Govora Spa

Ana-Maria Cononovici, 21.08.2014, 13:34

Even though summer is just around the corner, a stint in a spa can do no harm, and can even get us back on our better feet as we are wrapping up yet another year hard at work. Today’s destination is Govora, a spa recommended at any time of the year, whether for treatment or relaxation. The summers are mild, with an average of 19 degrees Celsius, while winters are equally mild, with an average temperature of minus 3 degrees C. Join us in discovering why Govora is a great place for you to spend a vacation in.

Govora lies in Valcea County, 21 km away from Ramnicu Valcea, at 360 meters above sea level, surrounded by diverse forests. Govora has natural therapeutic qualities, such as its air and water, making it a top destination for physical therapy, as well as many tourist attractions, such as architecture and monasteries, as well as a fine wine-growing area called Dragasani.

While there, you can get treatment for a wide range of conditions, respiratory, rheumatic or digestive, but you can simply lay back and relax, irrespective of your age group.

Daniela Vlad, general manager of SC Baile Govora SA, told us about what they treat there, and the optimal duration of a treatment trip, for best results: “You must spend at least 12 days in Govora, with a minimum of 10 days of treatment, simply because treatment does not simply mean strictly the curative procedures, in the least time possible. Going to any spa resort for treatment supposes that one spends enough time there for the cure to take hold, which is the most important thing, and which many people don’t take into account. We mainly treat respiratory and rheumatic conditions, and we also specialize in mineral water therapy. We have quite a lot of these conditions spread around the country, and the worst of them are respiratory conditions in children.”

You can find accommodation for any pocket, starting with 675 lei for five nights accommodation, including breakfast and treatment, according to our guest. You can choose from B&Bs or two, three or four star hotels. Govora is also renowned for a recently refurbished hotel, the Palace, a symbol of the resort.

Daniela Vlad told us about it: “Everyone is invited to see this unique edifice, built between 1911 and 1914, the first resort hotel in Romania. It is large, with special architecture, since its layout provides at least two hours of sunlight during a given day, in a 132 room hotel, with openings in the walls carved out to equal the number of days in a year.”

Once you have decided to spend a bit more time in the area, enjoying the scenery, you start discovering all sorts of attractions. Here is Daniela Vlad telling us about some of them: “There are a lot to go around, we are surrounded by a rural area with lots of churches, monasteries, we are talking about one of the areas of Romania that has made us famous abroad. We have the Manastirea dintr-un Lemn — the monastery carved out of a single tree, the Horezu Monastery, near the village of Horezu, a UNESCO heritage site, and Govora Monastery, which lends its name to our resort. A few miles away we have the splendid valley of Olt River, and the town of Valcea, handy for doing your shopping.”

Not too far away, you also have the vineyards of Dragasani, famous for their Cabernet, Novac or Negru, as well as Merlot and Sauvignon varieties. You can also discover strictly local varieties such as selected Cramposie, Feteasca Regala and Tamaioasa Romaneasca.

We hope we have stirred your curiosity about these unique places, which you might be interested in visiting one day.