The first four nights of our trip to Romania were spent at the Hotel Capitol in Bucharest. Built in 1901, their website described it as ‘a living legend, its name being synonymous with history, comfort and impeccable service’.
The 80 rooms were located over five floors, and after a slick check in, we were using our key card to operate the lift to our third-floor room 312. The décor and style were relatively bland, showing no sign of the modernisation said to have taken place in 2014. Whilst it wasn’t particularly spacious, having looked at the emergency evacuation floor plan, its corner location revealed it to be larger than others.
The comfortable double bed had individual duvets, which we like, and spare pillows in the wardrobe. The two bedside tables had reading lights, but only one had a spare electrical socket for charging phones. The small wardrobe, housing the safe, robes and slippers, was in an inconvenient location by the bedside. The room had a small desk and chair, a never-used mini bar and tea and coffee making facilities and a never-switched on TV.
The miniscule bathroom had a small jacuzzi bath with a reasonable shower over it, but there was a large step in and out. The wall mounted hairdryer was near the mirror, and there was plenty of space for our toiletries and the complimentary ones provided.
When the air conditioning was on, we couldn’t see the temperature and so left it off. We later found that every hotel we subsequently stayed in, had issues with the AC. Free Wi-Fi was available and fortunately worked well.
The ground-floor Capitol Restaurant, said to have been a favourite meeting place for writers, musicians and artists, served breakfast from 7am to 10am. Unfortunately, the early shift we prefer was also a favourite of the large groups that the hotel attracts. The extensive buffet had juices, tinned fruit, yoghurt, cereals, charcuterie and cheeses, salads and a large selection of breads. The hot dishes included the usual unappetising looking sausages, bacon that needed more crisping, fried eggs, omelette pieces, and grilled mushrooms. The machine coffee was reasonable, but the cake selection, too gooey for our taste.
The restaurant was also open for lunch and dinner. However, one of the hotel’s best features was its proximity to the Old Town, which had a plethora of bars and restaurants, and so we ate out.
However, the restaurant had a casual café bar which we tried twice. For a late lunch we shared a monstrously sized quesadilla stuffed with cheese and chicken, which with two beers and a coffee were 93 Lei or £15.52. This meant a light dinner, so we called in for a nightcap. We chose a bottle of reasonably priced Sauvignon Blanc which wasn’t chilled, but the delightful girl brought ice, which she constantly replenished, as well as a never-ending supply of savoury snacks.
Whilst there may be better hotels in the city, they tend to be the larger chains like Novotel and Intercontinental. As these are further from the Old Town, it was on reflection a good choice, despite a few quirks.
