ISSA Resort — Hotel in Turda

Preamble: A disappointing experience characterized by a lot of noise (besides the location being near the road, about 20 meters, it was also within a construction site – a fact I wasn't informed about at the time of booking). I left much more tired and stressed than when I arrived. I can state without hesitation that I wasted my money. I'm writing this feedback (a first for me) because I'm extremely upset that I wasn't informed about the ongoing construction work at the location, which occurred throughout my stay, except during the night (resuming again on Saturday morning at 7). This turned an outing outside the city (from which I expected peace and relaxation) into a source of frustration and irritation.||Detailed Description|- Accommodation|I arrived around 3 PM on Friday, and right from the entrance to the complex, I noticed construction work in the area (multiple machines and workers were building a new building). Even though I noticed the noise and construction, I thought, "Since I've come all this way, let's see it through. How bad could it be?" I can't blame the fact that the accommodation was near the main road because it was my responsibility to do all necessary research before traveling. The complex was charming, very clean, the rooms were small but had enough space to move around, and the reception staff was friendly.||- Horseback Riding Center|When I booked the room, I also scheduled a horseback riding session outside the complex (an activity I had high hopes for, considering it was the main reason for the entire trip). I was asked on the phone if I had ridden before, to which I answered yes, as I had grown up around horses in the countryside and had even participated in a horse riding session just two weeks before (which included all types of riding paces). The horseback riding center was well-maintained, the horses were beautiful, and the staff was undoubtedly professional but a bit inflexible. They asked about my riding level, and I mentioned I had ridden many times before but was just an amateur, not an elite rider (still thinking I had enough experience for a simple one-hour ride). Apparently, when I mounted the horse to be assessed, I was told I didn't have the required knowledge to ride out of the corral, and the center didn't want to risk any mishaps. Indeed, I didn't know the proper riding position or how to hold the reins perfectly, but I had reserved a one-hour ride through nature, not an Olympic selection trial. What I want to emphasize here is that the rules of the horseback riding center should be better explained. It's not the first place I've gone for such an activity, but it's certainly the strictest. I understand the saying "different strokes for different folks," but make these aspects known.||Conclusion on this part, the horseback riding hour turned into less than half an hour of corral practice. I did learn something new, but that wasn't my intended goal.||- SPA Area|I chose this location because it had a relaxation area (which I considered necessary, especially since I was going for a horseback riding session). I was told at the reception to notify them 15 minutes before heading to the SPA so the saunas could be prepared. I followed the instructions, but when I arrived after about 25 minutes, the saunas were still cold. Of the three available saunas, only the dry sauna was operational, but I had to wait another hour for it to reach the optimal temperature. Additionally, the building dedicated to the SPA was very cold, which further affected the experience.||- Sleep Quality|As evening fell, the workers left the construction site, and I hoped they would take advantage of the weekend. They did, but not as I expected. The next morning (Saturday) at around 7 AM, behind the cabin (which was about 20 meters from the main road), I heard the tracks of heavy machinery moving toward the construction site (accompanied by that beeping sound heard when reversing). After a few minutes, these sounds stopped, and I hoped to get back to sleep, but then the "carnival" began. If I were to describe these noises, they would sound like this: someone with an excavator bucket lifting it as high as possible and then letting it drop onto a piece of metal, producing a deafening metallic noise (repeating every few tens of seconds). This ensured the rest and relaxation I had been expecting. The funny part is that on the phone, I requested a cabin a bit further from the stables (a recommendation from the person who indicated this location to me, and who assured me that I wouldn't be disturbed by the horses' trotting in the morning). With a hint of amusement in her voice, the lady who took my reservation assured me that it wouldn't be an issue, and even if I did hear them, it shouldn't be a problem, considering the accommodation's name (in the end, the horses didn't stand a chance against the noise from excavators/drilling machinery).||- Breakfast|Breakfast was served between 8 and 10 AM and consisted of a plate with two fried eggs (you could choose omelets or boiled eggs), several slices of salami, ham, cheese, butter, jam, and a sausage. They also offered coffee and still water. Not good, not bad.||- Check-Out|I checked out at 12 PM and expressed my dissatisfaction with the fact that the location was in a construction site and, most importantly, that they didn't have the courtesy to inform me at the time of booking. The receptionist offered numerous apologies for what had happened, but the damage was already done, and the time wasted...

I hesitate writing this review only because I want to keep this hidden gem to myself.

I'll break out the different areas, but it's worth saying that I would make a trip to this hotel to spend a relaxing week just being at the hotel and relaxing.

Location - it's about 30-40 minutes outside of Cluj nestled into wine country and walking distance to the Salt Mine. Rolling hills, Horses, Vineyards, flocks of sheep...hidden relaxing beauty.

Rooms - This hotel just opened a few months ago, and traveling a lot I can personally say it shows. Everything is new. The Beds - If you like soft beds and great pillows, this place has one of the best that I've experienced at all...including lots of 5 star hotels around the world. The rooms are well laid out. Lights...this is one that will likely come up a lot. There are a lot of light switches and things can get a little confusing. There is a tablet in the room that controls the lights, curtains, Do Not Disturb, camera for who is at the door, etc. USE THE TABLET FOR THE LIGHTS....it's so much easier.

Service - Everyone was great. From the front desk, service at the restaurant, met the people from the show at the lessons and they were all so great. Ordered a car from the hotel, top notch luxury car and the driver works at the hotel You can tell they care about service across the board. Keep in mind, the hotel just opened, so if you have issues, bring it up.

Food/Drinks - Happy to say the breakfast buffet and the restaurant were great! We were going to go out for dinner but after dining at the restaurant, we decided to stay at the hotel to eat. Drinks were great, had a few of the cocktails. and they had a terrific wine selection.

Show/Lessons - You would never believe this show has only been live for a couple of months. Definitely recommend it if you are staying or have the opportunity. They also offer carriage rides through the vineyards, horse riding lessons etc. If you are there, do it, it's worth the experience.

Other activities - The hotel has a lot more to offer. Pools, pickleball courts, kids play areas, etc. But I didn't get a chance to check it all out. it looked great though.

This Hotel is a must do if you are in Turda, or even in Cluj! Looking forward to the next stay...

We went there just for lunch and it was great! It is a very interesting place considering that there are plenty of parking spaces, cars are secured, there are plenty of activities to choose from and also there is accommodation from what I have seen. This review is strictly related to the restaurant and to the experience that I had over there. The place has a very nice terrace with plenty of sitting and inside the design is just stunning, everything is brand new, there are different tables in terms of size so it can accommodate from two people up to groups from what I have seen, there is a huge selection of drinks and also the service is spot on. This is without any doubt a luxury place and also you have to expect that compared to the prices in Romania it is a bit expensive but you definitely get what you pay for. We had some very nice food, the service was again absolutely amazing, I had one of the best coffee latte, the past I was freshly made, burgers were looking amazing and you're very tasty and also when I was just looking at the crockery and cutlery, I could instantly tell that it is a very nice and high class place. If I could go back to try more food, without any doubt! I definitely recommend this place and one more thing that I wanted to add. I know that it is strange to mention this in a review but I would definitely recommend anyone who goes there to go to the restrooms because they are...