I am off to Romania a week on Monday, and am just finalising the arrangements.
We decided we wanted to hire a car and I have found the best deal on a 1.4 Dacia Logan... the cheap as chips Renault for the developing world.
Anyone driven one? I am sure it's not earth-shatteringly exciting but it hasn't had bad reviews. Plus, more importantly, it's cheap to hire!! : )
We are aiming to go Bucharest - Sibiu - Targa Mures - who knows after that. Tips and recommendations gratefully accepted!
Cheers
Steve
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steve
The Logan is fine, the solara has an A/C system which may be a good option considering the weather. Once you get outside the main cities; Bucharest and Timisoara, life is pretty basic plus poverty is extreme - the Roma (Gipsies) are everywhere and will steal the time of day, locals can be aggressive at times (normally after a bottle of vodka) on the plus side, the countryide is nice and it should be a good adventure.
Moneywise - take Euros, dont expect to find cashpoints outside the cities or to pay with credit cards also keep a careful eye on any false transactions being put through on your card(s).
Food should be ok - take some immodium and ensure that any bottled drinks are opened at your table (prefereably by yourselves)
In the provinces accomodation will be pretty basic, use bottled water to brush your teeth and dont expect much of the plumbing (take some bog roll with you and sanitary towels for the girls)
You will certainly meet some nice people but treat overly eager 'friends' with care - have a good trip and let us know how it goes.
Clive
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Good advice, and echoes what other people have said. Romanians, I have been told, make good friends and bad enemies... luckily, I and my travelling partner are good at making friends and both as cynical as each other re scammers and the like. Plus, he is much harder than me and quite scarily tall! : )
I have been to China and had much the same: anyone over-eager is after something, but the genuine people were THE most genuine, hospitable and charming folk I have ever met.
I am hoping Richard and I won't need sanitary towels but the bog roll advice will be followed!!!
Cheers mate.
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Sanitary towels are good if you need to light a fire - tampons too and also handy if you run out of immodium!
(sorry didn't know it was a boys trip)
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I last went to Romania in 1975 in the days of Ceaucescu and Bucharest was one of the most dismal and oppressed places on the planet. I would hope it is a bit better now.
I recall there was a place near Bucharest where they had assembled all their beautiful old world buildings a bit like the Weald and Downland museum in Sussex. Whether it is still there or not I don't know. The buildings were in a park because most of their heritage was knocked down to build ghastly offices and flats in the greyest of concrete.
We also went to a place called Sinaia in the Carpathian mountains which had an exceedingly nice castle and of course to Bran ( Draculas castle) which was quite pretty.
I can also put in a motoring link . As we went towards Brasov on a coach we were taken off the main road and the coach stopped in front of a truck plant and we received a 15 minute lecture from the guide on the glories of their truck industry.
I cannot even recommend the Carpathian Stag nightclub in Brasov , a huge candlelit cellar where SWMBO and I danced the tango to the sounds of Gypsy Violins and the Zimbalum ( a stringed instrument like a Zither ) - it was like something out of a Hammer movie with the only alleviating factor the cheap wine and plum brandy.
The people were frightened to talk to us and the guides feeding us propaganda all day .
Also flying with Tarom was the most frightening experience of my life......the shops at that time had only the most basic Chinese tat .
Interesting holiday but was I pleased to get back!
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You might think I am strange... but that sounds amazing!!! The Carpathian Stag nighclub is my sort of place... : )
According to all the guidebooks it's a bit more western these days, but different enough to be interesting!
That castle in Sinaia is on my itinerary, it's beautiful. Also, we have figured in the Trans-Fagaras highway in the TRansylvanian Alps (a bit like the Stelvio Pass in Italy or the Trollstiggen in Norway) and the Bicaz Gorges amongst other driving highlights.
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The Carpathian Stag is still there - see the link below - I have no idea what it will be like thirty two years on... It was all a bit of a blur then- the plum brandy was pretty strong stuff.ISTR the tango ended as we drunkenly crashed into a table knocking glasses and bottles everywhere.....
Looks as though it may be much the same fare. The food was in the main disgusting - Cold Carp I recall with a sauce which I would not feed to my cat :0).
www.balkanholidays.co.uk/bulgaria_winter_ski/resor...m
Give us a report when you get back if you go there Stevie.
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I've been to Bucharest 3 times since last summer, and it doesn't appear to have changed much sincce helicopter's trip there 25 years ago! A drab city, with some pleasant architecture masked by adjacent communist monstrosities.
The reconstructed buildings' museum is still there, in the park by the road to the airport!
Like everywhere else these days, the city's roads are traffic-choked. Plenty of Dacia Logans around, so make sure you don't lose yours!
It's a roomy car, just made with cut-price plastics - and labour of course. Selling like hot cakes I understand! Presumably the engine is from Renault.
Suggest you don't spend too much time in Bucharest, but head for the "open road"!
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Indeed, Nickdm, we will do just that. We are staying at an hotel near Opteni Airport, picking up the Logan and going directly to Sibiu and thence onward into Transylvania!
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I would add be careful if you drive at night as there are plenty of horse and carts around without any lights, even on main roads. Some huge potholes on some roads. Lots of truck traffic on the main routes - modern international trucks mixed up with knackered and slow local ones and not many dual carriageways or motorways.
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I have been meaning to leave a post for a while.
I lived in Romania for 2 years coming back to the UK 4 and a bit years ago. We always wanted to do the Trans Fagaras highway but never got round to it whilst we were out there. Meant to be stunning and I believe is the highest road in Europe. Willing to stand corrected though! Sinaia and Brasov mountain areas are beautiful too.
Bicaz Gorges are definately worth a visit. We took our visitors from the UK there a lot- used to enjoy watching people standing through their sunroofs videoing the drive. Did it once in a very rickety Romanian coach which was certainly unforgettable. The Painted Monasteries in the north are also very good (if you like that sort of thing!)
We lived in Iasi, in the North East which after a while we came to really like. Some lovely architecture there. There is a fantastic Tex Mex restaurant on the road out of the city on the northern edge on the road to the airport, Strada Moara de Vant. The restaurant is called Little Texas, opened by an American called Mr Little who came from.. you guessed it! I kid you not! The food is amazing- expensive by Romanian standards, but cheap compared to a meal out over here.
Would agree about being careful at night with horses etc. Pot holes can be bad, but the main routes are generally OK. If you venture out into the sticks the roads can be impassable if there has been rain and the pot holes, ruts etc can be HUGE. Good fun though if you do- especially as it is a hire car! The other thing to watch out for would be for missing man hole covers. They used to be removed, I guess for people to sell, but they would thoughtfully stick huge branches in the hole so generally they were easy to avoid.
Traffic police can be quite strict and will often hide behind things to catch people speeding. The fines shouldn't be too steep- I got fined the equivilent of about £3 on the one occasion I got caught. At that time though they had a strange procedure in place and if you were unfortunate to get caught you would have to go back to the main county town Town Hall to pay it! Wierd. I guess that may have changed though. You will still find people travelling far too fast who think they are invinsible. Also beware for trams in the towns, they have right of way.... regardless of anything I think! You will also probably see a lot of cars and trucks crabbing down the road!
Air con will be a must. The first year we were out there the temperature only dropped below 30c a few times between June and September and even got as high as 44c once. Having said that it can also change quickly and the mountain areas will be a good deal cooler. Apparantly the Trans Fagaras highway is only passable for a few months in the year as the rest of the time it is snowbound.
I think that is all for now. I'm sure you will have a great time. Enjoy!!
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Thanks everyone for your tips and stories, much appreciated! Hillman, if we make it to Iasi, which we may do as we're definitely going to the Bicaz Gorges, will pop into Little Texas!
Right, off to pack.... if I get chance to go online while I am out there will drop you a line!
STEVE
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Back in one piece...... just! The Logan was fine, 1.4MPi not bad at all. Ropey steering but went OK. Romania is beautiful, except for the parts Ceausescu ruined, ie much of Bucharest. We went Bucharest-Curtea de Arges-Trans Fagarasan highway (got right to the top to find the tunnel blocked by ice!! Astonishing as the temp was 35 in the valley) - Sibiu- Sighisoara - Megiras (unsure of spelling) - Georgheni - Bicaz - Brasov - Bucharest.
The thread today about the top 10 dangerous roads made me smile wryly. Every road in Romania would be on that list. I have experienced some breathtakingly Latin driving in the last 2 weeks, but my all-time fave has to be being overtaken in a flock of sheep on the Trans-Fagarasan highway. Bucharest as a whole is utterly dangerous, people don't take notice of lights or indeed road markings. Couple that with the lack of signage and you can understand why my heart rate had gone up somewhat within 10 mins of picking up the car...
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WELCOME BACK!!!
Glad you had a good time.
Nick
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Well did you stop off at the Carpthian Stag in Brasov stevie?
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Alas not... did go to Brasov, but discovered the Café de Paris very early on in the evening and seeing as the waitresses were possibly some of the most beautiful and friendly women we'd ever met, we didn't go anywhere else!!! : )
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Cheeky were they stevied?
You aren't a Liberal Democrat by any chance are you? They're very down on cars you know.
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I think they exported the Cheeky Girls because they weren't up to standard, to be honest....! Mind you, Limp Bizkit or whatever his name is has done quite well for an asteroid geek. : )
Back to cars..... I saw some fascinating Dacias: all manner of Renault 12 variants my fave being the Dropside pickup, two 309-based Solenzas, one with wraparound hatch the other without, what looked like a Lancia Beta based one which I am trying to Google, lots of AROs, Renault Clio "Symbol" saloons (yuk) and the Oltcit (now bought out by Daewoo). Non-Romanian cars included a surprising amount of Trabis, some Wartburgs and Skodas..... and of course predictably the wealthier areas had the now ubiqitious Logans (replacing the Denem/R12 it appears) and surprisingly many Q7s and the like. Saw a Bentley Conti GT and a Flying Spur in Bucharest too!
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Limp Bizkit or whatever his name is has done quite well for an asteroid geek. : )
LOL.
Glad to see you kept yr eyes open in true enthusiast style. Renault 12 was quite a nice rugged machine (although I once damaged a driveshaft in one in Lagos intimidating a bus early in the morning with a terrified reggae star in the back, he added showboatingly...) :o)
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You should have been a Fast Show character Lud! : )
I remember as a child one of my parent's friends always had Renaults and he had loads of 12s. I always liked them, quirky looking in a good way. Always liked the old Renaults, even the 4! My aunty had a 6 which was er, interesting. Liked the Citroen GS too.
The Oltcit Axel/Daewoo whatever it is seems roughly based on the Visa, and sounds like the two-cylinder Visas and 2CVs..... wouldn't like to drive one on Romanian roads, but then neither would I risk a horse and cart as so many of them do!!
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Tinted specs lud the 12 was a rubbish car for the diy man
welcome back stevied
you need to do a full report on the logan,i havent driven one but was well impressed with the shut lines and very european look for what is a very cheap car
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Tinted specs lud the 12 was a rubbish car for the diy man
Never owned one bb but the fact a well-used example still drove OK in Lagos is a tribute to its ruggedness I would have thought. I did break it though.
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OK bellboy and indeed anyone else who is interested, my review of the Logan: OK looking although the front lights a bit small for my tastes. Back end is quite smart though.
Plenty of room inside, and not badly finished at all, plastics a bit cheap looking but hey it IS cheap! Dials all very clear, gearbox notchy but then that's typically Renault, ride quite soft I thought but then I drive VW Group cars of Sport spec that come with no suspension... : ) Not quick, but not slow.... about average for a 1.4, wouldn't like to drive one with a smaller engine though.
Considering we caned it and even took it off-road it stood up well. Not a remarkable vehicle, but a perfectly serviceable family vehicle. Reminded me of the Renault 18 my dad had when I was about 15. For the price, it is quite an achievement. As I said, the only thing I really disliked was the steering.... a bit vague and clunked a lot going fast lock to lock, which one does a lot on mountain roads. Could have been a problem with it though, it WAS a hire car.....
That's my review!
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Meant to ask stevied who you hired the car from. We may be going out later in the year and I thought I may hire a car this time instead of braving the trains or domestic flights. Idea of cost would be good too.
Typping 'bargain car rental romania' in google has given me some interesting results!
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I used Euro rent a car, £250 quid for ten days with two drivers, unlimited mileage. Good service too, the rep chap Daniel even gave us a lift to our hotel in Bucharest when we handed the car back.
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Thanks for that. I'll give them a whirl if we go out on hols this year.
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