Vila Katharina

It felt like stepping into a fairy tale... the room was big and stunnig with a lovely crystal mirror and chandeliers. Anna was super helpful with my big bag up the stairs. Breakfast is extra special - the duck is a must have. I cannot recommend Vila Katharina highly enough. Absolutely majical!

We stayed for two nights and and asked to have our breakfast at 7.30 rather than their usual start time of 8 as we had a tour and train to catch.They kindly accommodated us. The claw footed bath was a welcome feature as well as a fully featured shower system. Brasov is delightful town and the hotel is within easy walking distance to the central square, Black Church and restaurants.

We stayed here for 4 nights and everything was very good. We had booked a deluxe king suite and it was very spacious with a separate living area. The one great thing which we hadn’t found on the 2 weeks which we had already spent travelling in Romania was tea and coffee making facilities in the room. Despite being only a few minutes walk from the main square it was very quiet. They also have some reserved parking spaces outside the front of the hotel which was very convenient as parking would be a nightmare. The only downside was you had to order your breakfast the night before - we generally don’t know what we want until the morning.

The Vila Katharina is in a great location right near the Old Town. It was easy to walk everywhere I wanted to go. The front desk staff was very friendly and the room was nice. The chocolates in the room were a nice touch. With only 3 rooms, it's a very intimate experience. My room (Onyx) was huge. With that said, a couple of quirks. First off, the shower in the room was very strange. It was a stand alone unit, almost like a box, a bright red unit & glass on all sides. My room was the art deco room and it didn't match the style at all. Plus it was small and difficult to use. Breakfast was nice. I ordered the Transylvania breakfast, which was hearty - but be ready for a LOT of meat & cheese :) I would have liked more coffee too, I was offered just one cup but could have had about 10. I also found the price to be on the high end for what was offered. I'm currently staying at a very cute place in Sibiu, also in a great location, with a fun bar area and breakfast included - easily half the cost of what I paid in Brasov. Overall, I would recommend Vila Katharina.

We were very happy with our choice to stay at the 3-rooms Vila Katharina. Instead of staying at a chain hotel with no atmosphere, this really has the old house feel with beautiful decoration. We had the Onyx Superior room and it was wonderful. Nicely decorated and bright with lots of windows. They reserved a parking spot for us right in front of the pension. We also bought a bottle of the drink they offered us when we arrived as it was so good. Beautiful stay

Liked the property in spite of the off-beat negatives. Has an excellent location within the Old Town Center & easy walking throughout the area. If navigating stairs is an issue to consider this is NOT your property (see photo). The entrance appearance was a definite negative in that it looked like the property was either under renovation or was closed. Partially painted, no plants or absolutely anything inviting to guests. However, once you step into the tiny lobby you realize you are in a special place, even though the front part of the Lobby area is actually a retail jewelry store that opens to the street. There is a VERY SMALL library area with a sofa & chair that offers seating for 3 persons, but the 2 nights we were there it was kept dark with no lights & was definitely NOT inviting, though it could have been. The adjoining breakfast room is far more pleasant with 4 small round tables & a beautiful sideboard chest. However, the breakfast rooms underscores that the property management is more interested in pomp & pretense than factual performance. Each of the 4 tables were so absolutely cluttered with glasses, plates, serving dishes, water & juice bottles etc. etc. etc. that you had to move, shuffle & remove items in order to have your coffee served, while the beautiful sideboard chest sitting only feet away sat empty & totally unused. Attached are photos of the breakfast menu which is $8 per person, along with an invitation to enjoy tea or a whiskey in the evening. However, the 2 evenings I went down to enjoy a whiskey I was met by a very pleasant lady who apparently works in the jewelry store, but helps out in the hotel, after she saw me standing in the dark room looking around to turn a light on in the library area. She had absolutely no idea what I was talking about regarding the whiskey & when I showed her the information found in the room it was obvious that she had never seen it before. We selected the Traditional Transylvania Breakfast that includes "cold cuts, fresh vegetables & peasant bread". I have no doubt we received the breakfast ordered but it included several slices of some type of air-dried meat, along with 2 small pieces of a spiced sausage, 1 round slice of a cured sausage & 2 chunks of cold, fried pork fat, along with a tiny serving of a type of tapenade (?) & a larger bowl of sliced red bell pepper rings. Not exactly what was expected, but we can roll with it. The room was furnished exactly as pictured on the website with beautiful antique furnishings & window coverings & a large bath with separate tub & shower. Housekeeping was also excellent so overall it was a pleasant, if somewhat confusing stay. I would suggest that management should focus more on the guest experience & needs & less on "pretense".