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• COZO FANTU • The former shepherd’s hut in the Carpathian meadows provides only basic convenience, but lots of fresh mountain air for stressed lungs. A spring originates a stone’s throw away, the trees hang heavy with cherries, and you can get cheese or milk from the shepherd next door. A perfect log cabin holiday for lovers of unspoiled nature on the edge of civilization. And a good choice for those who want to enrich their experience with a pinch of Transylvanian serenity.
The mountain cabin is located 7 km above the village of Fantanele, 9 km away from the small town of Orlat, and 25 km from Sibiu. It is not accessible by car, so we will accompany you on your way there and back. In our off-road SUV it takes an hour, and with the horse-drawn cart about three hours. In both cases it’s an adventure worth remembering.
We will pick you up for no charge from Sibiu airport or station. If you arrive by car you can park comfortably on our enclosed plot in the village of Vale. We reload your luggage, and off we go. Once at the cabin, Nicu (our mountain specialist) will prepare a traditional shepherds stew in the kettle over an open fire.
Groceries can be bought in the shops or at the market of the small town Saliste. In case you’re running low on supplies, you can hike along the stream below the hut to the nearest store in Orlat, open daily until 9pm.
The log home consists of a terrace, a kitchen, and a bedroom with a large pedestal bed that comfortably accommodates four people. Facilities include pots and pans, plenty of blankets, hand and dish towels, candles, a gas bottle with cooker, barbeque and a tripod, washing bowl and bucket, water cans, wood and an ax, toilet paper, dish soap and a sponge, soap, matches, salt and sugar. Cooking is done either with the gas burner, on the stove in the kitchen, or on the fire pit in front of the hut.
• Trade in sockets for kerosene lamps.
• Trade in the fridge for a cool basement.
• Trade in the WC for an outhouse.
• Trade in the shower for washing with spring water.
The mobile reception at the hut itself is bad, but a little further up the hill you will find several networks.
The mountain cabin is registered on Google Maps (search for "Carpathian log cabin Romania"), and from us you will receive the best current hiking map of the Cindrel Mountains. In any case, you will not get lost up there beause you're not alone in the Carpathians. Next to other hikers, you'll find a shepherd leaning on his cane on every other hill.
Alpine meadows, proud mountains and the vastness of the valleys, stretch for as far as the eye can see, dotted by wooden huts and shelters, sheep, cows, and horses. This is a great starting point for hikes to the mountain lake at Gura Raului and further up into the mountains. Or just simply lie down on a hillside, chew on a blade of grass and let your thoughts drift...
• Carpathian mountain cabin, sleeps 4
• Basement, barn, spring, outhouse
• Wood stove, gas cooker, kerosene lamps, kitchen equipment
• Large platform bed, blankets, pillows
• Available from April 1 to October 22
• Minimum stay: 5 nights
• Transport by horse-drawn cart or SUV: € 48 each way
• Transfer from Sibiu airport or train station included
Want to learn more about what to expect? On our homepage • • you find an extensive photo gallery of the cottage, guest reviews, and more.
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••• We provide more than just one cottage •••
With our construction company, we have given five houses a complete overhaul or built them from scratch. With attention to detail all along, with respect towards the traditional style of the area, as well as with a view to modern building materials and contemporary housing needs. The result is an encounter of different ages and cultures in five oases of wellbeing, each of them with their own flair, distinctive and special in a place which – we hope – will be sidestepped by the world's hustle for a long time to come.
• VILLA CRINA • our jewel with 200 sqm of living space and terraced garden – sleeps 8.
• CASA PELU • the former farmhouse with extended loft and roof terrace – sleeps 6.
• CASA NICU • 120-year-old cottage with the appropriate historic flair – sleeps 2-3.
• VILLA ZOLLO • 150 sqm holiday home with panoramic views and large garden – sleeps 6-8.
• Studio ZOLLO II • well equipped apartment with a terrace, BBQ and garden – sleeps 2-3.
• COZO FANTU • our shepherd’s hut in the mountain pastures – sleeps 4.
A total of 12 rooms are endowed with double beds, WiFi internet access, TV (Astra satellite), and plants. Some properties feature a garden and living room with a fireplace, and all of them provide a kitchen fully equipped for self-catering, as well as 1-4 bathrooms, a washing machine, and at least one terrace. The central heating facilities (most of them solar-assisted) are powered by water-bearing fireplaces, tiled stoves or gas heaters. In addition, nearly all of the rooms are equipped with infrared panels.
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••• We offer more than just accommodation •••
• Transfer from the Sibiu airport or railway station is included, and a reliable rental car is available directly from us.
• On request, our cook provides breakfast or swings the wooden spoon. She conjures traditional menus fresh to the table by appointment - each gram of meat a product of her own livestock farming. Vegetarian? No problem.
• Also available are farm products from the village, such as fresh milk, goat or sheep's cheese, forest honey and homemade jam, zakusca, pickled vegetables, wine and schnaps.
• On request: baby cot, high chair, rides in a donkey cart for children, grocery shopping prior to your arrival.
• Tip: Excursion in a horse-drawn cart to the mountains. The tour can take a few hours or an entire day. On the way, you stop at a creek and Nicu (our Carpathian specialist) prepares a shepherd goulash in the kettle on the camp fire.
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••• The village of Vale •••
… is out in the sticks, in the middle of nowhere. On the other hand, the freeway that brings all sights of Transylvania closer to you is only 5 km away. A tarmac road touches on the village, but in large parts, it’s cobblestone roads and dirt trails leading up into the wooded hills. Thus, traditional structures and straightforward hospitality still hold up in Vale. Horses, cows and goats are still part of the village landscape, and the farmers take up their scythes and plant corn, potatoes, and vegetables to provide for the winter.
There is a children's playground and a small grocery store at the village square. The town of Saliste 2 km away offers more shops, a farmer's market and an ATM cash machine. Whatever you miss here can be found in Sibiu 20 km away at the Cibin Market, in retail stores, or supermarkets such as Real, Carrefour and Lidl.
Some say that the Romanian countryside appears frozen in time. It is unique and mostly untouched and the breath of the past hides in every corner. Maybe you'll sense the charm of the extraordinary, perceiving what life was like before it was leveled by the advance of civilization.
Until then, take a good look around. Heists and highway robberies are tales from the long-gone years of turmoil following the political change in Romania, and Count Dracula obviously exists only in movies. Most people in these parts are open-minded and very friendly when met with respect.
Read more below for an overview of the sights in the area, plus a pinch of Transylvanian history. Or, more detailed and accompanied by photo galleries, on our homepage • casa-vale.net •.
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