Hotel Xe-Mar

I came to Romania for dental work and had a 4 night reservation at the Continental for about $60 a night.My doctor needed me to stay one more night but for some bizzare reason they wanted $200 more for that one night. So he made a reservation for me at Xe-Mar. My large clean renovated room was only $37 US and this included a hot breakfast! There was a TV, FREE WiFi and a modern shower facility. The next day I moved into the Continental. When I attempted to go out to dine, each restaurant I went to told me it was a holiday "Womans Day" and I could not get service. Some were reserved for private parties. I walked all the way back to Xe-Mar where there was live music. The waiter recognized me. I asked : You are having a private party? He said yes but you are invited and sat me at a table with the owners. Imagine the hospitality given me even though I was no longer a guest and had transferred to another hotel? Places I've been in Arad five or six times don't treat me this well. The food was fabulous, I had stuffed chicken and on another night I had a delicious Pork stew. It is traditional Romanian and your Romanian grandmother can't do any better. Service in Romania tends to be slow but not here and the staff are quite friendly. If you are traveling with a car there is no reason to stay anyhere else. If you are on foot like me it is a slight inconvience to City Center and a bridge in between but there is a Tram that stops right outside.