Chisinau

[Monger101]

Thanks for the hotel info.

But I'm hoping this board can offer more information on providers, rates, establishments, etc! )

I will be more than happy to contribute info and photos if they are willing for a bit of promotion.

THE PM feature doesnt seem to be working for me... I got an email saying a message was waiting - but my box was empty.

PROVIDER INFO? Agency / Independent? Establishments? Hot Spots?

THANKS GUYS!

Hi,

Please be advised that in the Private Messages screen you must select the "GO" button direct next to the "All Messages" list box to display the messages in your message list.

There is a note in the Private Messages screen advising you of this requirement.

Please let me know if this did not solve your problem.

Thanks,

Jackson

[Essi]

Hi Client Corp,

There is what to do more than 72 hours but its up to you.

I think if you will stay for short time its better to stay in hotel.

You can book at the airport or go direct to Dedeman hotel in the centre near sun city shopping centre,ask your taxi driver he will get you there, the price is about 70-100 $ or you can try Dacia hotel on 31 August.

If you look for cheaper rate you can try the National hotel about 40$ .Its on stefan cel mare street.

ESSI

[Stravinsky]

Client Corp,

One hotel that I can personally recommend is Jolly Alon. There is also another hotel in Chisinau, which is supposed to be very good, called Dedeman. Since you will only be staying for a short time, a hotel is probably best, but there is an apartment rental agency called "Adresa" that you can try if you want to rent an apartment. Information about all of these is on the Moldovan tourist website, www.turism.md.

If you are fairly fluent in Russian or Romanian, then you should find plenty to do for 72 hours. The tourist website also has a list of discos, nightclubs and casinos where you can hunt dyevooshki, assuming you don't find any in the cafes, restaurants, or just walking down the street.

You should also read through the posts on this board, there is a fair amount of info there, although somewhat disorganized.

Stravinsky

[Stravinsky]

Larsca,

We had actually planned on visiting Milesti Micii. But, in usual Moldovan fashion, the person who took our reservation on the phone, did not write it down and there was no place for us on the day we vere to visit. We ended up going to Cricova instead.

Cricova is not so bad. There is cheap wine everywhere, even in France, but the best of the wine at Cricova is very good. There were 7 of us. We had a tour of the cellar, and the use of a private dining room for our wine tasting. Each person received 3 bottles of wine, plus there was plenty of zakuski to eat while we were drinking. The total cost was less than $200 USD, which is not so bad for so many people.

I looked at "Adresa" on the internet. They have a link on www.turism.md. It seems their apartments are almost as much as a hotel, $40 USD per night, for one person, in a one room apartment. For a little more money, I would prefer to stay in a first class hotel. It is more secure and you have all the conveniences. I think the character of the person who owns the hotel is not so important. Good for him, if he can build such a beautiful hotel in Chisinau. If you do business in Moldova (or anywhere else in Eastern Europe), you know that nothing is accomplished by following the rules and success is all a matter of who you know.

Yes, it is my understanding that you may meet a Moldovan girl in Ankara or Moscow as easily as in Chisinau. Moldova's second largest export, after wine, is beautiful young women. ;-)

Looks like you will be there in January. Let us know what you find. Maybe you can tell us about some of your favorite Moldovan restaurants.

Pahkaa,

Stravinsky

[Monger101]

I will be in Moldovia on Monday, travel visa set to the Ukraine. Should I stay more than the 72 hours?

Any providers worth looking up?

Can someone recommend a good place to stay?

Thanks!

Client Corp

[Larsca04]

Hi MoneyTree,

Usually I make direct contact with MALEV. Their office is located in the centre of Frankfurt.
You can book complete package including Tarom/CarpatAir over MALEV.

Costs are around EUR 440,- incl. taxes.

Don't believe in the booking system in the website of MALEV! It is far away from being correct.

I recently found an offer from "opodo" for some money less than mentioned above, but havn't tried yet.

Will be again in Moldova in January.

Have fun

Larsca1304

[MoneyTree]

Larsca,
how do you get the tickets in budapest? and how much do you pay there? I also think of doing it in this way since there flying to budapest is really cheap from germany (where i am now)

[Larsca04]

Hi Stravinski,

I fully agree with you and would like to please you not to give any cent on the comment of ESSI, how this forum has to be named. Go on with your style!

Coming back to the hotels I have to mention, that Hotel Jolly Alon has a very "suspicious" past and background. It was privatisized in 1988 before privatisation was officially allowed. But that guy had and has miraculous relationships to leading figures in Moldova. And he is also well known to western secret services.
Enough to this.

Dedeman Hotel is in turkish ownership. At least I can recommend the restaurant inside with a well trained stuff (quite rarely in Moldova).

Appartements can be ordered from company "adresa" located in bvld Negruzzi. I used their services several times and was everytime very happy with them. No hazzels and fair prices. They do all the paperwork and meanwhile as a known customer I get a discount from them.

Another company, called LARA, also offers appartements, but far away from fair prizes.

Well, the language barrier is sometimes extended in Moldova. I know some persons being absolutely perfect in english language, but on the other side I also know younger persons having studied foreign languages for years but without any remarkable success after.

Funny enough to say, that sometimes while chattering with younger girls you can find out their residence abroad working as pros due to the basic knowledge of lokal languages. Well, some had extended holidays in Turkey or Cyprus :-)

Coming back to the prices in japanese restaurant I also cannot confirm what ESSI wrote. Probably he was cheated and got a special menu-card for foreigners :-))
Much more than having japanese food in Chisinau I can recommend several typical moldovan restaurants, often unknown to normal lokal people because they cannot even afford such cheap food.

As a regular traveller to Moldova since several years I smiled about your report to Cricova: Once they asked me $60 for a visit there and I refused politely. The winery of Milesti Micii is much more unknown but with similar cellar. I also would not recommend the wine of Cricova. Similar named Cricova Acorex in my choice in Moldova. The very most moldovan wine is far away from any reasonable quality and not really cheap due to the modest quality.

Stravinski, I can confirm with the $10.000 topic. But take care because very often there is a wide difference between new laws and the adequate knowledge of it by administrative persons.

To ESSI:
Carpat Air is not the owner of Air Moldova. Air Moldova is state owned. Crashed Air Moldova International was private, but not in direct or indirect romanian ownership.

Usually I take my flight from Frankfurt/Germany with Malev to Budapest and then with Carpatair/Tarom to Chisinau. Others are also available but more expensive.

Have fun.

Larsca1304

[Essi]

Hi

The air lines who come to Kishinev are:

Air Moldova, Ostrian airlines every day, Swiss air, or Cross Air, Turkish airlines 2 times a week, I think that Carpatair are the owners of Air Moldova.

Also there is a flight from Tel aviv -Israel ones a week.

Tarom from Bucarect, Romania, few times a week.

You can also have a connection from Budapest tow flights a day.

Also from Athenes with Air Moldova & Rome .

Yours as always.

ESSI

P.S. I LOVE MOLDOVA

EDITOR's NOTE: Posting of this report was delayed pending revisions to capitalize proper names. To avoid future delays, please capitalize the first letters of proper names, including names of people, places, countries, cities, streets, nationalities, etc. in future reports.Thanks!

[Stravinsky]

BD,

It's good to know that you found my report useful. If you decide to visit Chisinau, let us know what you find.

oetziboy - Thanks for the suggestion on Carpatair, I always thought Air Moldova was the only possibility.

Stravinsky

[Oetziboy]

there is another option to fly into Chishinev which is Carpatair (www.carpatair.com) when you arrive from Italy/Germany/Hungary all via Timisoara (Romania)

[Essi]

Hi

I will hve soon .Its under renovation now. We will have soon all information about them.

Its in the centre of Kishinev.

Will let you know about when it will be ready. In a few weeks the owner will make fotos of the appartment .

ESSI

[Roger Mellie]

Essi

Do you have a web page for the apartments you recommend?

[BigthDikth]

Thanks for the report Sravinsky. I am looking for a place to go in Eastern Europe and your report was quite helpful.

[Stravinsky]

Hi Essi,

I think that you and your friends must be big eaters. There were 7 of us who had dinner at Nori ( the Japanese restaurant) and the bill was only $220 USD. Still expansive by Moldovan standards, but not by Western standards.

Stravinsky