Name your price, Romania

Bartering is second nature to Romanians. I’m not quite in the groove to ask for discounts on everything yet. However, when I booked my hotel for Ploiesti, I got the temptation to ask for half the price. And I got it!

I was really only calling to compare prices, since I’ve noticed that online prices and real life prices are completely different here. As the receptionist lady at the police station told me, “Nothing on the internet is true.” (Referring to Romanian government websites). I was at the police station to try to get a passport. But that’s a story for another day.

My intention was never to barter. As Americans, we would rather “shop around” for the best price. We call several places and see which one is the best deal. Not so here. I called, they told me the price was 290 RON a night. I noticed that their website said 69 Euro. So the price was correct on the site. I made a “eh” sound, and said I’d call back later. But no! Instantly, she said 200 RON. “I’m dropping it to 200 RON. What’s your budget? We can do anything to fit your budget.” I said I would prefer 150 RON. She said perfect. I can do that but without the complimentary breakfast. Great, I thought. I wasn’t planning on eating a hotel breakfast anyway. She dropped the price in half so quickly, I was scared maybe I didn’t ask low enough. But 150 RON it is for a four star hotel with free internet and a bath. It’s located near a main road so I can have easy access to visiting apartments and studios, and not too far from the train station either so I can check in with my luggage soon and get rid of it.

Hopefully I figure out my apartment thing in a few days – I already have several agencies that are helping me look around. (One of them is Re Max Romania) Cool, eh? I feel much safer doing it through an agency. I kind of want a place in central (or as Romanians like to say, ULTRACENTRAL! I love saying that word) Ploiești, so I have access to the Mall (WinMarkt), Trader Market (Halele), cultural buildings/interests, major roads, and the train station.

I leave for Ploiești tomorrow morning. Plans Changed. Bucharest on Monday.