Advice on boarding at Sinaia Romania

A snowHead

Hi Guys,

I will have around a week at Sinaia Romania in late December this year (2014) and want to spend it snow boarding. I'm coming from Australia and this will be my first trip to Romania, so I really don't know what to expect.
I would really appreciate any advice from anyone who has done any skiing or boarding there. Are there things that I need to be aware of? Any advice on gear hire and accomodation?

Much appreciated
Peter

A snowHead

I hope your not coming all the way from Oz just to ski Sinaia, as you may be a little disappointed. I have skied Sinaia a few times, the slopes are pretty limited, especially if the runs back towards the main Gondola are closed. If they are open and you get fresh snow it can be fun. The runs at the top of the mountain and over the 'other side' are pretty easy, but ok to work on your turns.
I'm a skier so not sure about board hire, but there is a few rental places around the town. The best is probably by the main gondola station, although the skies looked a bit dated last time I was there.
I would break up your trip by doing a days boarding at Predeal, you can catch the train there and also a trip to Poina Brasov, which can be reached by train to Brasov and then a local bus. There are a few interesting pistes at both these resorts. But like all resorts in Romania they are very small by French, Austrian, swiss standards.
As far as accommodation in Sinaia. I have stayed at the Irish House Hotel on the Main Street of Siniai, just down from the Hotel Sinaia. Despite bad reviews on tripadvisor I found it ok. Found and beer good at the restaurant downstairs. I have also stayed at Vila Camelia, just off the main street. Nice and cheap with basic rooms and a friendly owner. The town itself has plenty of places to eat, grab a few beers or go clubbing.
Hope this helps. To be honest, if I was coming all the way from oz (I'm from perth but live in London now) and was a keen decent skier I would go to a resort in the alps. But if your not going just for the skiing then you will enjoy your time there, as it is an interesting place. Just be prepared that Bucharest and Sinaia are not the cleanest place in the world, just keep an eye out for the torrent of rubbish by the road/railway between Bucharest and Sinaia !

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

Sorry the place I stayed was not Vila Camela, but was TUI Villa, oops !

You need to Login to know who's really who.

Thanks so much for your comprehensive reply picnic64. No i'm not coming from Oz just to ski at Sinaia - wife and daughter want to see a bit of Romania after a few weeks in Italy, so I thought of meeting them in Bucharest and then having a few days on the slopes while they visit sites, shops etc. I am flying in separately from Oz so i'm not tied to Romania for snowboarding, so if you have another suggestion I would love to hear it. I did get the feeling though that you think that I am an experienced boarder looking for exciting runs. I do have some experience but i'm only at intermediate level so wide fairly gentle slopes for carving are fine for me. Would Sinaia fit the bill for that? Appreciate your suggestion to break up my trip by visiting other resorts. Can I pre-book gear and lift tickets or just get it when I arrive? Also would we need to book our accomodation at that time of year? So appreciate your help. Peter

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Worth looking round Peles castle if you do stay there. We stayed in Azugia a few kilometres north of there at a lodge owned by an English guy John Halewood, who exports some lovely red wines.

You'll need to Register first of course.

There is enough skiing to keep you entertained, especially if you go to the other resorts. Although I would be a little concerned about the snow cover in December Confused

It may be a little early in the season ? I don't recall seeing any snow cannons when I was there ? Might be worth doing some googling at checking out snow depth for previous seasons ? Sorry mate I'm not really selling it to you at the moment ! Sinaia doesn't get too many foreign tourists but Poina Brasov does, so I reckon that might be a bit more snow sure!
You won't have any problems renting gear and getting tickets when your there. Prob best to wait till you get there just in case snow is a bit thin on the ground. Not sure about accommodation, if your 100% sure your going to spend time there your best to book, if you want to take the chance, it seemed to me like there was plenty of places to stay but to be honest don't really know about that time of the year.
If there is not enough snow about there is plenty to do in the area. Sinaia is only around 1 1/2 hours from Bucharest. As Jafa said Peles Castle is worth a look, as is Bran Castle.

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

Thanks picnic64. Can anyone tell me if there is much happening around there at Christmas time? The girls are interested in shops, markets, festivities, eating spots .. , as well as the castles and regular tourist sites. Will there be plenty to keep them occupied?

After all it is free

I could have sworn I answered this.

I'm Romanian, lived in Bucharest until 2001, used to ski in Sinaia and Poiana Brasov.

Snow cover at Christmas will be pot luck. Less than 50% chance, I think.

Sinaia has a few easy runs in the bowl at the top (2000m). The more interesting runs (Karp's Valley and Papagal) come down from 2000 to 1400 but they're steep (Karp particularly so). There is also Drumul de Vara, an easy snaking green / blue run on the same side of the mountain. See here:http://www.sinaia-ski.ro/Partii.html

The resort has beautiful views. If there's snow, it's a great little place to ski / board (little because there aren't that many pistes, but the mountain isn't small). Could be busy, although Romanians tend to stay home at Christmas. I would expect there would be some markets at Christmas but it's been a while since I visited last. But you'll definitely have markets, shopping, festivities etc in Brasov, which is a large-ish city about 1 hr away by train (nice train trip too) and has a rather beautiful centre.

Poiana Brasov has more artificial snow and usually better snow cover, but it's lower so not so good if it's warm, and further away from Bucharest (2.5 hr train ride plus bus or taxi from Brasov, vs less than 1.5 hrs for Sinaia).

In Sinaia: definitely visit the Peles Castle. And no matter where you stay you could try a trip to "Dracula's Castle" in Bran (which you reach from Brasov by bus or taxi) and you could also visit the "Peasants' castle" in Rasnov nearby.

In your place, this is how I'd play it:
- if you really want to be sure you'll board in December, go somewhere else than Romania. Austria comes to mind.
- if you want to have an interesting holiday with boarding thrown in if you get lucky, go to Romania, decide last minute if you want to stay in Sinaia, Brasov, Poiana Brasov etc.

If you want I can post your questions on a Romanian ski forum where a good friend is admin - I'm sure people will be happy to answer in English. They'll have more up to date info!

Thank you so much for your very helpful reply horizon. So good to hear from a Romanian who is very familiar with local conditions and ways (although I did really appreciated your input too picnic64).

When do you usually get your first big dump of snow at Sinaia/Poiana Brasov? I have a bit of flexibility on dates so I could be there closer to New Year instead of Christmas. Would you recommend that? However your second option is more relevant ie. "we want to have an interesting holiday in Romania with boarding thrown in", so great conditions are not absolutely essential.

We are thinking of spending between 2 and 3 weeks in total in Romania. Do you think that is enough time for a first-time visit to your country, including the most beautiful/interesting places? Also we will probably be relying on trains and buses to get around. Is that going to be a problem at that time of the year? Any help that you or your friends could offer us in regard to where to visit and stay, possible itineries for our visit, etc.. would be most gratefully received.

Again thank you so much for taking the time to reply. Kind regards.

*Ski* the Net with snowHeads

Two to three weeks is great!

One idea is to fly into Bucharest spend three days there and then take the train up to Brasov. Its a large-ish city with a very well preserved core of historic buildings, nice restaurants and sights. About 20 minutes drive away you have the mountain resort of Poiana Brasov and about 1 hour away you have Sinaia. You could spend a week here quite easily.

I would agree with Horizon on the ski front. If you are lucky there will be snow but don't bank on it. If there is, then let the family do the shopping/cafe thing in Brasov and take the bus up to Poiana. There would be enough to keep you occupied for a day at least. If your daughter is at least three then she would love the sledging and sleigh rides that you can get at Poiana. If she is six and above then why not book her in for a ski lesson! The instructors at Poiana have a deserved and excellent reputation. It gets busy at New years Holiday now though so try and go just after the end of the holidays.

If there is no snow, then the scenery is still beautiful, there's lot to see and its well worth the trip.

On a 2-3 week trip I would also check out the Saxon villages between Brasov and Sibiu. Sibiu itself is well worth a visit. There is a very small mountain resort about 40 minutes out of town called Paltinis.

If you are there for 2-3 weeks I would rent a car in Brasov. I use Eurocars in Romania and they have always given me good service with no hassle. Be careful on the roads though and try not to drive at night.

There are lots of second hand clothes shops in provincial Romania and if you are coming from a warm country and have a fast growing kid then they are great for kitting them out for next to nothing for the holiday. We got coat, salopettes, hats and even a pair of ski boots for our daughter all for about 30EUR.

snowHeads are a friendly bunch.

If you're still reading this post, I am going to Romania as well in Dec 2014 from Sydney.

Between Christmas and New Year, Poiana Brasov is very busy and if there is snow you might not find accommodation. Also, it's the most expensive ski resort.
If you choose to stay in Sinaia, the runs at the top of the mountain most probably will have snow - Sun Valley.

I'm going skiing in Sinaia at the beginning of January - after the New Year's celebrations end. Where do you intend to spend New Year's eve, it's a big deal in Romania...

snow reports

bea2006 how was your time in Romania in Dec 2014? I didn't get there in Dec 2014 but am going this year (Dec 2015) instead. I would love to hear if you got to the slopes and what it was like (if you could share any pictures that would be even better).

If your family are going to be spending time in Italy, the Italian Alps would have much more reliable snow conditions at Christmas. Some very pretty resorts as well.

You know it makes sense.

@horizon,

hello horizon

found your name on a post about sinaia - i'm looking for some advice about sinaia - specifically ski school and rental - can you help me find the forum you mentioned in your last post?

thanks

mikey

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

Don't.

Help!!

Advice on boarding at Sinaia Romania

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