‘Outstanding’ guide in Romania

From April 1 to May 15, ’04, we spent four weeks on our own in the Czech Republic and Hungary and then another two weeks in Romania, ending up back in Bucharest.

Szeged, Hungary, is a city we highly recommend. It reminded us of Paris with its pedestrian mall, parks, cafés, ice cream parlors and shops. We stayed at Hotel Tisza (e-mail info@tiszahotel.hu), which had just been renovated, for about $80 a night.

For our tour of Romania, an outstanding Romanian guide, Andrei Nicolau (phone +40-722-576-456 or e-mail nicolau34@yahoo.com), picked us up in Szeged. Having always traveled on our own, this was our first time with a guide and it was a wonderful experience. Andrei is a charming young man. His English is perfect and his knowledge of Romanian and European history is vast.

When we were planning our trip, Andrei always answered our e-mails promptly. He tailored our trip to meet all our needs and saw that we experienced everything Romania had to offer. He had a new, large car, which was extremely important as the roads in Romania leave much to be desired.

In two weeks we really were able to see all the highlights of Romania, starting in Cluj and traveling to Sighetu Marmatiei, Vatra Dornei, Vama, Piatra Neamt, Sighisoara, Sibiu, Brasov and Bucharest.

It was a thrilling time. The scenery, sights, food and accommodations far exceeded our expectations. We paid approximately $275 a day for everything — a real bargain. We would not have been able to experience Romania as we did without Andrei, and we give him the highest recommendation possible.

We will be happy to answer any questions about our trip at e-mail mscohen401@yahoo.com.

MARGERY COHEN & HERB LICHTENSTEIN, New York, NY