Holiday apartment for max. 3 persons
Vale by Saliste, Transylvania, Romania

• CASA VALE • Holiday cottages at the foot of the Transylvanian Carpathian Mountains

We offer 7 entirely different holiday homes in and around the shepherds village of Vale, directly at the foot of the Carpathian Mountains. On the one hand, far away from the latest trends of time, on the other hand just around the corner from Sibiu, the European Capital of Culture 2007. A good choice for enthusiast of special places who want to add a pinch of Romanian serenity to their live experience.

The village is nestled between the wooded mountains overlooking the Transylvanian plain - in an absolutely peaceful spot with no through traffic. After a short walk you already find yourself in the oldest beech forest on the continent and will experience a unique flora and fauna on your way up to the mountain meadows. Alternatively, benefit from our central location in the heart of Romania and explore sights and trips in all directions.

We are no trained tourism experts. We live in Vale and have joined together in a small and family-type construction company,with which we have given the cottages a complete overhaul or built them from scratch. With attention to detail all along, with respect towards the traditional style of the area, as well as with a view to modern building materials and contemporary housing needs.

The result is an encounter of different ages and cultures in five oases of wellbeing, each of them with their own flair, distinctive and special in a place which – we hope – will be sidestepped by the world's hustle for a long time to come.

Our cottages at a glance:

• Villa Crina • our 200 sqm jewel • with 4 bedrooms, 4 baths, living room with kitchen & fireplace, terrace, garden • 8 sleeps.

• Casa Pelu • renovated country house with new attic • 3 bedrooms, 1 bath, eat-in kitchen, cozy roof terrace • 6 sleeps.

• Casa Nicu • 120-year-old cottage with the appropiate flair • large bedroom, kitchen, bath, courtyard terrace • 2 (to 3) sleeps.

• Villa Zollo • chalet on the hill • 3 rooms, 2 baths, balconies, living with kitchen & fireplace, terrace + garden • 6 (to 8) sleeps

• Casa Zollo II • cosy studio apartment • with kitchenette, bathroom, large terrace, and garden • 2 (to 3) sleeps.

• Casa Lopo • farmhouse cottage • with 2,5 bedrooms, eat-in-kitchen, bath, courtyard terrace, barn, garden • 6 sleeps.

• Cozo Fantu • shepherds cottage in the mountain meadows • bedroom, kitchen, terrace, spring water, outhouse • 4 sleeps.

Each accommodation (except the shepherds hut) features a fully equipped self-catering kitchen, fast WiFi and TV with multi-language channels. The standard also includes a washing machine, central heating (tiled stove, gas heater, solar system) and at least one terrace or porch. The villas also offer spacious living rooms with fireplaces and gardens with parking and BBQ.

The pick-up from the Sibiu airport or train station is included, and on demand you can get a rental car with us or book a trip in a horse drawn cart into the mountains. Also available are farm products from the village (e.g. fresh milk, goat or sheep’s cheese, forest honey), and our cook conjures traditional menus fresh to the table with vegetables from the garden and meat from her own livestock.

We care for you as a team. In case of problems or questions you can always get in touch. Furthermore, we might have one or two tips at hand for you, but we also master the art of discreet retreat. We nurture a climate of openness and equality-based relationships.

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• studio ZOLLO II •

... is a holiday apartment on the hillside in an absolutely peaceful spot. It is located at the edge of the village, where the only through traffic consists of one or two horse carts bringing in the hay from the nearby hills. A good place to start your explorations into the serenity of the Romanian countryside.

The studio (28 sqm) is situated on the ground floor of the main house, and features a private entrance as well as its own terrace, kitchen, and a bathroom. Expect custom-made furnishings, exceptional cleanliness, and relaxing views of the valley and the forested mountains.

Furnishings include an oak parquet, a double bed, TV set with (international channels, Wi-Fi internet access, and plants. The kitchenette is fully equipped for self-catering with a fridge, gas stove, coffee maker, and espresso machine, as well as a toaster, kettle, spices, and more. On request, we provide you with breakfast, traditional menus or farm products from the village.

The separate bathroom is equipped with a shower, washstand, toilet, and washing machine.

The entire interior was chosen with care and is of high quality, including the sanitary installation, kitchen utensils, linen, and mattress. All the furniture, doors and windows were made to measure. On arrival you’ll find the bed freshly made, with towels, soap and shower gel provided.

The solar-assisted central heating is powered by a gas heater. Alternatively, three electrical infrared panel can be switched on at no additional costs for you.

From the spacious terrace (21 sqm) you can look out onto the lush green of the wooded mountain slopes, or past the fruit trees down into the valley. A staircase leads to the fenced garden adjacent to the surrounding hills. Here you can relax on a covered terrace, grill your steak on the stonewalled barbecue, or enjoy the evening by an open fire, proposing a toast to the awakening crickets. Maybe you’ll just sit down under an apple tree, listen to the birds, and let your thoughts drift.

We rent out this apartment separately or in combination with the main house Casa Zollo with 6 (up to 8) sleeps.

• Holiday apartment with 2 (max.3) sleeps

• Double bed and kitchenette

• Bathroom with washing mashine

• Private terrace

• Large garden with parking lot, covered terrace, BBQ and campfire

• Minimum stay: 3 - 5 nights (seasonal)

• Additional charge for an extra bed / a third person

• Discount from the 15th day of stay

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We offer more than just accommodation

• Transfer from the Sibiu airport or railway station is included, and a reliable rental car is available directly from us.

• On request, our cook provides breakfast or swings the wooden spoon. She conjures traditional menus fresh to the table by appointment - each gram of meat a product of her own livestock farming. Vegetarian? No problem.

• Also available are farm products from the village, such as fresh milk, goat or sheep's cheese, forest honey and homemade jam, zakusca, pickled vegetables, wine and schnaps

• On request: baby cot, high chair, rides in a donkey cart for children, grocery shopping prior to your arrival.

• Tip: Excursion in a horse-drawn cart to the mountains. The tour can take a few hours or an entire day. On the way, you stop at a creek and Nicu (our Carpathian specialist) prepares a shepherd goulash in the kettle on the camp fire.

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The surroundings - Vale, Sibiu, Transylvania, Romania

The shepherds village of Vale is located close to the highway, but still in the middle of nowhere. A tarmac road touches on the village, but in large parts, cobblestone roads and dirt trails lead up into the wooded hills.Traditional structures and straightforward hospitality still hold up in Vale. Horses, cows and goats continue being part of the village landscape, and the farmers take up their scythes and plant corn, potatoes and vegetables to preserve for the winter. The breath of the past can be felt in every nook and cranny here.

There is a small shop in Vale. The small town of Saliste 3 km away offers more shops, restaurants and a farmers market. Whatever is missing here can be found in Sibiu 20 km away at the Zibins market, in retail stores or supermarkets such as Real, Carrefour and Lidl.

Some say that Transylvania appears frozen in time. The culture seems to be stunningly alien, and nature is unique and untouched. Maybe you’ll sense the charm of the extraordinary, perceiving what life was like before it was leveled by the advance of civilization. Until then, have a look around. Take a break and treat yourself to a place where unspoiled nature meets history and traditions. Just make yourself comfortable on the hillside above the village, take a look in the vastness of the valley, and you will wonder about the thoughts popping into your mind out of nowhere .

A trip can take you an hour or a day. It can just take you up the hill slope above the village for a few glances into the vastness of the valley, or to the jumping fishes in the mountain lake of Gura Raului. Maybe you are interested in a Saxon fortified church, in the historic town center of Sibiu, or in a day trip across the Carpathians into the Wallachia on the other side. There are many options: here we propose a few examples.

The open-air Marmelada swimming pool is just across the hill 20 walking minutes away, and so is the first of five lakes in the valley. In 15 minutes you leave the village below you, passing dozens of hand-carved wooden sculptures in the Poiana Soarelui (sunny glade) on your ascent, to arrive at the mountain meadows and enjoy a unique view across the vastness of the Transylvanian Plain after less than two hours. In good weather, you get sweeping views all the way to Sibiu and the Muntii Fagaras mountain range beyond.

Every village offers direct access to the surrounding mountains. A gravel road takes you from Saliste (2 km) to the high plateau of Crint. From Sibiel (2 km) you hike along the stream to a remote monastery in the heart of the forest, from where you walk on to the mountain meadows. Sibiel hosts Romania’s most important museum for icons with reverse glass painting.

Connoisseurs are attracted to the mountain lake at Gura Raului (12 km). It is fed by several rivers and streams, along which you can walk up into the mountains.

The reservoir lies in a depression surrounded by forest. The water is clear and in the evening, you can light a fire and watch the fish jump for mosquitoes. The serenity of this place can’t be captured in a single image, but anyone visiting this place won’t easily forget it.

If you are aiming really high, you can choose between two trafficable north-south passes over the Carpathians:

• The Transfagarasan – winding past steep rocks and a waterfall dozens of meters high. On the top of the pass, Balea Lake awaits you with a hostel and the house of ice.

• The Transalpina, at 2.145m the highest trafficable road across the Carpathians, sometimes even towers above the clouds. Created by the Romans in their campaign against the Dacians, she was rebuilt during World War II, then forgotten, and today winds through one of the few untouched mountain regions in Europe.

Via both routes you arrive at the southern part of the country, in Walachia, in a climate zone influenced by the Mediterranean. You can make your way back from here through the Olt valley, the only north-south route through the Carpathians, passing ancient monasteries and partly, steep cliffs. Anyone who doesn’t stop here must be in a real hurry.

When you’ve had enough of mountains and steep slopes, turn to the valley. Many locals here speak or understand German, because German and Flemish emigrants have been settling in Transylvania since the 12th century.

One of their medieval towns, the European Capital of Culture Sibiu, is situated 20 km away from Vale. During the summer it embraces its visitors and regularly organizes events, from cabaret and theater, through open-air concerts, to exhibitions of local crafts guilds on the central Great Ring. The historic city center, as well as city walls and fortified towers have largely been restored.

On the central Zibins Market you can find fruit and vegetables produced by smallholders, along with all kinds of cheese, honey, and medicinal herbs. Besides the organic stores (reasonably priced in European comparison) there is no lack of super and hyper markets such as Real, Carrefour and Lidl.

The Traditional Village Museum on the outskirts of Sibiu also merits one or two glances. Here, century-old log cabins, water mills, blacksmith shops and saw mills from all over the country were reconstructed true to the original.

From here it’s just a stone’s throw to the fortified church of Cisnadioara, established in the 13th century and one of the oldest Saxon buildings in Transylvania. It stands on an almost circular mountain top above the village and upon request, an old woman opens the gates.

After walking for hours you will feel your legs. In the saltwater lakes and spas of Ocna Sibiului (25 km) you can soothe your aching bones in brine, stretch out in saltwater reading the newspaper, and then coat yourself in mud. If that won’t suffice, we’ll fix you a date with our osteopath.

The way back from Sibiu leads you past Cristian. Here another Saxon fortified church gives you an impression of how centuries ago, people barricaded themselves against Mongols, Turks and Kuruc irregulars.

If you choose to delve deeper into the history of Romania you will hear about the Dacians. Similar to the Celts in Ireland, they are famous for their mystical traditions and particular skills. Even today the faithful flock to their places of worship, only ruins of which have survived. The last Dacians are said to have taken refuge in the Muntii Apuseni (Central Carpathians, 40km away), a sparsely populated region on the western border of Transylvania.

Today however, the Central Carpathians are known for their caves and abandoned mine tunnels, some of which run hundreds of meters through rock. Skeletons of dinosaurs and other prehistoric monsters are found in their depths even today. Early birds can explore this area on a day trip.

No matter which way you turn, you will experience amazing things. Usually, things you never expected.

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