A sense of authenticity at Bethlen Estates Transylvania

Time is not an enemy to be conquered but a cherished companion to be embraced. All good things take time. A truth the Bethlen family understood from the beginning, as they embarked on the journey of restoring their ancestral home and surrounding community back in 2007.

Taking Time to Preserve an Idyllic Corner of Transylvania

Bethlen Estates Transylvania is so much more than a weekend getaway, it is a commitment to preserving the story of a family that goes back to 1305 and an invitation to live fully immersed in a slower, more meaningful pace. How? Through a series of experiences that are meant to shift the focus from the frantic pursuit of more to the art of savouring the present moment.

At its core, the concept of slow living is a return to the essentials. It’s about embracing a mindset — a way of being that celebrates presence over productivity and connection over consumption. It’s about reclaiming our time and our attention in a world that too often seeks to steal them away.

Become a connoisseur of slow living

In this sense, Bethlen Estates Transylvania is a sanctuary of slow living. Not to capitalise on a trend that has gained popularity in recent years, but because honouring the passing of time is part of the legacy of Bethlen.

The silence and tranquility you experience as a guest here is not a happy accident, but part of a conscious decision to breathe new life into the community that once surrounded the Bethlen Castle. We gradually restored tumbledown properties of all shapes and sizes in and around Criș, from charming Saxon cottages and the castle’s former Caretaker’s House, to the Bethlen family manor house, abandoned school building and granary, with the purpose of creating a true refuge from the relentless march of modern life.

Bask in the richness of the present moment

Bethlen Estates Transylvania is not just a place to rest your head, but a home for your soul. We believe in the power of meaningful rituals, whether it’s gathering around a crackling fire to share stories or savouring our carefully curated selection of organic teas. Here, you’ll find no shortage of opportunities to nourish your spirit, whether it’s losing yourself in the pages of a good book from our well-stocked libraries or simply basking in the quietude of nature while on a horseback ride through winding forrest trails.

Cultivate your appetite for slow food

Good things come to those who wait. For vegetables to be perfectly ripe or for sourdough to be perfectly risen. Good things come to those that take time to refine and enrich each recipe until it is a story worth telling. And to those that know true indulgence demands patience and presence.

Terroir is the backbone of everything that is created at our restaurant, as Chef Ròbert Tordai and his team source ingredients from local farmers and producers, with reverence for the changing of seasons and the culinary traditions of Transylvania.

Slow food is not just about what’s on the plate; it’s about how it got there. It’s about farmers who nurture the soil, artisans who craft with passion and chefs who treat ingredients with the respect they deserve. It’s about forging connections — with the land, with our food, with each other.

Step off the treadmill of busyness and into the richness of the present moment.
Get a taste of a life well lived.