14 Oct 2023
My Wife, me and our friend Lou LouAnn recently did a 7 Rivers of Europe Cruise on AmaWaterways River Cruises, our last stop was Bucharest Romania and so we decided a trip to Bran (Dracula's) Castle near Halloween time was a must before returning home to Phoenix.
We pre-arranged with our driver Cornel Negoi from Romaqnia Best Travel to be picked up at the Cruise Ship dock and of course Cornel was there right on time! Cornel speaks many languages including Romanian and English very well, our drive was over the Carpathian Mountain Range and the conversation was fluid, engaging, and delightful. We talked about our families, life in Romania and the rest of the world, and I felt truly relaxed and confident in our guide from the first moments we met!
He drove us in a comfortable car that handled 6 pieces of luggage, and the views of the Carpathian Mountains were stunning as the leaves were turning beautiful fall colors. We arrived at Dracula's (Bran) Castle and Cornel took us to the entry way where we got our tickets (not included in tour cost), and he waited for us at his car, telling us to take as much time as we would like inside the castle. We climbed the steps to this famous attraction and thoroughly enjoyed venturing into the various parts of the castle!
We toured the castle for a little over an hour and headed for the driver, who was patiently waiting for our return. A few minutes later, our driver stopped at a Gem of a restaurant called the Stana Turistica Sergiana Poina Brasov which served Romanian Cuisine fit for a King (or Vampire), lol
After a hearty meal, Cornel drove us to Bucharest where we were scheduled to fly out the next day and dropped us off at the The Marmorosch Bucharest, Autograph Collection Hotel, calling the porters in advance who were waiting outside and immediately took our luggage into the hotel.
Best Romanian Tour ever! Guide was professional, polite, informative and truly a wonderful human being...Take this trip it is 100% worth it! 5 Stars out of 5 Stars, and Two Thumbs up, Way UP!