--- description: Find out why Matca Hotel is on TIME’s list of the World’s Greatest Places 2025. title: Matca Hotel: World's Greatest Places 2025 image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb8f487de2e3a2823/6998c4c6e1ba00cc3898d58e/Worlds-Greatest-Places-2025-Matca.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 --- Mar 13, 2025 # Matca Hotel ## Video: The World's Greatest Places of 2025 [Watch (HLS stream): The World's Greatest Places of 2025](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/kxT663me.m3u8) (3:29)  _Published 2025-03-13_ Simon, Romania by [Monica Suma](/author/monica-suma/) ## Monica Suma Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close  Călin-Andrei Stan—Courtesy Matca Hotel Nature enthusiasts are treated to an off-grid haven in the Carpathian Mountains on their way to [Matca Hotel](https://matcahotel.com/ "undefined"), a hilltop retreat in Romania’s Brasov County. Set in a bucolic village with sweeping vistas of the Bucegi and Piatra Craiului Mountains, the Relais & Châteaux boutique hotel replicates a Transylvanian village marked by centuries-old customs. Opened in January 2024, the 16 rooms and two private villas honor local craftmanship with bespoke décor and artisanry. The Maramures-style woven fence stands out, as does the handcrafted gate from Fagaras. Named after the Romanian word for queen bee (a symbol of wealth and luck), Matca’s on-site apiary produces honey products that complement the hotel’s exclusive herbal tea blend by [Roha Silva](https://rohasilva.ro/ "undefined"). Guests can hay bathe—a full-body experience that involves being wrapped in warm, moist hay—in a tiny, wooden hut, and swim with an awe-inspiring view in the spa’s pool. A farm-to-table philosophy, paired with Romania’s top wines, informs the Transylvanian fine dining. The famed Bran Castle is nearby, and the hotel operates a night tour for guests to experience a private visit—suitably eerie for the fortress best known for its association with Bram Stoker’s Dracula. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Article","@id":"https://time.com/collections/worlds-greatest-places-2025/7263083/matca-hotel/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/collections/worlds-greatest-places-2025/7263083/matca-hotel/"},"headline":"Matca Hotel","datePublished":"2025-03-13T12:35:34.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-03T00:44:58.339Z","description":"","url":"https://time.com/collections/worlds-greatest-places-2025/7263083/matca-hotel/","keywords":["World's Greatest Places","list","franchise","Magazine","sponsorshipblock","WGP2025"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb8f487de2e3a2823/6998c4c6e1ba00cc3898d58e/Worlds-Greatest-Places-2025-Matca.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Monica Suma","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/monica-suma/"}],"creator":"Monica Suma","articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb8f487de2e3a2823/6998c4c6e1ba00cc3898d58e/Worlds-Greatest-Places-2025-Matca.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/worlds-greatest-places/","name":"World's Greatest Places"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/collections/worlds-greatest-places-2025/7263083/matca-hotel/","name":"Matca Hotel"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"The World's Greatest Places of 2025","description":"","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/kxT663me/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2025-03-13T10:00:00.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/kxT663me.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/collections/worlds-greatest-places-2025/7263083/matca-hotel/","duration":"PT3M29S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/collections/worlds-greatest-places-2025/7263083/matca-hotel/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```