Naslavcea, is the northernmost village in Moldova, and we stayed overnight at Păstrăv Moldovenesc, literally Moldovan Trout, a small agro tourism guesthouse combined with a trout farm. Neither our guide nor our driver had visited before, and as the Sat Nav led us through what looked like a quarry, we eventually phoned for directions, only to be told, somewhat surprisingly, that we were indeed on the correct ‘road’.
Passing through ornate, imposing gates, we were welcomed by the owner, Dumitru Bârlădean, who had taken time out from his work to greet us and tell us a little about the place. He explained that this is the only trout farm in Moldova, started in 2015 when his father brought around a hundred trout from Ukraine and kept them in improvised ponds. What began as a small experiment has since grown into a commercial operation, with seven purpose built ponds now raising the fish. It remains very much a family enterprise: Dumitru told us his brother runs a related business rearing French chickens, though we weren’t entirely sure what that entailed. Across from the ponds we noticed solar panels and a patch of land that, according to Dumitru, “it will become something beautiful” – although he admitted he didn’t know what that would be. The sense of gradual, investment driven expansion was clear. Unfortunately, his phone kept ringing, and he had to dash off, so we didn’t learn as much about the trout rearing process as we’d hoped.
The guesthouse has seven rooms, all family sized, sleeping up to 28 people. Ours was named Bunică which means Grandmother in Romanian. The traditionally decorated room was densely furnished with two single beds pushed together and a set of bunk beds at the foot, making it a bit awkward for one person to get out. There were bedside tables, lamps, and plug points, and a large cupboard stored the duvets and pillows for the unmade beds. There was a large table with two dining chairs and a TV sat on the cupboard. An anteroom between the bedroom and bathroom offered plenty of shelving, a wardrobe, and coat hooks. Wi Fi was available but unreliable, likely due to the remote location.
The bathroom had a large walk in shower, hairdryer, a heated towel rail and hooks, but the water was only tepid, and the basin was poorly designed, causing water to spurt everywhere. We later learned that the solar powered heating system was having issues.
A late lunch was served on a spacious covered terrace overlooking the trout ponds, a perfect setting for our trout themed meal. We started with samosa style trout pastries, followed by a hearty trout soup with two tiny floating trout fillets, then boneless grilled trout with roasted vegetables. Dessert was a generous slice of Tort Napoleon, a classic Russian layered pastry cake with rich cream.
In the evening, we were still full and opted for drinks in the restaurant as the temperature had dropped. Our litre of homemade wine arrived in an elegant blue jug with matching glasses. The wine tasted more like cloudy cider than wine and felt quite light and we later discovered it was only 8% ABV. We only learned at checkout that payment was cash only. The bill came to 188 Lei (£8.50) slightly higher than elsewhere on our trip, but still great value compared to London.
Breakfast the next morning, ordered for 8am, arrived late but was delicious: a fluffy omelette with cheese, salami, tomato, and cucumber, followed by excellent coffee and cherry cake.
Our stay was short, but for longer visits, the property has a large swimming pool (which was empty during our visit) and two seating areas with BBQs.
While staying here, we visited the Naslavcea viewpoint. The road up was narrow and steep, but dry weather made it manageable by car; in muddy conditions it’s said to be better reached on foot, a hike of around 90 minutes depending on fitness. At the top we were rewarded with superb views of Inima Nistrului (“Heart of Moldova”), a uniquely heart shaped island in the River Nistru, which forms the border between Moldova and Ukraine. A tall, modern Orthodox cross made of steel lattice dominated and a swinging seat and two benches offered a peaceful place to sit and enjoy the views which we had entirely to ourselves.
