Brasov Hotel Tips by midnight_mike Top 5 Page for this destination

Aro-Palace: The biggest hotel in Brasov Aro-Palace Review

Whenever important people visited Brasov, they stayed at this hotel. The rooms were rumored to be bugged during Romania's communist days. It is now undergoing a major renovation as it started to lose business to the growing number of boutique hotels opening up in Brasov.

Unique Qualities: Being Brasov's biggest hotel, it has a reputation to uphold.

Address: 9, Eroilor Blvd., Brasov, Romania, Brasov 500036

Comparison: most expensive

Phone: 40-268-478800

Theme: Hotel

Hotel Coroana: Rooms for all budgets Coroana Review

Hotel Coroana has an ideal location at the edge of Strada Republicii, where the shops and main attractions are located. The hotel has two types of rooms: regular and budget. The budget rooms are small and the bathrooms just have a toilet and a sink. The rates for the regular and budget rooms are dramatically different.

Address: 62 Republicii St.

Comparison: more expensive than average

Phone: 40-268-144330

Theme: Hotel

Maria Bolea: The real Maria--private rooms

Many Romanians have taken capitalism to heart, earning a living in the most unconventional ways. Maria Bolea and her husband Grig are no different. My first time in Brasov I was approached by Maria outside the train station. I brushed her aside as I thought she was trying to con me out of my passport and wallet. But she wouldn't stop talking. Finally, I looked at her notebook which had notes from fellow travelers praising her services. She even showed me the guidebooks in which her name is mentioned. Somehow, Maria learned to speak Japanese and is mentioned in a Japanese travel book. She speaks many languages and if you ignore her, as I originally did, you will hear all of them.

I finally gave in and rented a room from her. I paid 10 Euro each night for a private room above a house in the residential section of Brasov. The next time I came to Brasov I rented a room from her in an apartment building for the same price. There were other tourists staying in the apartment, but we each had our own room.

If you are on a tight budget, Maria is a good option. She has many connections in Brasov and can arrange for a driver to take you to Bran and Rasnov castles. When I stayed in one of her rooms, she had a driver take myself and five other tourists to these sights in a van.

Maria says there is a "fake Maria" taking advantage of her good reputation, but I never saw anyone beside her and her husband offering such services at the train station.

Comparison: least expensive

Directions: If you are a tourist arriving in Brasov by train, Maria will find you. She waits for all the international trains to arrive.

Phone: 094816970

Price: less than US$20

Theme: Other

Bella Muzica Hotel: Great location, beautiful rooms Bella Muzica Review

I have not been back to Brasov since this hotel opened, but the pictures of the hotel rooms from the Bella Muzica Web site are impressive. All the rooms of this recently renovated building have been lavishly decorated to Western European standards. The location cannot be beat. It is right across the street from Piata Sfatului, the center of medieval Brasov. Everything you want to see and do in Brasov is within sight. There is also a great restaurant, also called Bella Muzica, in the basement of the hotel.

Most of Brasov's hotels were built during Romania's communist years and are not worth the price. So unless you are renting an apartment or a room in a private home, you might want to consider this hotel.

Address: Piata Sfatului 19

Comparison: more expensive than average

Directions: When standing in Piata Sfatului, the center of old Brasov, face northwest.

Other Contact: hotel@bellamuzica.ro

Phone: 40268477956

Price: US$80-120

Theme: Hotel

Website: http://www.bellamuzica.ro/