"La Busu" in Bran, we liked the people and the place

This is not the first time I've written about a hostel. If you remember, when I went through Târgu Mureș we were impressed by the hosts of a hostel there. This time it happened to us on the occasion Expowood fair in Brasov. We decided not to stay in Brasov but to go to the mountains, to the quiet and fresh air. As the Prahova Valley is not famous for quietness we went on a search for Bran pension. And so we arrived at La Busu. No, not Busuioc, from the weather, but another...Busuioc - Cristian Busuioc - a very nice gentleman who has a guesthouse in Bran.

I'll tell you from the outset that it's primarily about people. If you go to the website you may not understand why we chose to go there. In reality everything looks better than it is presented there. To be honest the first thing that attracted us was the location (away from the road) and the price. For a 3 daisy guesthouse in the Bran area, quite close to the castle, the price was very good.

The green lawn and the shower that works

It may seem that the two are unrelated, but they both show that the locals are homemakers. But let's start at the beginning. After talking to Cristian and making a deal on the phone, at the end of the fair day (18.00) we left for Bran. We had made our reservation quite late that day and the man told us that we could only eat there from the next day onwards. We stopped on the way to get some cronuts and some beer (we had eaten quite late at the fair, so it wasn't a question of hunger), so we arrived after 7pm.

What immediately caught our attention was the green lawn in the backyard. It was clearly very well manicured. A nice neat place and although it wasn't very big, it had everything you needed to have a good time: photo gallery for eating, bigger or smaller swings, children's playgrounds, hammocks, flowering trees.

The staff - 2 people helping the Busuioc family with the housework - was waiting for us and we checked in. The room was clean, generous, decorated in neutral colours. What was pleasantly eye-catching was that everything worked very well and looked like it had just come into use. And yet we learned that the guesthouse had been opened 4 years ago and that the owner is the one who wants everything to work perfectly, dealing immediately with problems when they arise. And he does the repairs himself.

We didn't stay long the first evening - we were pretty tired - so we didn't meet the owners that evening. The next day, after waking up with my eyes on the mountain and watching the sun rise over the ridge from bed, we left for the fair still without meeting them. I did, however, talk to Cristian on the phone to tell him what we wanted to eat for dinner and what time we would arrive.

Meeting with owners

And so, in the evening around 7, we arrived at the hostel and met the Busuioc family. As we entered the hostel Cristina (because they are Cristina and Cristian 🙂 ) greeted us all with a smile and asked us how soon we wanted to eat (it was pastrami with mămăliguță and it had to be warm). We said in 15 minutes we were ready and we kept our word.

When we came out the table was set and waiting for us. We were asked if we wanted a glass of country wine, but we would have preferred something stronger. And so we got a glass of pălincă and a glass of afinade on the house, so we could choose what we liked best. And from there the tongues loosened and we started talking. It was a very pleasant evening with warm and welcoming people.

After lunch he showed us the guesthouse, which consists of a ground floor, first floor and attic. The upstairs and attic are apartments, very suitable for families with children, the single rooms are on the ground floor. Each room has its own style without being busy, using neutral colours.

The loft area doesn't stand on your head, it's really tall. There are hidden places in the rooms or hallways, but near the windows, where you can admire the view or read in peace. And everywhere is "visible" the master's hand, everything works and is in good condition.

We then talked about the upkeep of the courtyard, about how beautiful summer evenings are spent with guests in the courtyard. The beer dispenser is brought out, good music is played, and sometimes the screen made from a sheet of melamine chipboard is lowered and movies are shown. Cartoons for the kids until 7pm, then it's on to movies for the parents.

He told us that on nights with important matches, people gather on the street to watch them. We listened to him and saw his passion for a job well done, the pleasure of seeing people enjoying themselves with him.

Man sanctifies the place

Looking around I understood that it is the people who make the guesthouse different, different. Their desire for everything to be well maintained and look its best. The joy they share with those who cross their threshold.

I don't want you to think it's about people accepting anything to win. It is not like that at all. Quite the opposite, in fact. It's clear that you can't make them override principles for the sake of money. What they both appreciate is people and the way they understand how to behave in a place they have made with passion and love.

We were sorry we didn't take pictures of the hosts. We took the photos for the sake of the place, then thought it was worth showing it to you. But we'll definitely be back, so there will be more opportunities to take photos together.

Photos are property of Revista din Lemn