Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Hotel Castle Dracula is lazily Gothic from the outside, but more interesting within (partic-
ularly in reception, where a stuffed hawk, wolf, raven and ferret watch you signing in).
Corridors are lined with cranberry -coloured carpets and dragon motifs, while rooms are
rustically stylish, with bureaus for writing fraught diaries, and old-fashioned furniture.
The apartments are more vampy with wine-dark walls, candlebra and dinner tables for im-
promptu séances. Meanwhile, the hotel's Fear Room is a creaky-stepped, ghosthouse-style
crypt, with murals retelling the story of Dracula. We won't tell you the denouement but in
the '90s someone had a heart attack (clue: since when did Dracula wear sneakers?). The
restaurant is earthy with dishes such as pork suckling and mutton on the bone, and an out-
side terrace perfect for summer breakfasts. On a stormy night when the Pass is whipped
by rain, wind rattles the casements and the odd wolf howls across the valley, the hotel can
be genuinely creepy.
Outside in the car park there's a faded map detailing four colour-coded walks in the
area as well as a sculpture of author Bram Stoker in a glass coffin. Immediately after is a
gathering of stalls hawking snow globes, vampire mugs, masks, hats and garden gnomes!
There's also tennis and a small ski lift next door.
A couple of daily buses between Bistriţa and Vatra Dornei pass by here.
LAKE COLIBIŢA
Protected by towering crags and dense forests, this glittering lake is a hidden treasure.
With few developments it has an off-the-beaten-track feel and makes for a perfect sojourn
to catch a kayak, a few rays or take a swim. You'll find it 15km southeast of the village of
Prundu Bârgăului, some 20 or so kilometres from Bistriţa.
Sleeping
Fisherman's Hotel $
( 0722-500 422;
www.fishermans.ro
; Colibiţa 46; r 150 lei; )
Enjoying a
regal position on the lake, Fisherman's rooms are tasteful with murals, thick carpets, flat-
screens and en suites, and there's an excellent restaurant with elevated views. You can fish
from the jetty with the hotel's rods, hire its pedlo (25 lei per person) or take their three-
person boat out for a putter (25 lei). There's also a kids' pool.
HOTEL
Pensiunea Ariniş $
( 0740-407 954;
www.lacolibita.ro
;
d 100 lei)
Rioting in flowers, timbered Ariniş sits
atop a grassy knoll. There's a pretty terrace to enjoy breakfast and soak up the view of the
PENSION
