Sofitel

Excellent hotel, peripheral location

Sofitel Bucharest
10 Montreal Square
Bucharest, Romania
Phone 40-2131-83000
Fax 40-2131-62550

This superior business class hotel deserves 5 stars (rumor has it that it has only 4 stars because it lacks a swimming pool). It is located on the northwest edge of the city next to the trade and business fairgrounds, about a km from the Free Press Palace on the road to the airport. This may be why most guests are in business suits or airline uniforms. There is a pleasant large park nearby, and the open air museum (reconstructed villages) is only a few km away.

The one downside to the location on the edge of town is that public transportation in Bucharest is problematic. Buses and subways have separate tickets, and there is no combined ticket or day pass for tourists. One must take the #330 bus (whose terminus is outside the hotel) to the Aviator metro station, and then the subway downtown. Metro stations are quite far apart -- Bucharest is not a pedestrian friendly city. Taxis are available, but rush hour can be gridlock. Friends who tried to taxi to the opera (on the southwest edge of town near the monstrous Parliament building) gave up halfway and took the metro and bus back to the hotel.

The rooms are elegant with superior bedding (pillow top mattress, ultra fine sheets) and bath amenities (fluffy towels, soaps from Paris). The only complaint is that my room was stuffy (windows are sealed) and overheated the first night (there is a thermostat, but it has been polished so often that it was illegible). The air conditioning worked the second night (someone else must have complained).

The food is excellent, with a continental touch. The buffet breakfast is not lavish, but has excellent choices. A catered dinner for our group of 40 was far better than average for such meals.

I did not use the business services or fitness center, but I appreciated the free internet terminals in a room off the lobby.

This is a world class hotel -- the best I experienced in the Balkans, and equal to any superior business hotel in western Europe. Because I toured with a pre-paid package, I cannot comment on prices or value for money.