Beyond Dracula – The Chatelaine List

Beyond Dracula is proud to announce the launch of the BD Chatelaine List. Our aim is to showcase the very best Romania offers in terms of accommodation, food, sights and activities. As a bespoke travel agency, we design trips tailored to the wishes and requirements of our guests and base our recommendations on rigorous site assessments. Over the years, we’ve made it onto several international lists as Romania’s best-in-class bespoke travel agency. Now, the time is right to create our own list, because as Beyond Dracula CEO, Raluca Spiac, said, ‘We put Romania on the bespoke travel map, but we’d only be doing half the work if we don’t help our partners raise their standards. We want our clients to trust that we understand what quality means and we also want to share that understanding with our partners in the country. This way both Romania as a destination and our clients win.’

WHY CHATELAINE?

We thought long and hard about a name for our best-of-Romania list. We decided on Chatelaine as a word which epitomises quality, high standards, luxury and that elusive ingredient essential for any successful travel itinerary – perception.

Chatelaine – noun, from French chatelaine, from medieval Latin castellanus

• a woman in charge of a castle or large house
• a set of short chains attached to a woman’s belt, used for carrying keys or other items similar to a domestic Swiss Army Knife.

A Chatelaine was the host, curator, organiser and gatekeeper of her castle. We think this suits us perfectly. And since Romania is our castle, we hold all the keys which open the doors to our beautiful country, revealing its myriad hidden treasures.

Over the years, we built Beyond Dracula to be the Chatelaine of Romanian travel.

THE CHATELAINE LIST – BUCHAREST

The Marmorosch, Marriott Autograph Collection

Address: Doamnei str. 2, Bucharest

Property Type: Hotel

Description: This Belle Epoque gem immerses the traveller in the art of fine living and dining. Housed in what was Bucharest’s most powerful 19^th century bank, The Marmorosch is a symphony of Art Deco design enriched by the finest modern details. The property includes 217 beautifully appointed guestrooms, French fine dining, and spa and indoor pool. The Marmorosch is an oasis of relaxation after a day spent exploring Bucharest.

The Chatelaine recommends: Lunch at Blank for their exceptional take onBelle Epoque cuisine, followed by a massage in the marble-lined treatment rooms of the spa to prepare for a night out in Bucharest.

Quality: ♕♕♕♕♕

Wow factor: ♕♕♕♕♕
Price: €€€

POT Stories

Address: 111-113 Calea Floareasca, Bucharest

Property Type: Restaurant

Description: This Bucharest eatery is a rustic infusion of stone, rope, wood, wicker and textiles imbued with light and reminiscent of a glamorous beach house. The cuisine is a delightful blend of Greek, Macedonian and Mediterranean influences.

The Chatelaine recommends: The Ode to Mezziki combines the tangy flavours of Mascarpone, Greek yoghurt and Ricotta cheese followed by A Love of Haiku, a heavenly commingling of salmon and white miso with a pinch of sugar and tabasco on a bed of fluffy basmati rice, and ending with A Sonnet About Chocolate and Caramel. Bon appétit!

Quality: ♕♕♕♕

Wow factor: ♕♕♕♕
Price: €€

CHATELAINE LIST CRITERIA

‘I didn’t expect to fall in love with Romania on my first visit. Quite the contrary. My wife Alexandra and I were met with mixed reactions when we developed the idea to create an agency offering high-end travel experiences in Romania. Romanians were happy and incredulous, but my foreign friends were downright discouraging. But, we discovered that selecting the right partners has been key to making sure that our clients left loving the country too.’

Giulio Da Sacco, Partner, Beyond Dracula.

While inspecting properties, we set ourselves a very high standard. The owners never invite us, and we are under no obligations in our appraisal. We use the following rigorous set of assessment criteria on each property and restaurant included on the Chatelaine List:

• Quality
• Wow factor
• Sustainability
• Customer Experience

THE CHATELAINE LIST – TRANSYLVANIA

Bethlen Estates

Address: 176 Cris, Judetul Mures, Danes-Cris, Transylvania

Property Type: Hotel

Description: Imagine dining alfresco on a gourmet menu surrounded by the beauty of Transylvanian nature, or tasting wine in the torch-lit cellars of Count Janos Bethlen’s manor house. The care and love bestowed by the descendants of the original Counts of Bethlen upon the property is visible in every simple yet luxurious detail. Activities include picnics, slow-paced travel around the countryside in a horse-drawn cart or bird watching, cycling, hiking, and horse riding. Nearby sites include a fourteenth-century castle and the medieval Saxon village of Biertan.

The Chatelaine recommends: A hearty breakfast in the Kitchen Barn overlooking the rolling Transylvanian countryside, followed by a truffle hunt with an experienced guide and well-trained dogs and a picnic lunch in the forest. An afternoon nap in a handmade bed to rejuvenate you for wine tasting in Count Janos’s cellars, followed by a dinner prepared by Chef Robert using the fresh truffles from the day’s hunt.

Quality: ♕♕♕♕♕

Wow factor: ♕♕♕♕♕
Price: €€€

CHATELAINE LIST RATINGS

Instead of stars, we opted to use crowns ♕ for our rating system. To get on our list, a property, person, or restaurant requires a minimum of 3 crowns. The BD Chatelaine List represents five categories and all our recommendations are best-in-class.

• Hotels and properties
• Restaurants
• People including hosts, guides, musicians, academics, chefs and traditional cooks, artisans, and Romanian nobility
• Sights
• Activities including sports, concerts, aerial, trekking, cooking, dancing

THE CHATELAINE LIST – SIBIU

Pasaj

Address: Strada Turnului, nr. 3A, Sibiu

Property Type: Restaurant

Description: Chef Andrei Luminea proffers authenticity and prompt service in a simple, yet charming setting. Spicy goulash, tender Angus ribs, sauerkraut pie are just some dishes on offer paired with a wine list that takes you from Santorini to Tuscany via Argentina, Chile and New Zealand.

The Chatelaine recommends: The paprika-laden beef goulash followed by slow-cooked lamb shanks with sautéed mushrooms, creamy potato puree and kale chips. For dessert, try the satisfyingly dark chocolate mousse covered in raspberries. Bon appétit!

Quality: ♕♕♕

Wow factor: ♕♕♕
Price: €

HOW TO GET ON THE BD CHATELAINE LIST

Any property, restaurant, person or activity will be included in the BD Chatelaine List as long as they pass our rigorous criteria and sustain it.

‘After a decade in the bespoke travel business, we’ve learned a lot from our dealings with guests and owners or managers of properties around the country. The pandemic has his us all very hard, but we must be ready for when travel resumes, and this time we’re setting our offering to a higher standard so our clients get the best of the best.

We are by no means the ultimate arbiters of truth when it comes to excellence, but we know what our clients expect in terms of standards and wow-factors. And ultimately we want Romania to be visited because we have a lot to offer.’

Raluca Spiac, CEO, Beyond Dracula.

For more information on the Beyond Dracula Chatelaine List, please contact our team.