Hotel Christina

Hotel Christina is a cozy boutique hotel spread out over four floors in a building dating back to 2007. The owner originally built the structure as an investment, but circumstances related to the financial crash of 2008 spurred him to turn it into a hotel instead, despite no prior background in hospitality. The result is a creative, unconventional property with modern, colorful interiors and ample use of LED lighting, both in rooms and in public spaces. Common areas include a bright lobby, with a mix of tables and chairs in hues of pink and green, plus a few plush sofas set around a coffee table. Behind the lobby is a small conference room with frosted-glass walls that opens up onto a small terrace that guests use for smoking. There's also a basement-level breakfast room/cafe, though it doesn't get much traffic except during the morning meal. The hotel attracts a solid mix of tourists and business travelers of all ages. Note that there is a small elevator, but it doesn't go to the top floor where the lofts are located. The Deluxe Rooms are on mezzanine levels located between each floor and thus aren't directly accessible by elevator. 

Hotel Christina is located on a quiet, leafy side street in a posh part of Bucharest that's convenient to local attractions and public transit. It's about a 12-minute walk to the Piata Victoriei metro station or six minutes to Piata Romana. The atmospheric Old Town takes about a half-hour to reach on foot. The gargantuan Palace of Parliament is closer to 40 minutes away on foot (or a half-hour by public transportation). Bus number 783 stops about a 10-minute walk from the hotel and makes hourly trips to the airport, though the hotel also offers a reasonably priced shuttle service for those who'd rather go by car -- the trip can take as little as 20 minutes without traffic, but can take twice as long during rush hour. 

Hotel Christina offers three types of rooms: Standard, Deluxe, and Loft. All come with two twin beds or one queen bed, each with electronic controls for adjusting the heads and feet, like in a hospital. All rooms are modern and bright, and some have huge round windows that let in tons of natural light. All have light-wood floors and LED lighting. They come in one of four possible dominant color schemes: lilac, bougainvillea pink, sunshine yellow, or grape green. Amenities are consistent across room types and include Nespresso coffeemakers, mini-fridges, flat-screen TVs (most of which are Smart TVs, though at the time of our visit the hotel was still in the process of upgrading), and remote-operated curtains with second blackout curtains behind them. Bathrooms are small but bright, and come with snug walk-in showers, big mirrors, heated towel racks, and hairdryers. Yves Rocher, Thierry Mugler, or Azzaro toiletries are provided. All but the four top-floor Loft units have balconies and wonderful city views.

Hotel Christina packs a lot of great amenities into a small package, the most notable of which -- by far -- is the included breakfast. Every morning, the hotel staff set out a huge variety of treats including eggs, meats, pastries, Romanian staples such as pate and "zacusca" (a traditional eggplant spread), and a huge DIY granola ordeal with all sorts of seeds, nuts, and dried fruits. Coffee is made to order, and guests can drink all the cappuccinos and espressos that their hearts desire. The restaurant is also open for lunch and dinner, and operates on an unusual a pay-what-you-want basis (though drinks are a fixed price). Other features here include a free aromatherapy station, where guests are offered little bowls of their favorite essential oils to diffuse in their rooms. There's also a theater-style conference room for up to 30 guests. Wi-Fi is free and fast throughout the property. The hotel also organizes day trips to popular attractions, such as Bran Castle (which Bram Stoker used as the setting for his Dracula story), as well as airport transfers and city tours, all for an additional fee. There's no parking lot, but guests with cars can park on the street free of charge (presuming they can find a spot).