Cabana La Cetate

Set in the side of a mountain providing a spectacular view of Cetatea Poenari (the "real" castle of Dracula, some would argue). This is one of the best bargains for your money for an overnight stay before your drive up the Transfagarasan highway and mountains.
The rooms are very inexpensive, but very clean. Floors are all hardwood with a clean rug, so none of that weird carpet smell you get in most hotels.
The building is rustic looking, with real wood used for all of the details.
There is no air conditioning, but you will NOT need this. On an 89 degree day, our room was very cool, due to the location at the side of the mountain, and probably the mountain breeze.
The only other thing I would caution about is there is no elevator. This should not really be an issue but might be for some people.
The balcony was so nice and had such a nice view that we spent much of our time just sitting on the balcony enjoying a beer.
If you drive the Transfagarasan, you most likely will see bears along the road. Here at Cabana La Cetate, we were able to see a bear in the evening across the road in the woods and foraging in the river. Not to worry if that scares you, there are some wonderful dogs that warn and protect the area. You are also safe to sit on your balcony and just watch nature.
It is a wonderful and peaceful place.
The staff is incredible. Old school. We asked for several minor accommodations (extra coffee and beer for the room, etc) and they always provided it. When we arrived earlier than the scheduled breakfast time, the staff quickly set a table for us and we had our coffee 30 minutes before!
The food was outstanding. I recommend the pork and cabbage, real Romanian food!
As mentioned, this sits at the foot of Cetatea Poenari. On the day we stayed, it was closed for renovation. When it re-opens in the fall of 2023, you will have access to the 1480 steps to climb to see this wonderful castle. In our case, we were able to admire it from a distance, but for the duration of our time there.
This place is a hidden gem and the ONLY reason my wife and I found it was that we randomly stopped by after driving the Transfagarasan highway. I'm very happy we did.
I don't know how hotel rating systems work, but I can tell you for my wife and I, this is a 4 star experience.
We will definitely be back!

We did a stop here while our trip through Romania.
Ther staff is very friendly, the rooms are spacious and comfortable with a beautiful view and the food was also very good.

We will definitely come back soon!

Great place to spend the night and dine with a beautiful view.

The food was very tasty, and cheap. I don't know why the others said they got problems with stomach the next day, we did not... And the salad obviously came without dressing... You got oil, vinegar, salt, pepper on table so you can make taste however you want... The salad was very good too.
We did enjoy the restaurant, the personnel was kindful.

I had pretty low expectations about their food. Low and behold the staff was really friendly, the food came really fast and was tasty. I personally got the bean soup in a loaf of bread and a "mic". The soup needed a little bit of salt but other than that it was good. 10/10 would recommend.

Great place to stay after driving the Tranfagasaran. Beautiful food. Lovely rooms and the service was excellent. Our whole family enjoyed the food and the stay. Highly recommend stopping here if passing

We've only try the restaurant and have a look at some rooms for future booking. We've been impressed by facilities. And the food was very fresh and tasty. A good option for dine in on Transfăgărășan Road.

FANTASTIC STAY!! I had really been looking forward to staying here, and I’m so glad I did.

My room was 210 and it gave me a perfect view of the castle. I could literally lay in bed and look up at the castle! The best part was the balcony, which overlooked the river and the mountains.

This isn’t a four star hotel, folks, it’s a small inn located in a rural mountain region. You can’t expect to have it be a flawless Waldorf-Astoria experience. However, the room was clean and spacious. Everything worked, but the hot water took about 10 minutes before it actually became hot.

The staff were very friendly, although most didn’t really speak english. The food was excellent, as was the entire bottle of Romanian Riesling I drank that only cost like $8. Can’t really complain, right?

Nice Hotel on road to the Vidraru Dam, we get brand new room with view on river.
40€ for two persons over night stay doesn't look to much.

The score is for the restaurant. Good food, and friendly waiters. I forgot my camera bag on the back of the chair. I have retutned after an hour, and I got it back. It was a camera with two lenses, valued at approx 1000 Eur...

Best Romanian food

The food here is amazing. Everything is great. Service is great. Big menu. New things we havent seen before. Good value and prices for what you get.

A very charming and memorable little hotel in the mountains. Definetely would visit again. The hotel dogs chasing off all the bears also add to the experience.

Food is amazing and sizes are great. The dishes thrive in viariety and, no matter your choice, you will be impressed by the plating and rich taste.

Nice clean roooms at a fair price. The restaurant was nice, food was not too varied, but tasty and the service was fast. I recommend the grilled sheep pastramy, it was great!

Beautiful place to stay. Fantadtic view of the Poienari Castle. Nice atmosphere all around the hotel and restaurant. Good local food available in the restaurant.

Nice staff & good food

Tasty food and pretty cheap

Very good food, a little bit crowdy at diner time with great view!

Very clean, traditional food, professional and polite staff.