Despite the hotel is situated in the center of Cluj, it remains just an old fashioned location, without major renovation. When I went in tho the reception area, there was a mighty toilet smell...the rooms are old furnished, the tub was broken. Only one positive thing: friendly, helpful stuff.
We stayed here twice as part of a tour group and found the hotel a terrific location for exploring Cluj, with many historic sites and restaurants within a ten minute walk. Think of the socialist glam decor as part of the travel adventure! But be careful that the camouflaged marble steps in the lobby don't trip you up.
Our room, including the bathroom, was very clean and we had no problems with the hotel wifi. The breakfast was adequate. Staff members were not effusive in greeting us, but they responded helpfully to our requests. Rooms overlooking the street have interesting views, but the rooms facing the back are quieter. Not all rooms have air conditioning.
In the centre of the town. Cheapest price in the middle of the town. Decent breakfast. Communist architecture. Easy acces to the main attractions. Direct acces by bus to airport and train station. You can pay with credit card.
This hotel was recommended by the local organizers in Cluj, and indeed it is a great location, bang in the centre of the city, and reasonably cheap for the area. It's frankly dishonest to call themselves a 3* hotel however, since apart from having en suite bathrooms they do nothing else to deserve more than 1*. They advertise free wifi: it never worked for me in my room or any of the lobbies for my entire 4 day stay. Breakfast is included: it was terrible, stale bread, lukewarm tea, unsanitary cold meats, no fresh food. The room was not very comfortable (definitely 2* quality), the bathroom not clean (and not CLEANED—staff replaced towel every day, but nothing else). The hot water stopped working for about 24 hours. Worst of all, the desk staff were completely dismissive (to the point of being rude and even dishonest) when any of these complaints were mentioned. I would not use again. What a hole.
Staying at the Victoria was a dreadful experience. The staff was unhelpful and sometimes I doubted they understood any English. Each time we said there was a problem, they would just shrug and do nothing about it. The rooms are old and look unattractive, but that is the least of the problems. It was very noisy, I saw a few bugs running around, one day we didn't have hot water. The breakfast was unimpressive, and basically non existing if you are vegetarian. I couldn't even make a cup of tea, as the water was barely lukewarm. Will definitely avoid in the future.
