Surprisingy close to Bucharest (about 1h 40min drive) and not far at all from Transfăgărășan Road, in Vâlsan River Natural Reserve, there is this delightful walnut treehouse called Căsuța cu Miez. (transl. ‘Walnut Kernel Treehouse’). Cosy & warm in winter, breezy in summer, this treehouse has it’s own story.
That very walnut is more than a century old – our granny, who was born more than 90 years ago, says that even when she was very young, the walnut tree was as towering as it is now. So we don’t know for sure how old the walnut tree is, but we do know that it offers a unique occasion to lose yourself gazing the nearby hills and forests, the apple tree orchards, the pastures and lots of wild birds and poultry.
We – Cristina and Silviu – dreamed about, designed, and carefully finished the Treehouse. We are both freelancers – Cristina is an economist, and Silviu – a non-verbal theatre perfomer and M.A. in anthropology. In 2016, after 12 years of living in Bucharest or wandering outside the country, we’ve had enough of noise, traffic jams and pollution, we got back to the roots and began working here: we renovated our nice and cosy old cottage where we live all year long, we started gardening, we planted trees and raspberries, we started growing poultry and lambs. A lot of these you’ll see from the Treehouses’ front porch. Also, the Milky Way during the night and the marvellous clouds dreamily rolling during the day.
We live with our 5 & 2 years old children in the old cottage nearby (4-5 persons Attic available for rent).
Technically, Căsuța cu Miez is a 10 square meters wooden treehouse mounted on a sturdy iron structure in our orchard. It is high and spectacular – its floor is 4 meters above the ground, and its peak is way 7 meters above the ground. It also has a front porch where one can just stay, breathe, listen to one’s thoughts and let oneself seduced by the gentle and picturesque beauty around, day or night.
Close to the Treehouse there is a gazebo wrapped up in ivy, elderberry and grape vine (the place for having breakfast and dinner) the vegetable garden, the greenhouse and the orchard. The orchard is a nice place to take a stroll and drink a good coffee in the morning or a glass of wine in the evening. There are old apple trees and a lot of young trees we planted ourselves – cherry & sour cherry, plums & quinces & sea buckthorn, apples & pears. Also raspberries and currants. Also few kinds of mint and roses. And two old walnut trees. And a trampoline for energetic kids. And from time to time a hen or a duck that break free from the poultry yard 🙂
If you look above, you’ll hear and see lots of wildbirds – jaybirds, hoopoes, woodpeckers, sparrows, blackbirds, hawks and some other dozens of species. And if you look below, you’ll see a lot of chicken and roosters of all colours – because Căsuța cu Miez is right above a side of the poultry yard we organically raise here. And also one can see our few ducks joyfully wondering around in the orchard, all day long.
On the same property there is also a spacious tent, 27 square meters large, colourful and cosy, that can also host up to 5 persons.
In the backyard, close to the forest, there’s the sheep pen (they’ll be happy to be fed by hand), another vegetable garden and some rows of young raspberries and blackberries.
The access to all these is made through a secondary gravel road, where chances are high not to see at least one car rolling during the day. With the exception of your own car 🙂
Căsuța cu Miez can comfortably host 4 persons. At the ‘ground’ level, there is an extensible sofa 2m x 1.6m wide. For those who would like to enjoy the bright blue sky seen through the walnut’s leaves, we put under the ceiling a comfortable mattress of 2m x 1.5m sided by a wooden fence in order to prevent any unwanted night tumbling. In the Treehouse there is also a bathroom destined exclusively for night usage – with a utility toilet and a cold water sink. During the day, the complete double outdoor bathroom shall be used.
Căsuța cu Miez is thermally insulated, so guests can enjoy it also in colder weather – extra heating is provided by an electric radiator.
On the shelves there are books, games and binoculars which – luckily enough – may help one see the deers eating grass on the nearby hill. If one is not so lucky, at least can see the ducks, even without binoculars 🙂
The Treehouse’s walls are plastered with limestone, and its ceiling is made of evergreen lumber. We are in love with wood, so we used a lot of it in the Treehouse. The 19 stairs are made of massive oak cut from our ancestors’ own forest – dried and processed by us. The stairs handrail is made of old alder wood we recycled from an old barn. The stairs are reinforced with black locust wood and the traditionally carved new fir tree poles of the porch harmonize with the old recycled windows and door. Inside, the beech tree fence combines with the massive fir tree floor and old recovered wood decorations on the plastered walls. Even the sink stand is made of ash wood we cut from our very own yard.
And all these are surrounded by the fruitful and vivid wood of our century-old walnut and the nearby willow, hazelnut and fruit-trees in our orchard.
AMENITIES
* Upon request, we happily cook breakfast, lunch and dinner – we prefer savoury local recipes, using basic fresh ingredients from our very own land or nearby, which we cook slowly, in cauldrons or cast-iron pots. Home-made bread and 100 % Arabica coffee. Not to be missed – we are in the Homeland of Smoked&Pressed Cheese and of Țuică (a mild and flavourful home-made plum brandy).
* The Wi-Fi connection is fast, good browsing speed (via optic fiber) nearby in the gazebo and the cottage. In the Treehouse, 4G signal from many telecom providers is available.
* Linens, towels, soap, shower gel etc. – all included.
* One of Silviu’s passions is massage (certified studies, using a professional massage bed). Be it inside home or under the clear blue sky, be it classical relaxing massage or foot massage – this may be an experience to remember.
* Few bikes available to explore nearby gravel roads, pathways and hills.
*Since we live in Romania’s countryside, it is not uncommon to hear the dogs barking during night and roosters in the morning. For our guests having a quite shallow sleep, perhaps the best solution is using earplugs during night.
* Visiting Căsuţa cu Miez Treehouse means that the guest(s) completely assume their own exclusive responsibility regarding any risk, danger or accident during their stay. Also, having the children under observation in the Treehouse and on the entire property is, also, the exclusive responsibility of our guests.
*Inside Căsuța cu Miez Treehouse there is a bathroom – providing an utility toilet and a cold water sink. This bathroom is to be used only during night. During the day, the complete outside bathroom shall be used.
*Since we are surrounded by a natural reserve, it is not uncommon for bugs to sneak into the house from time to time. Still, there are no lethal insects in our region – but if this makes you more comfortable, you can bring your antibug spray.
*We don’t have any patch of perfectly short trimmed lawn or perfect plain piece of land, but we enjoy hundreds of wild plants, we don’t spray dangerous chemicals on our vegetables and trees just to make them look big and shiny. Beauty is everywhere here and we just try to keep the natural pace of all things around – which may not always resemble a Pinterest or Instagram photo.
*Given the drought of this season, the water for shower should be used responsibly.
Don’t hesitate to contact us via Travlocals.com!
ID: TRAV1063
| Check In | 12:00 AM |
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| Check Out | 4:00 PM |
| Hotel Policies |
Booking policyThe price shown covers accommodation for 2 guests. For each extra guest, an extra 17 Eur will be discharged. In order to confirm your reservation a payment of 50% of your stay in advance is needed.
Cancellation policyCancellation at least 2 weeks before arrival: 50% of advance payment will be refunded. Cancellation at least 1 week before arrival: 25% of advance payment will be refunded.
ChildrenWe enjoy having families with children as guests. Obviously, overseeing the children is the sole responsibility of the parents and attendants. For children over 14 years old, 75% of the adult price will be discharged.
SmokingSmoking is allowed anywhere outside.
PetsPets should be closely supervised in order not to damage anything in the garden, greenhouse, flowers or even poultry. Exceptionally, we can accept a pet sleeping in the house, under strict conditions of cleanliness and protecting the carpets, the furniture and all objects.
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Member Since 2020
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