Prince Hunter and Dracula Castle Hotel

General

Turda is the last place where you’d expect such a gem. Until a few years ago Turda was famous for its ancient salt mines and “Cheile Turzii” (Turda Gorge) a beautiful natural reserve with a unique landscape, about 1.5 km of vertical walls, up to 300 m in height. But now, there’s a new attraction for those who jet set to Transylvania.

The Hotel, The Castle I don’t know if we should call this edifice a hotel or a castle, it’s probably a mixture of both. The Dracula branding, the hunting, are both well resembled throughout the hotel: from the roof made of brass, reminding you of vampires, fairy tales and Harry Potter’s Hogwarts Castle, to the imposing rooms covered with stones, the armed knights and the massive sculpted wooden tables as well as the walls covered with fur, trophies such as bear, deer or lynx.

The Rooms To really experience this place it’s worth booking the apartment or a large room. Once you step into one of these rooms, you step into a fantasy world. There’s a lot of attention to detail and it’s unlikely you’ll find anything that’s not authentic, medieval and well preserved.

The stone used must be thousands of years old. The owner once joked that he wrecked 3 VW Golf cars carrying these old precious stones from various caves around the country.

The Restaurant 2 major rooms upstairs: The Outlaws’ Hut and the Bucolic House

The Outlaw’s Hut The setting is majestic: the grand hall boasts a large table carved in solid oak, surrounded by 14 chairs carved from the same solid wood. The walls, made of fir girders host bear trophies, boar and Carpathian Stags and invite you in the world of the outlaws.

Even the food belongs to the family of the dark and is an experience on its own. Themes such as "Frigarui de tatari" (Impaled Tartar), are omnipresent. You can also enjoy traditional hunting food such as: bear with pineapple, deer escallop, wild boar, pheasant. The blood element is also provided in the form of a great selection of red wines - from the world famous vineyards of Murfatlar, Cotnari or Jidvei.

The Bucolic House Build entirely from Oak by Maramures Artisans, this area of the castle feels a little more homey. If you are into traditional Romanian food, this is the area for you - everything from Mamaliga (Mashed corn - sheppard style), Bucollic broth, Sarmale (Cabbage rolls stuffed with meat and rice), can be found here. And of course, when it comes to drinks this place never disappoints. Plenty of noble wines from Dragasani, Odobesti, Valea Calugareasca help you immerse yourself in the local culture. Another Transylvanian favourite is a drink that goes by the name of tuica (or palinca) - a hardcore romanian brandy made of plums or pear.

Getting there As more and more airlines fly into Cluj (CLJ) airport, getting to Turda is easy, only a 30 minute drive away, and then just 2-3 backstreets from the main road. No experience would be complete unless you are arriving by night, with the Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” pumping in on earphones.

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Text: Ciprian Morar;
Photographs: Yvonne Kirk; Hotelul Printul Vanator