romania Archives

The credit crunch provides us with some holiday dilemmas. Can we go somewhere nice on holiday without spending too much? Can we go somewhere nice and be responsible, ethical and green?

Researching such budget ethical holidays can be hard work but here at In Pure Spirit, we think it is worthwhile as success here is good for everyone.

The following post is five suggestions of good for everyone holidays from the responsible travel company. Each suggestion is for accommodation only offer from a holiday company which makes every effort to provide ethical and green choices.

Our first tip is related to the current weakness of the Pound against the Euro. The best good for everyone holidays is found either within the UK or just outside Europe.

Lodges in a Devon farm

Choose from three lovely lodges on an ethical farm in Devon. This holiday is ideal for dog owners and BBQ lovers.

The warm lodges are good for everyone as they make use of electricity provided from 100% renewable sources. Guests are encouraged to recycle paper, glass, cans and plastic.

Another key feature of these lodges is the wildlife – especially the owls and other birds.

You can research this holiday some more here*.

Bed and Breakfast at Loch Ness

Loch Ness is famous the world over. Whereas only a few people are lucky enough to be able to claim to have had a monster sighting everyone can claim to have seen the loch’s wonderful views.

This good for everyone holiday is ideal for walkers and photographers.

You can research more about this Loch Ness holiday here*.

An ethical Tobago beach holiday

The Tobago rainforest is the oldest protected rainforest in the Western world. These two all-wood lodges sit near the edge of the mango trees and bamboo.

This is a family-friendly good for everyone holiday as children has all the space they need to run and play. The coastline is also ideal for birdwatchers and it is even possible to arrange a tour with the famous ornithologist Newton George.

You can read more about this beach holiday here*.

Responsible accommodation in Transylvania

What can we say about a trip to the Carpathian Mountains, Romania and Transylvania? The countryside is breathtaking and the buildings historic – but we know everyone will be thinking about the most famous vampire story of them all.

This good for everyone holiday is ideal for monster hunters and culture vultures.

More information about responsible holidays in Transylvania can be found here*.

Imlil, the Atlas Mountains and Morocco

The Atlas Mountains are some of the most beautiful in the world. This family-sized home has 4 bedrooms, two large roof terraces and dining room top of the kasbah.

This good for everyone holiday really helps to support the local economy. The entre Kasbah was built by local workers from the nearby village. The owners help run a local grocery shop.

More information is available about this holiday here*.

In Pure Spirit

Hopefully, this list will help kick start your good for everyone holiday – you might even be able to research and book the whole thing during an ad break in Coronation Street.

What holiday tips would you offer to help people plan a responsible, ethical and green holiday that doesn’t break the bank?

Disclaimer: Links marked with stars* are revenue links.

The Decabal Hotel shot to international fame in December 2008 when remarkable photographs of a ghostly woman were published by Romanian newspapers.

The haunting

The hotel, situated in Bacau, has closed for a large renovations project. Local authorities have requested that people do not enter the building as the construction work may have made the building unsafe.

Local legend suggests that the 150-year old hotel may be hiding ancient Roman treasure. The Romans invaded Dacia in the second century, defeating King Decebal (after whom the hotel is named) but quickly lost the land to the Goths.

A number of people have claimed to have seen then the ghost – who seems to be watching the staircases around the Baile Herculane spa. Victoria Iovan, a local, has seen the ghost and described her to press as resembling “a priestess in long white clothes.”

The treasure

The Decebalus Treasure is a legend which dates back to the Second Dacian War. A medic serving the Roman Emperor Trajan wrote that the treasure horde might be as much as 5,000,000 lbs of gold and 10,000,000 lbs of silver.

The Sunday Herald reported that since 1990, over 20,000 Dacian gold coins dug up and sold on the Western coin black market. They’ve been valued at over 20 million euros. A further 7,845 ancient gold coins, 190 gold works of art and plates smuggled out of the country have been recovered.

In Pure Spirit

What do you think of the photo? Two photos merged together or a very good example of a ghost caught on camera?