Eco-Resort Butuceni
A complex of traditional houses in Butuceni, in Orheiul Vechi · a praised stay, a restaurant whose service divides guests
A night in the traditional clay house, with plăcinte, pickles and colțunași at the restaurant and the kids at the goat enclosure
Worth it for a night in a clay house with wooden beams, in the heart of Orheiul Vechi, with the Răut nearby · the stay gathers praise. At the restaurant, book inside and be patient: two reviews out of five speak of very slow service and cold food.
A tourist complex in the village of Butuceni, in the Orheiul Vechi reserve, 47 km from Chișinău and 18 km from Orhei by road, per the site, open daily 8:00-22:00. The site lists a hotel in traditional houses, a restaurant, a banquet and a conference hall, a spa, a theatre, camping, a pool, a mini zoo, a cellar, a garden and culinary master classes "offered by the most welcoming chefs". Reviews of the stay are warm: "the hotel is built in a traditional Moldovan style, with wooden beams, clay walls, and handmade decorations", in a setting that is "pure magic", with peaceful hills and the Răut flowing nearby, and food "simply unforgettable". The restaurant, however, divides guests: some had "nice and fast" service, plăcinte with potatoes, cheese and cabbage, pickles and colțunași, "everything delicious"; others describe "absolutely abysmal service" · "do not wait for service, pick your own menu up and go to order inside", with very limited English · or cold food, "super dry and underseasoned" chicken, small portions at an average price; a tour group found the table unprepared, orders missing and "everything was cold", "the least appealing food and service in Moldova". One visitor recommends the pickled vegetables and the borsch, not the chicken soup, and booking to eat inside. Children love the cats running around the yard and the goat enclosure.
- Houses "in a traditional Moldovan style, with wooden beams, clay walls, and handmade decorations"
- "Pure magic" · in the Orheiul Vechi reserve, with the Răut nearby
- Plăcinte with potatoes, cheese and cabbage, pickles and colțunași, "everything delicious"
- The pickled vegetables and the borsch, recommended by one visitor
- Cats in the yard and a goat enclosure · "very sweet" for kids
- A spa, a pool, a mini zoo, a cellar and culinary master classes, per the site
Probably my favorite place to bring someone who wants to taste traditional Moldovan food. Butuceni does a great job of making our traditions feel alive instead of turning them into a museum display. I love the food, the old houses and especially the cellars packed with pickles, preserves and everything our grandparents used to prepare for winter. It's also a perfect ending to a day hiking around Orheiul Vechi, and there are different traditional workshops and masterclasses that can be added to the experience.
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“We had Sunday lunch here after visiting the monastery. The setting is quite nice, and it is very sweet to have so many animals there. Super cute cats running around, and the goat enclosure is a nice touch. The service was moderate. It took us 3 different people until we found a waiter that could actually tell us what seats were available and serviced. The food was not terrible,…”
“Fantastic food and fabulous setting. I recommend the pickled vegetables and borsch (not the chicken soup). Food arrived within 15 min Absolutely abysmal service. Do not wait for service - you'll die of old age first - pick you're own menu up and go to order inside. Very limited English (though better than my Romanian...) Recommended booking to eat inside. You can probably fin…”
“My stay at Eco Resort Butuceni was an experience I’ll never forget. ♥️ Tucked away in the heart of Moldova, inside the beautiful Orheiul Vechi Natural and Cultural Reservation, this place is pure magic. The surroundings are breathtaking — peaceful hills, the Răut River flowing gently nearby, and a sense of history that you can truly feel in the air. It’s a protected natural are…”
- "Absolutely abysmal service" · "pick your own menu up and go to order inside", per one review
- Cold food, "super dry and underseasoned" chicken, small portions, per 2- and 3-star reviews
- Limited English at the restaurant, per one visitor
- Book to eat inside · outside seating only off season, per one review