The InterContinental Bucharest in Romania was one of the first ‘Western’ hotels to be built in the ‘communist’ countries of Eastern Europe, together with the InterContinental in Prague. It was built in 1967 and was part of a bigger project including the National Theatre next door. When it opened in 1971 it was the second tallest building in Bucharest, and it still is one of the landmark buildings you can see from afar.

We stayed at the InterContinental in Bucharest in Bucharest during our Balkan rail adventure after travelling from Budapest by overnight train. After a nice walk from the station we were happy to be entering the nice air-conditioned lobby of the grand building. After a friendly welcome we were quickly checked in and given our rooms keys.

The room

As I am an Ambassador member we got an upgrade to a suite, containing a separate bedroom and living area. In the Bedroom there was a large and very comfortable king-size bed, with plenty of closets to store stuff. Walking through the double sized interconnecting door you entered the living room area, with some nice sofa’s and seat to relax on, as well as the Ambassador welcome gift, the minibar, the coffee and tea making facilities and a desk to work on. The best part of the room was the balcony along the entire width, offering a view over the city, the only downside being that there was no balcony furniture to comfortably sit there.

There were also two bathrooms available to us, one with a shower and another with a nineties style triangular bath. As I prefer a shower and Timothy prefers a bath, we each got to have our ‘own’ bathroom during the stay. Both where cladded with marble tiles and boasted plenty of towels and the usual Agraria products.

The Club-Lounge

As we booked a room with club lounge access, we could enter the lounge located on one of the top floors. It had a spectacular overview of the city, including Bucharest’s most infamous building the Palace of the Parliament. To be able to best enjoy the view they even provided a telescope. In the evening they had a nice spread with a choice of cold and hot dishes and an excellent offer of Romanian alcoholic drinks, enabling us to sample some of Romanian’s specialities. In the morning you had the usual breakfast buffet, with of course an egg menu that also offered the option of ordering a typical Romanian Christmas cake which we of course had to try. The rest of the day you could always gran some small bites and non-alcoholic beverages.

The Pool and Fitness area

The Pool was located on the top floor of the building and was still in its original 1960’s style, giving it a contemporary “retro” design vibe. The main pool was large enough to swim your laps, at the side there was also a Jacuzzi to relax in. there where both loungers inside as well as on an outside terrace to soak up some sun. There were also a sauna and a steam room if you wished to use one.

The Fitness facilities where partly located in a separate gym room, looking very much like a school’s gym room, with the remainder of the equipment tucked in a corner of the main pool area.

We really liked our stay in the InterContinental Bucharest and it will be our hotel of choice for a next visit to Bucharest, although a next visit won’t be any time soon.