I am looking for a hotel in bucharest. I need one downtown close to sight seeing and I want to stay at one close to the airport otepena. I am looking for a clean respectable hotel- prefereably with a breakfast included
Jimster, unless I misunderstood the question: Otopeni is a suburb of Bucharest, actually beyond the suburbs, and nowhere near the downtown centre. The distance would be about 12 miles (20 km.) By the way, the notion of "downtown" in a city like Bucharest translates into "center".
If centre Bucharest, is there a budget limit? Because there are a few very high level hotels in Bucharest now, but prices will be in the range of some of the big European cities (Athenée Palace Hilton, Crown Plaza, Marriott, Intercontinental, etc.)
My choice downtown would be Hotel Lido, which would ring at EUR 250-350, buffet breakfast included. That's basically where I would stay (location, location, location+price) if I could get a room.
My suggestion would be to look up Trip Advisor, make a few picks, and I will be glad to give you an approximate idea where these choices would be located vs the centre.
I am actually only going to be there 3 days. I was thinking of the Ramada Majestic for 2 days (Friday and Saturday) and the Confort Hotel near Otopeni for the third since I will have an early morning departure. I was hoping to get hotels that are readily accessible by public transportation and it is my understanding that Ramada Majestic is not far from an underground stop. I think the underground runs straight from Otopeni. I am not sure about the Confort Hotel and whether I'd have to take a taxi. This is not really a luxury stay for me it is more of a mileage run which has the fringe benefit of a bit of sight seeing. A friend of mine suggested Hanul Manuc but it seems a bit run down and I don't know about availablity. It is certainly much much cheaper than the bigger hotels and that gives me cause for concern. I just want a nice clean room in a good location relative to sights and transportation.
The Majestic is in a good location. We stayed at the Intercontinental, and the Majestic is a few blocks away. You can easily walk to many points of great historic interest.
The metro does not run from Otopeni. What you can do is take a bus (I forget the number, but you can Google) that runs from Otopeni to various stops. Figure out the best stop to get off for the Majestic. The cost is about 50 Euro cents (but you have to buy the tickets in Romanian lei, and the ticket kiosk people don't like to change large bills). You buy the ticket and get the bus one floor down. Note there is a Billa grocery store in this area, so you can buy a few small items and change your large bills.
On no account should you take any of the rogue taxis. From the moment you step out of baggage claim, you will be harassed by dozens of would-be drivers. There is a legitimate taxi queue if you choose that option, though.
There's no reason to stay at the Confort hotel the last night. From central Bucharest very early in the morning to Otopeni, it will take about 15 minutes. We used the hotel car, which was pricy, to take us, but you can also take a legitimate taxi (again, not just any old taxi).
If you are interested in any other hotels in the area of the Majestic, the Intercontinental, the Hilton, the Novotel, and K&K Elisabeta would all be good choices too. I have seen the K&K advertised at hrs.de for as little as about 90 Euros per night including breakfast.
We got the Intercontinental on an amazing PointsBreak promotion such that the cost was $50 per night, but that offer is no longer available. If you look in a standard guidebook, you will see many decent 2* or 3* options that are much cheaper than the 4* or 5* options listed above.
I find it interesting that folk are suggesting hotels in the €250 to €350 price range in Bucharest. This is more than most folk in the city earn in a month. You will find a good range of guest houses (all clean, respectable and including breakfast) for less that €80 a night. Last time I was in Bucharest, I paid about €30 for a place that was absolutely fine. Are these top-of-the-spots at €200+ possibly overseas-run chains? Jimster suggests that places that are cheaper are 'cause for concern' but there are plenty of good Romanian hotels that charge modest prices. I would never exclude somewhere merely because it charges a sensible rate.
It is not the cost that concerned me more than knowing which hotel. I have stayed in many hotels in other European cities which were just fine and since they were not part of a big chain they had lower or much lower costs. The problem I have is finding them. They often don't have websites and I do want to book my room in advance. Like I said originally I am after a clean safe hotel in a reasonable location. I am still not convinced I made a good choice because it was made out of ignorance and with only a little research and imput from others. I did not opt for a $250/night hotel. I am paying only about $125. One thing is for sure, if I ever go back I always make a note of possible alternative lodging for the next time.
Lonely Planet had some suggestions in lower budget ranges that looked good. But the location of the Ramada Majestic will be very convenient. As I noted above, the reason I stayed at the Intercontinental is because I got a deal where it cost $50/night (about 38 Euros earlier this year).
The sheer variation in hotel prices in some cities in eastern and central Europe is quite amazing, is it not? WillTravel cites a night at the Intercontinental in Bucharest for €38 - a fine deal to be sure.
I recently stumbled across an instance of a hotel on the German - Polish border where a UK run website offered a standard double for €160. Phone the hotel directly, speak a local language, and exactly the same room was just €75 (I guess that must be a little over $100). I'm certainly no expert on hotel rates, but I wonder if this is common - particular when, as now, it is low season.
In a related situation, I had trouble finding a reasonable car rental in Ireland. I had gone to all the major sites. Then I changed things a bit. I entered the URL but this time with ie as the suffix and guess what? The rates plummeted. This same kind of thing is true when buying rail tickets. If you go to rail europe they are far more expensive. If you take all the cookies out of your computer and go to a European site, the rates decrease dramatically. In my quest for a hotel all I wanted is a clean quiet room. I would have stayed at one of those as will travel suggests from Lonely Planet Guidebook, but you can't always trust them. I am hoping by paying a bit more I will have a good experience. I was not looking for a pool and sauna etc. Just a nice clean room. I have a complete health club at home. I don't need that on a quick trip. I have my fingers crossed about my selection.
Let me indulge myself with one last question since you seem to know the area. I will be taking a train from Bucharest. While I haven't had time to plot the trainstation on the map, I can't believe it would be too inconvenient from my location. I understand the subway runs near my hotel so that should help even if the walk is a good distance. Do you know where the train station is located relative to the Majestic?
Hi Jimster.... Most main line-trains leave from Bucaresti Nord. That would be about 2 km northwest of the hotel (if I've got it right that the Majestic is just south of Piata Revolutiei). The Gara de Nord is on the M1 métro. Hope that helps. Nicky ______________________ www.hiddeneurope.co.uk
Hi Thanks so much. Yes, i was planning on using Bucaresti Nord and the fact that it is on the metro is just what I was hoping for. Although I just did receive a surprise. I stopped at my local credit union to tell them I'd be using my debit card in Romania. They said: "No, you won't. It doesnt' work there." So, now I am going to have to find another way to change money. Maybe I can convert to Euros with my stopover in Munich but I hate to carry cash. Hopefully one of my other cards will work in Romania. Thanks for the train info. That's good news!
There are lots of exchange places in Bucharest (I remember one across from the Intercontinental Hotel, among others). Plus, your hotel will likely do it for you. But I did not check how good the rates are.
Topic Closed
