Christmas and New Year holidays turned into a real business opportunity for the owners of B&Bs or rural cottages.
Of the 3,000 such tourist accommodation classified by the Ministry of Tourism, some 80% are already booked out for the winter season, as the traditional good food and celebrations are in high demand among Romanians.
The low rates prompted this rush towards rural tourism too, some people booking their seats one year in advance.
However, "The best and most expensive seats were taken early in the year," said Marilena Stoian, president of the National Association for Rural, Cultural and Ecologic Tourism. sANTREC, www.antrec.rot
One could still book in advance to spend the Christmas holidays in Covasna and Brasov counties, in regions like Poiana Marului, Rasnov, Prejmer, Bunesti and Bran-Moeciu.
"In the Bran-Moeciu area there are some 120 seats available in homes classified as two-daisy accommodation units, at 40 to 70 euros per day, which includes two meals per day and the festive Christmas dinner," explains Maria Visan, head of the ANTREC subsidiary in Brasov Country.
Prices for other villages in Brasov County range from 35 to 40 euros per day. A lot of events in the area will supplement the offer for entertainment, like traditional folk festivals, carols festivals, picnics on the snow, and riddles and songs gatherings in Poiana Marului.
In Neamt County the locals cash on the rural traditions and scenery, as well as their historic monuments
Generally, prices this winter season vary between 15 and 50 euros per day, pending on the services provided.
For instance, a three-day full-board stay at Cetate, some 10 kilometers away from Lake Saint Ana, costs 95 euros, in a three-daisy home, or 70 euros, in a two-daisy home.
If your Christmas is best spent along friends, then you could bring 10 people in a vi
