Radisson Blu Hotel Sinaia Cota 1400 – What Is It Like to Sleep at 1,400 Metres?

Cota 1400 is one of those places in Sinaia that you probably know even if you have never spent the night there. During the day, it is busy. Tourists arrive by cable car, cars go up and down, people stop for a few hours in the mountains and then return to Sinaia.

But Cota 1400 changes quite a lot once the last day visitors leave. We spent one night at the new Radisson Blu Hotel Sinaia Cota 1400, and for me, that was actually one of the most interesting parts of the experience. During the day, there is movement everywhere. In the evening, the area becomes quiet. The people who came up just for a few hours go back down to Sinaia, while those staying overnight retreat to the hotel, the restaurant or the spa.

And then there is the mountain. Once it gets dark, it gets properly dark. There are a few dogs wandering around from time to time, but otherwise the atmosphere is completely different from what you see during the day.

A new hotel in a place with history

The building itself is not new. It was built during the interwar period and opened in 1939, originally as a sanatorium. Later, it became known as Hotel Alpin, and after 1989 it returned to the name Cota 1400.

Today, the story continues in a very different form.After an extensive renovation, the building has become Radisson Blu Hotel Sinaia Cota 1400, with 68 rooms, restaurants, a spa and swimming pools. The hotel is operated by Premier Hospitality.

What I liked is that the renovation did not completely erase the character of the old building. There are still elements that remind you of the place’s history, while the interiors are clearly contemporary. Some of the exterior details are actually new, but have been finished with an aged, almost rusty appearance. It is an interesting approach. The new doesn’t necessarily have to look new.

Lots of wood, but it doesn’t feel like a giant cabin

There is quite a lot of wood inside the hotel. You see it in the furniture, finishes and various design details. But somehow, the hotel avoids becoming an oversized mountain cabin. The wood is combined with modern elements, and the result feels elegant without being excessive. You get the mountain atmosphere without someone trying to put an “Alpine” decoration on every available surface. The rooms are comfortable and well equipped. Different categories have different sizes and layouts, but the overall design is fairly consistent.

One small detail that I appreciated: the windows open. It may sound insignificant, but at 1,400 metres, being able to open the window and let the cold mountain air into the room is actually quite nice.

Getting to Cota 1400

There is, however, a less glamorous part of the story. The road to Cota 1400 is currently in rather poor condition. Work is underway, though, and the situation may change considerably once the road improvements are finished. There is another thing worth knowing if you drive up here. Bears do occasionally appear in the area. We didn’t see one during our stay, but it would not be particularly surprising to encounter one somewhere along the road.

There is even an electric fence around the hotel, designed to keep bears in the forest and away from the areas where tourists are staying. That is simply part of being in the mountains. You can have a five-star hotel, a heated swimming pool and a beautiful spa, but you are still at 1,400 metres in the Carpathians.

The restaurant and the food

Our experience with the food was very good.

The restaurant is also one of the reasons why staying at the hotel makes sense. Once you are up at Cota 1400, you are not exactly going to drive back down to Sinaia every time you want dinner. The prices, however, are in line with what you would expect from a five-star hotel. This is not the place where you come looking for a cheap meal after a day in the mountains.

But if you want to stay at the hotel in the evening, have a good dinner and simply enjoy being up there, the restaurant becomes an important part of the experience. And there is something rather nice about the rhythm of the place. The day visitors leave. The hotel guests stay. And the evening moves indoors.

The spa and the pool overlooking the cable car

The spa covers around 700 square metres.

It isn’t enormous, but there is enough there for a relaxing evening, including a wet area, massage rooms, an indoor pool and, most interestingly, a heated outdoor pool. For me, the outdoor pool is one of the hotel’s more attractive features, especially in winter. Being in warm water at Cota 1400 while it is cold outside is exactly the sort of experience that makes staying at this altitude worthwhile outside the summer season too.

There is also a rather funny detail. You can clearly see the cable car from the pool. The cabins pass close enough that you inevitably get the feeling that someone is looking at you. The funny part is that you can see them just as well. So, for a few moments, you are not quite sure who is watching whom.

Cota 1400 after dark

For me, the most interesting part of spending a night here wasn’t necessarily the hotel itself. It was seeing Cota 1400 at a time when most visitors don’t. Once evening comes, the place empties out. That doesn’t mean the hotel becomes deserted. Quite the opposite. People are having dinner, using the spa or simply staying in their rooms.

But outside, everything changes. There is no longer the daytime crowd. No people walking around in every direction. No constant movement. And the city lights are far away. What remains is the mountain, the silence and the darkness. If you are looking for nightlife, this is obviously not the place for you. If you want to get away from the city for a while, it might be exactly what you are looking for.

So, who is Radisson Blu Cota 1400 for?

I think this is ultimately the important question. Radisson Blu Hotel Sinaia Cota 1400 is not simply a hotel you choose because you need a room in Sinaia. You choose it because of the location. Because you want to be in the mountains. And because you want to stay up there after the day visitors have gone back down. You have the comfort of a five-star hotel, a restaurant, a spa and a heated pool. But you are also at 1,400 metres, with everything that comes with it: changing weather, a road currently being worked on, darkness, silence and, occasionally, a bear somewhere nearby doing exactly what bears do.

I think that combination is what gives the place its personality. It is a new hotel, but it isn’t in a new place. Cota 1400 already has plenty of history and character. It doesn’t really need too many extra tricks. For us, spending a night here was not only about staying at a five-star hotel. It was also about seeing what Cota 1400 looks like after Sinaia has gone back down into the valley.