Hotel Posada Vidraru — Hotel in Arefu

July 2023. Booked 2 nights here. Location: it is great. Very close to the dam (8 min walk). It has a big parking lot (20-30 cars). You can book a boat tour from here on Vidraru Lake. You can go down on the pontoon and relax on the water (no seats available). Staff: it was ok. Everyone was nice. The reception guy was very nice. He deserves a raise. How clean it was: oh well... Up and downs. The rooms were clean but with a few exceptions (carpet was stained, balcony wood was full of fungus, tails in the bathroom were not washed). You can tell that the hotel was renovated at some point but now, without proper maintenance, things are not looking good. At the pool the pipe of the shower was so rusted that when you turn the water on, the water will flow through the holes of the pipe and shower head. Also at some places the railing in the pool was rusted. The saunas were very clean. The pool water was very clean. Overall it was ok. Food: I got the impression that the size of the meal was small/medium and the price was for large. The food I ate wasn't bad but it wasn't awesome either. medium quality. In the room price we had breakfast included. It was ok. Nothing fancy (eggs, sausages, cheese, bread, Nutella, Butter, fruits, coffee, tea, juice etc).

If it wasn't for the pool and sauna I wouldn't choose this hotel. Overall it was ok. If I will travel on Transfăgărășan again I would...

Of all hotels we passed on our way along the Transfagarasan, this had the best spot of them all. But this hotel, starting with the way it was built, does not deliver. ||First and foremost: the rooms are run down, are not clean and smell of cheap detergent. The mattress is hard as a rock and the blankets are smaller than anything we have ever seen. We tried to switch rooms and it got gradually worse. ||Our daughter had to sleep on a couch in the apartment that wasn’t close to anything comfortable. And it wasn’t even prepared, you have to make the bed yourself. Double rooms and the apartments are very small.||The reception and bar area are very functional, no decoration, it’s very cold and unpersonal. The spa is new and quite nice in comparison. But you don’t want massages - the massage room is storage for towels and very cold. The whole soap is very dark and the whirlpool sounds broken when you turn it on.||And the superb location? The restaurant, the rooms and the spa … none of it delivers an unobstructed lake view. If you look at the photos, keep in mind, all rooms either face the street or the woods. Everything that could face the lake, has a tree line in front of it. So you can, from some angle, take a nice picture. But you won’t...

If you are looking for a place for a getaway in the wooded mountains of Romania, I have a spot to recommend to you. This hotel is located nearby a winding road; known and appreciated by motorcyclists; and offers all what you may expect for an amazing stay. We stayed in an apartment (with a separate bedroom), but the normal rooms are equally good. The bedding is comfortable and the room well furnished. The minibar offers the basics; water and Pepsi. For those that are looking for a relaxing moment, the hotel offers a wellness facility with a large swimming pool, a jacuzzi, a sauna, a hammam and even massage options if you want. For the more active ones, the hotel offers a gym, 2 pool tables, a dartboard and if that's not enough you can opt for a quad tour or a swim in the lake nearby. The restaurant offers local dishes with seasonal products/ingredients and are tasteful. The staff is extremely friendly and makes sure your stay is as enjoyable as possible. The only downside; which is outside of the hotel's control; is the presence of brown bears in the surroundings which unfortunately prevents you from going for a walk. I highly recommend this place for...