Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Str Mitrolopiliei 3, Suceava. & 0230/52-2146 or 0230/52-0408. Fax 0230/52-0087. www.balada.ro. 19 units. L246
($89/£47) double; L390 ($140/£85) suite; L62 ($22/£12) extra bed. Rates include breakfast, but exclude 2% tax. AE,
MC, V. Amenities: Restaurant; laundry. In room:A/C, TV, Internet, minibar.
Villa Alice This family-run establishment offers great value and a central loca-
tion in a quiet neighborhood. Hospitality here is a notch above that in the city's larger
hotels; most importantly, it offers private tours to the monasteries. Guest rooms are
simple, exceptionally clean, and have private balconies; they're also relatively comfort-
able, despite the kitschy gold bedspreads (and, in some cases, lime-green walls). In
summer, it's worth paying a bit extra for a so-called “luxury room,” which includes air-
conditioning (and free Internet).
Str Simion Florea Marian 1, Suceava. & /fax 0230/52-2254. www.villaalice.ro. 16 units. L100-L150 ($36-$54/
£6.90-£10) double. Rates exclude 2% tax. Amenities: Restaurant; bar; fitness room; sauna; room service; medical
facility on call. In room:A/C (luxury rooms), TV, Internet, minibar, hair dryer.
Gura Humorului & Environs
Best Western Bucovina Club de Munte While lacking any real sophistication
or class, this thoroughly Western franchisee provides a range of comforts and is the
best-positioned hotel for exploring the painted churches. Capped by a wood-timbered
roof, meant to echo traditional Bucovine architectural elements, it enjoys a command-
ing position overlooking Guru Humorului's main square. From the mezzanine, with
its lobby bar, pool table, and token village souvenir-ornaments, tiny elevators rise
through eight floors of accommodations. Guest rooms are carpeted and decorated in
unusual color combinations (yellow and green, or lime and ocher) and dark wood fur-
niture (including four-poster beds); bathrooms have showers and are on the small side.
Ensure that you reserve a Deluxe Room with Mountain View, and check twice (before
arriving) that you have an upper-floor unit with balcony. Views from this—the clos-
est thing to a skyscraper in these parts—are simply splendid.
Pia$a Republicii 18, Guru Humorului. & 0230/20-7000. Fax 0230/20-7001. www.bestwesternbucovina.ro. 130
units. L285 ($103/£55) double; L314 ($113/£60) deluxe with mountain view; L438 ($158/£84) junior suite; L548
($197/£105) VIP suite; L639 ($230/£123) presidential suite. AE, DC, MC, V. Amenities: 2 restaurants; bar; terrace; fit-
ness center, sauna, Turkish bath, massage; concierge; room service; wireless Internet; airport transfers; mountain bik-
ing, hunting, fishing, horseback riding, skiing, rafting; business facilities; safe. In room:TV, minibar, hair dryer.
Value
Casa Elena A short drive from Guru Humorului, right near Voronet Monastery,
Casa Elena is set in well-tended grounds with panoramic views of the Bucovina
hillscape. Reckoned to offer the best pensiune-style accommodations in the region
(famous for having hosted three former presidents, including Iliescu, since it opened
in 1999), the complex comprises five different “villas,” each featuring a variety of
rooms in different configurations. A stay here is pleasant enough, although—as with
the Best Western in Guru Humorului—you may find it packed out with tour groups,
and the guest rooms are unspectacular, done out in a countrified approximation of
modest luxury with strange color schemes and cheap wood furniture. Traditional
touches have been used almost perfunctorily to develop some sort of aesthetic in the
numerous public spaces (it's all built to quite a convoluted plan), but it's the conven-
ience of the location rather than the design of the place that should draw you here. Be
warned that the hot water supply is inconsistent, and if you dine in one of the restau-
rants, you may find some of your choices unavailable. But if you succumb to the
beauty of the surrounding lush landscape, you should soon forget its shortcomings.
Search WWH ::




Custom Search