Sadly lacking the peace and tranquility we hoped for

Having returned to Bucharest after a month-long tour of Romania, we chose the three-star Hotel Herâstrâu for three nights: it was only 20-minutes to the airport, and as one of the only hotels located in Herâstrâu Park, it suggested peace and tranquillity. How wrong could we be?

Things initially boded well, with a swift check in. There are 36 rooms, and our first-floor room (123) was in a separate block, accessed via stairs, with a key swipe at the top. Fortunately help was on hand with our bags.

The large room was modern, light and bright. The two single beds both had bedside tables, lights and charging points. There was a wardrobe, a TV, long desk with pouffe, stocked mini bar, and chair with coffee table.

Complimentary WiFi was good and the AC effective, although, as with all the AC we’d encountered, it appeared to be either on or off, with no ability to set it to a specific temperature.

The decent sized bathroom was a joy as after a series of showers over baths, this one had a cubicle. A drawer under the basin was ideal for our toiletries with complimentary ones being provided. The plug-in hairdryer was near the mirror and there was a heated towel rail.

The spacious balcony had two chairs which caught the evening sun, but a table would have been useful. We could just see Herâstrâu Lake through the foliage.

Eating out options were limited to a few rather fancy looking (i.e. expensive) restaurants on the lake’s edge which were a 15-minute walk away. On our first night we tried the hotel restaurant and sat outside under a flower-covered pergola. A shared wild mushroom risotto was excellent and went well with a side salad and fresh warm pitta. The first, and cheapest wine we chose wasn’t available, so we opted for a Liliac Pinot Grigio at 150 Lei (£25) with a large bottle of sparkling water. We sat out until we could feel ourselves being bitten, and signed for 253 Lei, with the residents’ discount of 10% being added back on as a service charge.

Breakfast was served from 7am to 9.30am in a room which we’d been told was at the end of our corridor. It was in theory, but via a huge dining room with around 150 covers all laid for dinner, with other smaller dining rooms off it. The breakfast room itself was a small, bright, modern room with tables for four. The buffet was served from a domestic-style kitchen off it, where the food was prepared and cleared.

There was juice, cereals, yoghurts, whole fruit, an array of salads and dips, and then hot items: omelette, bacon, two types of sausages and fried eggs. The best bit for me was the ‘home-made roe salad’ or taramasalata. The coffee from the machine was good and, overall, it was fine, but a slightly quirky affair with the guy clearing plates, using a mini hand-held vac on the cloths.

After our breakfast experience, we realised that the confusing labyrinth of dining areas and conference facilities meant that the hotel catered for large external events. After our day of sightseeing, we returned to find staging for a party being erected. Reception confirmed ‘yes, there is a party tomorrow’, and ‘yes, it will be noisy’.

On going for dinner that night, we were therefore surprised to find the red carpet had been rolled out and glamorously dressed people were pouring into an event after being photographed. Security told us that it was an event for 3,000 TV and media celebrities. We found two bars dispensing complimentary drinks and having checked the restaurant was closed, decided to people watch. We were fascinated by the vast amounts of flesh on show, the enhanced big lips and bosoms, the high heels, and outrageous outfits. The party spilled out onto a floating pontoon, on the other side of a path frequented by joggers and cyclists, who had to navigate their way through and around the party goers. I chatted to a man who told me he’d worked in England, and having asked him, where, he said ‘Doncaster.’ Sadly, the only food available was packets of a puffed rice crisp on a promotional stand.

We hoped the following and final night would be quieter. We’d spotted party tables set up in an area directly outside our room earlier in the evening, and as we sat on our balcony with a pre-dinner glass of wine, the thudding music began. As we had an early start the next morning, we were dismayed when no one could tell us what time it would finish. As the actual restaurant was taken over by another large party, and outdoor seating was restricted due to the weather, the manager offered us a complimentary meal in the breakfast room where we sat in splendid isolation. Back in our room, the event was in full swing with unbearably loud music belting out, which made sleep impossible. It stopped at 2am and our alarm went off at 5am.

It was not the end that we had hoped for.