Trakai One day visit
Today we
woke up quite late as we were demolished from yesterday tour! We had breakfast,
packed our bags and left to the bus station. Before leaving we asked the receptionist
to make a reservation at the Akmenine Uzeiga, which is a nice resort 2,5kms
from the center of Trakai. We tried to do the booking through their website but
we did not get any answer.
The bus
station is quite near The Gate of Dawn although is not easy to find the place
as many people do not know how to give you directions in English. Once we got
to the Central Bus Station, which is a big building next to the Eurolines
office, we went to the ticket counter to get the tickets. Woaowww!!! The woman
attending us was so rood! We asked her where to get the bus from and as we did
not understand her answer she started to get really pissed off! Finally she
ended up writing the directions on a paper as we kept standing in front of her
not understanding a thing she was saying.
The bus was
supposed to leave at 11.20, but we did not leave until 11.45. Trakai was about
30 minutes from Vilnius. Once you arrive to the bus station there is a very
clear sign pointing to the Tourism office. We went there and we asked the
person working there how to get to Akmenine Uzeiga. Then she looked at us quite
surprised and said: “But this is a very expensive resort and it is 2,5kms away,
you are not in the center, where everything happens!”. Then we asked for
alternatives and she made us a reservation at the Salos Hotel, which was half the price. I am attaching a review.
The service
so far has been superb. We got in there and a nice woman explained everything
to us, helped us cancel the reservation in Akmenine Uzeiga and called the car
rental office to change the address where they had to drop the car. (we are
hiring a rental car to go from Trakai to Nida, Palanga and Riga!)
By the time
we were all set for lunch it was almost 13.30 so we hurried to one of the restaurants
recommended in Lonely Planet. Kibinine restaurant was about 10 minutes away
from the hotel and when we got there was quite busy. The weather today was not
that nice so nobody was in the terrace facing the Castle. I am attaching a
review.
We had a quite
lunch as it was raining and there was not much we could do.
And now we
are back in the room, Emi is reading a book and I am writing my travel blog and
reviews!
Actually it looks like a family business, and they treat you alike. There is even a club, but we haven´t seen it open. Last night they closed the restaurant and pub around 9.30pm and we are in August, so I am not sure what is the deal. From the pub you go down some metal staircase and you find the dance floor. Most probably it is the only club around.
Heheh I just asked and they have just told me that the club is only open in the wintertime as in the summer the hotel is always full and they don´t want to disturb them with the noise.
The bathroom is ok, although it needed some more light. Anyhow, it was very clean and spacious. Beds in general are quite small, I wonder what is the reason for that. The last hotel we stayed in, Dommus Maria in Vilnius, it also had a very narrow bed.
We paid 46 euros for 2 people, so it is a very good price considering its locations and facilities.
It was raining so we ate inside although they have a very comfortable terrace with views to the castle. The service was very good too, although you could tell that there is not too many people from Southern European countries visiting the place! ☺
By the way, they do not accept credit cards, so I had to get some money in an ATM closed by. If you visit Trakai don´t miss it! An interesting fact is Lonely Planet got the wrong name of this restaurant, its name is Kibininú and in this travel guide it is named Kibininé, while this restaurant is a little bit further north. Even the biggest make errors! ☺
In the restaurant you can eat indoors or outdoors, but have no views over the lake. We ate two salads, wine, water and 2 kibinas for 33 litas (9,56 euros). It has been the cheapest dinner I’ve had in the last years! Less than 5 euros! ☺
You can eat indoors or outdoors, and although it does not have the best views, the builiding is full of personality and good taste. I am sure it is always busy. At the time we went the restaurants around were half empty, while Senoji Kibinine was crowded! That is a good sign!
It does not have views over the lake, but it is very well decorated and they have a beautiful design all around the place. Everything ended up costing us 73,90 litas! 21,40 euros for two people!
In Trakai I recommend you to come here first and if you have some more time check the others I published.
