If you go to Curtea de Arges

By Julie Skurdenis, Globe Correspondent, 10/25/98

Our two-week trip to Romania was arranged by Balkan U.S.A., a company we traveled to Bulgaria with several years ago. This time the cost for three of us -- myself, my husband, Paul, and our friend Lee -- was just under $6,000. That included round-trip air fare from New York aboard TAROM, Romania's national carrier; a comfortable van; first-class hotels; breakfasts; three ethnic dinners and/or shows; and the services of a top-notch private driver/guide. We considered it an excellent value.

All the hotels used were comfortable, although many needed sprucing up. We particularly remember the beautifully decorated suite in the Hotel Moldova in Iasi, Moldavia, which overlooked the Gothic Palace of Culture and the Church of St. Nicholas, and the suite in the Dracula Castle Hotel near Piatra Fininele with its view of hills and mountains. In most cases, upgrading to a suite consisting of a bedroom, living room, and sometimes two bathrooms will cost only $10 to $20 more per night.

We chose to dine on our own rather than selecting a reasonably priced dinner package ($9 per person per day) offered by Balkan U.S.A. We found dinners extraordinarily inexpensive, an average of $5 to $7 per person for a full meal with wine, coffee, dessert, and a generous tip.

Balkan U.S.A. offers trips to Bulgaria, Russia, Poland, the Czech Republic, and Hungary as well as to other countries in central and eastern Europe. For information, call 212-822-5900.