- Planning A Romanian Road Trip
- Introduction: Transylvania Unknown
- Getting An International Driving Permit
- Review: The Club At ATL
- Review: Turkish Airlines 787 Business Class
- Review: IGA Lounge Istanbul Airport
- Review: Turkish Airlines A319 Business Class
- Review: DoubleTree By Hilton Cluj, Romania
- Romanian Road Trip: Amazing So Far
- Review: Art Hotel Sibiu, Romania
- Brunch In The Transylvanian Countryside
- Review: Copsamare Guesthouses, Romania
- Review: Casa Savri Sighișoara, Romania
- Romanian Road Trip: Part Two
- Review: Vila Economat Sinaia, Romania
- Driving In Romania: My Experience
- Review: JW Marriott Bucharest, Romania
- Review: TAROM Lounge Bucharest Airport
- Review: TAROM Business Class A318
- Review: Hyatt Place London Heathrow
- Virgin Atlantic’s Puzzling (But Still Great) New Business Class Seat
- Review: Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse Heathrow
- Review: NEW Virgin Atlantic A350 Upper Class
Our fourth night in Transylvania was spent in the city of Sighisoara at Casa Savri, which was possibly our favorite hotel of the trip. Below Tiffany will share why she chose this property, and then I’ll share my review.
In this post:
Booking Casa Savri
I debated whether or not to plan an overnight in Sighisoara, as it’s not all that far from Copsa Mare (maybe 30 minutes), so it would certainly have been possible to see the town as part of a day trip, or on the way to somewhere else. And for your trip, you can really just pick one of these locations to base yourself in for 2-3 days, as it was ultimately pretty easy to get around Transylvania.
For our purposes, however, I wanted to make sure we had a “buffer” day, just in case work got crazy or we otherwise needed time to not be on the road. Adding a night in Sighisoara, a town that seems to fill up with day-trippers and then empty out in the evening, felt like a good way to pad the schedule, and hopefully experience the town when it was less crowded.
Sighisoara does have a DoubleTree by Hilton, and in general it’s reasonably priced. When I went to book, however, the property was completely sold out. Fortunately, in the comments to our planning post, reader Romanianflyer shared a bunch of incredibly helpful tips, and noted that “in Sighisoara, Casa Savri is lovely,” and that may have been the best recommendation of the trip.
Casa Savri only has seven rooms, and when you make your booking you choose your specific room. I selected the attic “Sofia” room (~$100) along with the “Elisabeta” on the main level (~$110).
Casa Savri Sighișoara Review
Casa Savri has an ideal location right in the center of Sighisoara. The hotel has just seven rooms, and blends perfectly into the area. While the hotel doesn’t offer parking, there is lots of public parking nearby, and we had no trouble finding a spot.
Casa Savri exterior
Just inside the entrance was reception, where we were greeted by a friendly guy. He had us checked in within minutes, and I appreciated that he proactively gave us all kinds of information about the property, about the town, and even gave us a map that he marked with some of the best restaurants and sights.
Casa Savri reception
As Tiffany mentioned above, when you book Casa Savri you book a specific room. The entrances to all of these rooms are surrounding the courtyard behind reception.
Casa Savri hallway
I was in the “Elisabeta” room.
Casa Savri Elisabeta room
What a cute room! There was an entryway with the king bed straight ahead, along with a table and two stools across from it.
Casa Savri room entryway
The bed was extremely firm (too firm for my liking), though I did like that they had individual duvets. I prefer these when I have a big bed regardless of whether I’m sleeping alone or with Ford.
Casa Savri room
Casa Savri room
Casa Savri room
The room also had a minibar, with items available for purchase.
Casa Savri minibar
The decor of the bathroom didn’t really match the rest of the room, but in a way that was appreciated, since it meant it had been updated more recently. There was a toilet, sink, and walk-in shower.
Casa Savri bathroom
Casa Savri shower
Casa Savri toiletries
I have two complaints about the bathroom, though:
- There was virtually no counter space, so even as a guy with limited toiletries, I didn’t find that sufficient
- The “lip” for the walk-in shower wasn’t big enough, and I ended up more or less flooding the bathroom… oops
Casa Savri wet bathroom
Tiffany was in the “Sofia” room, which had an entrance a couple of doors over, and was one level up.
Casa Savri room
Casa Savri room
Casa Savri room
Casa Savri room
The hotel was supposed to have complimentary Wi-Fi, and in the evening the Wi-Fi worked fine, while in the morning I had issues connecting and had to tether off my phone instead. So while it wasn’t a huge deal, Wi-Fi is definitely an opportunity here.
Casa Savri Sighișoara Courtyard
The centerpiece of the hotel is the courtyard, and I can’t help but feel like it was underutilized. It was just so cute, and when we were staying there they weren’t using it in any way — there’s no restaurant or anything else there. I’m not sure if they do something with the space in summer, or what, but it seems like this place should be popular.
For what it’s worth, when we were staying there only three rooms were occupied, so there was only one other couple staying there.
Casa Savri courtyard
Casa Savri courtyard
Casa Savri courtyard
The courtyard also featured an upper tier.
Casa Savri courtyard
One of the unique selling points of Casa Savri is that it features stairs leading directly up the citadel and the elevated old town, which is a useful feature. This meant we could be there in just a couple of minutes by walking up stairs, rather than having to walk through the town and then up winding stairs.
Casa Savri courtyard
Casa Savri stairs
Casa Savri view from top of stairs
Casa Savri Sighișoara Breakfast & Bar
Casa Savri also has a cute bar area and dining nook. When we were there they weren’t using the space for anything other than breakfast. There was only one employee at the hotel working the front desk, though he told us that if we ever wanted to order something to drink he could get it for us.
The bar area had a pool table as well as a piano (and the candles right next to it gave me serious anxiety).
Casa Savri bar
Casa Savri bar
The dining nook was big enough to seat everyone even if the hotel were full.
Casa Savri dining area
Casa Savri dining area
Breakfast was served from 8:30AM until 10:30AM, and consisted of a small buffet.
Casa Savri breakfast
Casa Savri breakfast
Casa Savri breakfast
Casa Savri breakfast
Casa Savri breakfast
Casa Savri breakfast
That’s quite a spread for just three rooms!
In addition to what was displayed we were offered eggs cooked to order, as well as coffee drinks of choice.
Casa Savri cappuccino
Casa Savri Bottom Line
Casa Savri was adorable. Left to my own devices I would have probably booked the DoubleTree across the street, though I’m happy we stayed here. Casa Savri was boutique and charming, but not in a run down way.
The courtyard was such a cool centerpiece for the hotel, I just wish it were utilized more (though I’m guessing it may be in summer). Having direct access via stairs to the citadel was useful as well.
My only other feedback would be that the Wi-Fi was definitely an opportunity, and the bathroom setup wasn’t amazing. But those are small prices to pay for an experience otherwise this charming.
$ 100 per room and per night seems a bit dear for a rural inn in Romania.
Beautiful hotel! These are the type of places I prefer to stay in.
This story reminded me of a hotel in Rothenburg . One favorite is https://www.historik-hotel-gotisches-haus.de/en/
Certainly a place I would enjoy visiting. Not sure if I’ll get to Romania but it has moved up my list. Thanks.
I love that you're reviewing these kinds of hotels. Sheratons and Westins and Hiltons are all the same. These are so different and charming. It's more like a travel blog that your normal thing, but I like it!
Is USD 100 per night (CAD$ 138++) your target in looking for hotels or just what they seem to be averaging? I got quaint small hotels in Tuscany and Rome a bit cheaper than that this May and that was in main centres. As I am off to Bulgaria and Romania next year I am following your trip but not impressed with the value from what you can get next door in Bulgaria or back...
Is USD 100 per night (CAD$ 138++) your target in looking for hotels or just what they seem to be averaging? I got quaint small hotels in Tuscany and Rome a bit cheaper than that this May and that was in main centres. As I am off to Bulgaria and Romania next year I am following your trip but not impressed with the value from what you can get next door in Bulgaria or back in Italy. Is Romania quite the hot spot now that they command higher prices? What's the average cost of a cappuccino, lunch or dinner. That would be very worthwhile to know. Thanks.
Love your dispatches but you really need to polish up your writing skills and to eliminate all those tardy vacuous lines of which
"Just inside the entrance was reception"
.... is only one of the many embarrassingly silly lines on the site.
I actually stayed at this guest house in Spring of 2018. Discovered it quite randomly. Antler Inn in Brasov was also a very nice boutique hotel if you’re going there too.. both beautiful locations in Transylvania
Glad you both liked your stay at Casa Savri, Tiffany and Lucky!
While I fully understand it might not be Lucky's first choice (this also being a points and miles blog after all!) I do fully second Donna's comment above. Some destinations in the world are just better suited for colourful boutique or historical hotels instead of rather soulless chain hotels which could have easily been placed on the Paris peripherique or Newark Airport as...
Glad you both liked your stay at Casa Savri, Tiffany and Lucky!
While I fully understand it might not be Lucky's first choice (this also being a points and miles blog after all!) I do fully second Donna's comment above. Some destinations in the world are just better suited for colourful boutique or historical hotels instead of rather soulless chain hotels which could have easily been placed on the Paris peripherique or Newark Airport as well. Romania is definitely such a country.
The only chain hotel in Romania I can think off which would both fit the colourful/historical aspect besides having chain hotel luxury and amenities is the (Hilton) Athenee Palace in Bucharest. If you need a good read for any future visit to Romania I highly recommend getting a copy of Robert D. Kaplan's evocative book 'Balkan Ghosts'. About half is about Romania just before/after communism. It not only gives a great insight into the country's culture and history, but also into the wonderful history of the Athenee Palace.
It’s beautiful! What a wonderful find and I’m glad to see that Tiffany is getting Lucky out of his comfort zone, if only a bit!
This place looks awesome. Was it not possible to have breakfast at the outdoor courtyard? It does look like a really nice space. I would have at the very least ordered a glass of wine to have it out there before going out to dinner or something.
@ Luis -- I'm sure it would have been possible, but it was ~ 36 degrees Fahrenheit that morning, so probably not recommended. We did work from there in the evening before dinner, which was lovely.
Good to hear, Tiffany! From what you said, I assume that you have not bought a local SIM, and instead are using your typical American networks. As Romanianflyer has said, Romania has among the fastest 4G speeds in the world. It's likely that T-Mobile is partnering with Telekom, the local Romanian carrier.
Talking of another communication-related aspect, how is it that the two of you manage to churn out so many articles of your Romanian...
Good to hear, Tiffany! From what you said, I assume that you have not bought a local SIM, and instead are using your typical American networks. As Romanianflyer has said, Romania has among the fastest 4G speeds in the world. It's likely that T-Mobile is partnering with Telekom, the local Romanian carrier.
Talking of another communication-related aspect, how is it that the two of you manage to churn out so many articles of your Romanian trip (and otherwise) while driving around the country? You have some serious work ethic! If this were the Maldives I doubt you would be documenting your holiday to such a high degree of detail, as you would much rather disconnect and relax there.
@ VT-CIE -- Hah, practice mainly, I guess! Fast data connections help too (and are really a requirement if we're going to go somewhere together), but we'd honestly probably be writing more if we were in the Maldives, as there wouldn't be any driving or exploring to do!
Talking about mobile carriers, which you mentioned briefly for tethering, which carrier do you and Tiffany use in Romania? Do you stick with T-Mobile (and Google Fi for Tiffany), or do you use one of the local Romanian networks? And how is the reception?
Romania has four main networks: Orange, Vodafone, Telekom (essentially the same as T-Mobile), and Digi Mobil, a smaller one.
@ VT-CIE -- We've just been using our phones; reception has been phenomenal!