Ibis Bucuresti Gara de Nord, Bucharest

There was a time when we had to travel by car quite a lot, especially in Italy, Spain and France. Since there was no specific route or time constrains we would find ourselves on the highways late at night and when getting tired you can not be so picky choosing the hotel. There were good experiences but some were just plain wrong. So the sign of an Ibis hotel was always like seeing an oasis in the middle of desert. Might not be the world's best hotel, but it was nice and comfortable and you knew exactly how your room it?s going to be like long before you set foot in it.

Ibis is an international hotel chain, part of Accor. It has a number of 767 hotels worldwide, out of which 370 are in France and the majority of the other hotels in Europe. Usually, the hotels are situated in the vicinity of railway stations or airports. The first Ibis hotel was opened in 1974 in Bordeaux.

The first Ibis hotel opened in Romania in 2001, and we couldn't miss the chance to test it.
The hotel is situated at only 200 m from the main railway station in Bucharest, Gara de Nord.
Right across from the hotel there is a subway station as well as a tram station. I would recommend using the subway as it is the fastest way to move around, the trains are quite modern and they take you almost anywhere in the city.
The trams might be an interesting way of traveling around for those who live in countries which took out the tram system and some lines are "fast trams" which means they have special tracks and normally do not get stuck in traffic.
I think the worst way to travel in terms of how long is going to take you to get from A to B is by bus or car. The traffic is unbelievable and I know it is bad in any city but you should be warned that in Bucharest rules do not apply. Think Italy. Crazy people hitting their horns and traffic jams at every intersection.

As you approach the entrance, the first thing you see is the big parking lot that separates the main street from the hotel and trust me, in Bucharest a parking lot is good news.
The building is the typical prefab hotel that Ibis relies on. Nothing more than squares blocks on top of each other, the hotel it's no wonder of architecture.
Right in front of the entrance is the reception, on the right side is a little bar and then the restaurant and on the left side are the elevators. Although this hotel is used by business people and for conferences, the check in was a breeze and shortly we were handed the magical card key. In order to use the elevator, you will need the card.

The room was quite big and spacious, the furniture was modern and well maintained, exactly what you expect in an Ibis hotel. Ibis rooms have quite big beds with a comfy mattress and this was no exception.
There is a very long desk where you can place your laptop and the rooms have free internet. However, you need a data cable as it's not wifi internet. If you don't have one, you can buy it at the reception for 8 euros (about 5 pounds).
We had quite a small TV but since I hardly ever watch television it didn't bother me at all. The closet was large enough and the mini-bar was quite handy as this hotel doesn't have room service.
The one thing I really didn't like about the room was that the windows don't open and you can't get fresh air in the room, a big thing for me. The bathroom was large, well equipped and very clean.

The breakfast was included in our room price and it was quite a nice choice of food: cereals, yogurt, eggs, sausage, a choice of different types of salami and bacon etc. If it's not included in the room rate you can pay 10 euros per person at the reception, which I would recommend since it's hard to find restaurants or bistros in Bucharest that will serve breakfast with most of them opening at 12.
We had dinner one night at the hotel and I had a mushroom cream soup which was pretty decent but wasn't impressive at all, so I think you are better off eating out as the selection of restaurants is very good and they are not expensive either. Try some Romanian specialties, especially "mici" (spicy minced pork meat that goes wonderfully with a good beer). Hey, while in Rome... well, Bucharest.

The staff was quite alright, I wouldn't give them the award of best customer service but I can't say they were bad either. They all speak good English and some also speak German, Italian or Spanish. We didn't have any problems but I did hear others complaining about the fact that they have been unhelpful in anything that wasn't directly connected to the accommodation, which is a shame really as any stay in a hotel is greatly influenced by how welcome you feel.

The rate for this hotel is 79 euros for 2 people (breakfast not included) during the week and 59 euros over the weekend. They have a winter rate as well at the moment, 69 euros during the week and 49 euros during the weekend. Accommodation is free for 1 child less than 12 years old sharing a room with the parents, and 50% discount is applied on breakfast.

With the Ibis fidelity card you get a 10% discount on accomodation and dinner and, as with all Ibis hotels, you can get 250 miles per night if you have a Flying Blue card.

This hotel is a typical Ibis, the good thing is you know exactly what to expect and how your room is going to be. Although the location is very good in terms of transportation acces and vecinity to the biggest Bucharest's railstation, the neighborhood is not one of the safest and I wouldn't want to walk alone in that area at night.