyard
where costumed waiters serve local cuisine. There's also a themed indoor restaurant
with a quaint fireplace and decorative touches, like exposed brick, clay jugs, and tra-
ditional cloth hangings, to create a village dining room atmosphere; this is easily the
best place to dine anywhere in the region. Ask the titled owners about their swanky
country house, where you can also arrange to stay.
Str. Drago@ Vodâ, Sighetu Marma$iei. & 0262/31-8882. Fax [phone]. www.casaiurca.com. 5 units. L150 ($54/
£29) double. MC, V. Amenities: Restaurant; bar; traditional performances; laundry. In room:A/C, TV, Internet, mini-
bar, hair dryer.
IN BAIA MARE
If you must stay in Baia Mare because of an early or late departure or arrival, there's a
clutch of relatively decent hotels. Recently renovated, Hotel Rivulus (Str. Culturii 3,
Baia Mare; & 0262/21-6302; www.hotelrivulus.ro; 57

€

/$71 double with breakfast)
is right in the center of town. It's a slightly stiff business hotel with a no-nonsense
atmosphere; nevertheless, the refurbished rooms are smart and comfortable (beware of
the cheaper two-star rooms, though), and have small private balconies. There's a
decent restaurant and a popular terrace-cafe. Alternatively Pensiune Union (Str.
Crisan 9, Baia Mare; & 0262/21-5752; L130-L160/$47-$58/£25-£31) offers good
value—book the massive honeymoon suite, featuring a four-poster bed and football-
stadium bathroom with sunken tub. There are also two smaller rooms in this mustard-
and-green colored mansion, but rates are so similar that you might as well take the
more romantic option. Styling is eclectic at best; elaborate chandeliers, leather sofas,
and wooden headboards combine in a garish approximation of Maramure @ city-style.
There's a variety of popular cafes and bars around the cobblestone town center,
Pia $ a Libert â$ ii —you could do a lot worse than Corvin Medieval Restaurant, worth
a visit for the refreshingly naive-kitsch design (the whole place is decked out in faux-
medieval memorabilia in a series of brick-vaulted rooms, with mannequins dressed in
period costume; even the waitresses are styled as serving wenches) as well as the good