Columbia Hillen
Mere steps from the imposing National Bank of Romania and numerous restaurants, museums and art galleries in the heart of historic Bucharest, the Hilton Garden Inn Bucharest Old Town could not be better positioned.
Opened less than a decade ago after two years of renovation by a Lithuanian-based group, the 7-storey building has housed many tenants during its 150-year existence including being an insurance company, cheese shop, bakery, tailor, stockbroker and a fur company. It also survived a major earthquake in 1977 which destroyed part of the structure.
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Arriving after a tiring 5-hour drive through undulating Romanian countryside, my companion and I settled ourselves contentedly on soft cushioned wicker armchairs on the terrace on a balmy evening and ordered a bottle of rose wine produced in the well-known vineyard region of Dealu Mare.
From a wide-ranging menu at the Beef Room, aptly named as its featured highlights were a selection of meats including dry aged ribeye, T-bone tomahawk and sirloin as well as two varieties of hamburger. There was also rigatoni and pappardelle pastas and seafood dishes such as pan-fried salmon and Black Sea mussels. For vegetarians, selections included mushroom quesadillas and tomato orzo.
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The aroma of sizzling meat from a nearby table was too much for my hungry companion who opted for the rib eye which came as a generous cut presented on a thick iron griddle and sliced carefully table-side, accompanied by three different sauces. My choice was hamburger, tastefully combined with melted burrata, basil pesto, spinach and garlic.
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Breakfast is also served in the Beef Room, its interior designed with an arrangement of mirrors decorating one wall and framed vintage portraits and photographs of 19th century Bucharest on another, with potted plants on shelves adding a touch of Nature to the overall ambience. Here among the buffet selection I discovered traditional Romanian dishes including salata de vinete (eggplant salad), icre (fish eggs) and zacusca (a blend of slow-cooked vegetables), as well as locally produced cheeses such as telemea.
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Our room, 120, on the first floor had a high ceiling and large windows leading to a small balcony overlooking neighboring buildings featuring ornate architecture from the mid-19th century. Our room furnishings included a large TV, soft armchair, coffee table and a work bench. A walk-in shower featured Crabtree & Evelyn toiletries.
Irina Semaca, General Manager. Photo by Columbia Hillen
Friendly hotel manager, Irina Semaca, a native of the Moldova region in the northeast, has comprehensive experience in many departments in other Bucharest hotels and training provided by Cornell University, a leading hospitality school in the US. She spoke proudly about how her hotel supports ‘Asociatia Ana si Copiii,’ working with disadvantaged families to help prevent child school abandonment and also with ‘Asociatia Pavel, supporting the needs of children with cancer.
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Every year, the hotel dresses its Christmas tree with colorful decorations made by these sick children.
One of the strong advantages of the Hilton Garden Inn is its close vicinity to some city cultural highlights including the National Theater, the Museum of Communism and the National History Museum, which contains invaluable gold, silver and gemstone treasures. Also worth visiting in Bucharest is the eclectic Museum of Recent Art, which has a ground-floor cafe and an outdoor Village Museum featuring traditional houses from different regions of Romania.
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The hotel has 201 rooms of various categories catering to both leisure and business guests. Its facilities include a gym, restaurant with outdoor terrace and seven flexible meeting rooms with movable panels that can host different size events. These are located just beyond some colonnades on the ground floor where paintings by various artists adorn the walls. The hotel also has a free 24-hour business center and shop. For guest convenience, an inexpensive parking lot is located close by.
