Bálványos Resort: a Wonder in the Middle of Nowhere

First-time visitors are usually surprised to find that after a three- to four-hour drive in the middle of the forest, they are greeted by a four-star hotel with 120 rooms, three restaurants, and a world-class pampering centre. The adventurous, winding roads may even add to the attraction of the place, says Lóránd Szarvadi, owner of the Grand Hotel Bálványos, which won several awards in 2020 at the Termalia Awards, a high-profile event for spa and health tourism in Romania.

Located 42 kilometres northeast of Sfântu Gheorghe and 25 kilometres northwest of Târgu Secuiesc, the hotel complex has one of the highest booking rates in Romania, with natural attractions deriving from the volcanic origin of the area - Lake Sfânta Ana, the Mohos Peat-Bog, the “Smelly Cave” of Turia - and legendary historical monuments such as the Bálványos Castle. The permanent art exhibition inside the building, the “product” - hundreds of original artworks - of the Bálványos Artists' Camp initiated and financed by the owner in 2010, decorate the walls and public spaces of the institution and have earned the Bálványos Resort the art-hotel qualification.

The new wing of the hotel, which is due to open in June 2023, will be child-friendly, with the wellness area, restaurant, public areas, and rooms being designed accordingly. A true holiday resort "in the middle of nowhere" - as Lóránd Szarvadi puts it.

Samu Csinta