Vila Katharina — Hotel in Bran

This is a followup review since the trip we took there in 2012. We were there at the start of June 2015 (Rusalii weekend - local holiday). ||The old review is just a bit below this one on tripadvisor. To cut to the case: things have changed and not for the better I'm affraid. The accomodations are the same, so if you liked it before it is the same now (large rooms, clean and quiet).||The problem is with the food and services and I am not going to state that everything was/is bad, cus' it's not, just not the same as before. They have a total new management and all new staff (the actual owners at the moment). They are very nice and they try to be helpful, they just lack experience and quite frankly are not as good at cooking the dishes they serve. This place never served a-la-carte, not the last time we went in 2012 and not now, so we knew that. It's just a big problem with the way they cook and the food: it is really dull and basic now. Before, they had a person that handled the place and the cooking but that person is no longer there, he was totally in sync with his clients and knew how to handle everything: stuff for little kids (special dishes), things for vegetarians, for meat lovers etc. That is now missing there: the guy that knew how to cater to your every need.||The new administration just does not know how to do it anymore: for example, we were a large group this year (22 adults with 12 kids) and they constantly made little mistakes that kind of gathered up and ticked off a lot of people from our group (things like: not being prepared with our dinner the first day, we ended up waiting for them to go shopping for our barbeque; never knowing what to cook for us - we constantly had to decide what to eat - we were not there for that, we simply wanted to relax - where in the old times the former cook always came up with options and was always on the same page with us; dishes were not sufficient for the entire group, somebody usualy ended up with not enough to eat).||The main thing was the use of local ingredients, most of the times. Even if the food was not perfect, at least it was cooked with mostly bio/ local products. That is a plus in my book. I could go on but already this is a large review. ||Over all conclusion: the price does not justify the services and products anymore. Things have changed at Katharina and if they do not hire a specialist there for the cuisine part of the business, I will not be returning...

Don't know where to start really ... we went there with friends (we booked 7 rooms total), with 2 small children and it was something close to perfection. We had a great time. The location will make you smile in the morning when you get out onto the terrace and see snow covered mountains and green all around you. There are plenty for the kids and adults to do.||Accommodation was spot on, the rooms are really spacious and very clean (fresh bed sheets, fresh towels, fresh everything), the personnel really friendly and helpful and the owner himself was a perfect host. The meals will blow you away and if that is not enough, you have to taste the local spirits ( we call it "tuica" or "palinca" - just take my word for it if you never tasted this type of strong beverage before :-) ). ||What more can I say? If you never visited Romania, if you heard anything about the Castle Bran and Transylvania itself, this is the place to stay in when you get here. ||Have a...

A pleasing 3 day vacation that got me wishing I had stayed longer.||||Rooms are spacious, tidy and provided with clean amenities. You also get a wonderful privileged view to the mountains (backgrounded by the sound of waterfall, if you are lucky with the room!) that will kick off your day with joy.||||Had delicious local food, ranging from traditional meat and cheese to creative and tasty vegan options.||||At a walk distance, one can find local restaurants, bars, non-stop and flea markets and several tourist attractions (think Bran Village Museum, castles etc).||||The owner is a caring and knowledgeable person, who helped out with attractions around Bran and even picking a hike trail in the Carpathian Mountains.||||If you are looking for a hospitable, home-like experience to take the load off in life, I genuinely recommend staying...