Tag Archives: bucharest

Novotel city centre, Bucarest

The location

Bucarest is a large, sprawling city. In the city centre where this hotel is located, a lot of buildings are decrepit, in stark contrast to the luxury shops housed in the basement. Overall, rampant inequality does not give a good impression of the city, despite some very nice buildings here and there (look out in particular for the embassy row on the way from the airport).

The room

Despite a somewhat aggressive air conditioning, the room was a nice place to rest. It was spacious, with a nice bathroom (both shower and bath!), and a comfortable bed with a proper duvet. Wifi was free and easy to configure. A free bottle of water would have been a nice touch. Remember to put a ‘do not disturb’ sign on the door whenever you want some privacy, otherwise staff do have a tendency to just walk in.

The breakfast

There is a commendable attempt to offer a cooked breakfast: somebody will cook you eggs on demand. There is enough choice to set you up well for the day, although some offerings can be disappointing. Espresso coffee is nowhere to be seen. Watch out for the employees (who spoke mostly good English despite the dodgy translation in the picture shown here), who circle the room and will swoop down on any unattended food item: I came back quite a few times to my table to find that my glass of juice had been removed or even my table cleared away and used as storage space.

The price

At 115 euros a night, this is luxurious by Romanian standards, but, I am told, it is a fairly decent offering in the capital’s hotel market.