One thing the pandemic made clear was the desire, the habit and the need of people to escape in nature and feel the
grass cold underfoot when the city becomes suffocating. It is a statement supported also by the statistics of the last five
years which have brought record rates of occupancy for tourist pensions, those with a solid concept being booked in advance
from season to season. For sure, taking a break from "urban" is a trend that will remain and that will keep demand on an
upward curve fueled by two other symbiotic phenomena - downshifting for boarding house owners and the proliferation of
digital nomads, those able to work from anywhere as long as there’s internet.
So, if you are one of those tempted to retire from the noisy and unsafe urban, find a quieter lifestyle or a healthy investment,
Barolo House may be the place to be - a well-designed and carefully executed guesthouse that can accommodate up to 30
people. The property is all the more attractive as it is located in Vlaha, 20 km from Cluj, the ‘capital’ of Western Romania, a
city with a hectic business life that requires team buildings, retreats and events or simple longer remote work sessions. The buildings of the Barolo House are minimalist interpretations of everything traditional - wood, stone, brick and white lime.
Here and there black metallic accents punctuate and give rhythm. Attention is drawn to the simple lines of the wood fiber
that predominate without overwhelm. From the path that goes up to the buildings, the houses look like real chalets with
shutters simplified to the essence. Everything here bears the signature of designer Kun Adalbert.
There are four buildings totaling 624 usable sqm arranged on three levels - basement, ground floor and attic, all located on a
1788 sqm plot of land. The private area offers spacious and bright bedrooms with impeccable bathrooms and comfortable walk-in showers. There are
four en suite rooms with direct access to the garden on the ground floor and another four rooms upstairs. The two two-room
apartments have a fireplace, a balcony and a kitchenette.
The work area is located upstairs - an office and conference room equipped with smart TV, flipchart, whiteboard and air
conditioning for 20 people with the possibility of expansion. Looking for balance under the sign of mens sana in corpore sano,
the conference room perfectly equipped to stimulate synapses finds its partner in the fitness room that builds muscles and
gives strength.
On the ground floor there are the kitchen and the restaurant with a common table long enough for everyone to fit in,
somehow forcing friendly acquaintances and stories between guests from different groups - a symbolic expression for today’s
younger generation. However, meals can also be arranged for small groups, if the event requires it. Building A is intended for relaxation which can take competitive forms at the gaming and foosball tables. There’s also
something for the lazy afternoons - a home cinema system or a coffee, a book and a dream in the corner decorated with
vaguely oriental pillows. The stove in the sauna, ingeniously made of stones confined in a metal mesh, demonstrates the
functionality of an intelligent design that uses this raw material as dozens of natural "batteries" that heat up and release heat
slowly over time. Also here there is a spa and a heated pool, the building featuring massive glass walls that allow the light to
enter the premises. A cradle and a ciubăr (the local equivalent of a jacuzzi) compete seriously with the torpor offered by the
comfortable armchairs on the terrace.
The property is definetely an opportunity for investment and/ or lifestyle reconfiguration, bringing the best of civilization into
a timeless natural space.