Albota is the name of the trout farm that is situated in Arpașu de Sus a small village in Arpașu de Jos, Sibiu county, Transilvania, Romania.
The village had nothing much to offer, till one smart investor decided to build a trout farm and make it a tourist attraction that attracts thousands of tourists a day from all over the country.
Albota in fact is not just a trout farm, it's a recreational center, where you can rent rooms, apartments, wooden cabins, rustic style, you can fish, do hydrotherapy, take long walks and last but not least, eat well, taste all the good food they are offering.
How To Get There
The farm is on the European road E68, between Sibiu and Fagaras, accessible by car. There is a road to the farm, that is very narrow, two cars can't fit comfortably, you have to drive carefully.
Parking is free and there are two huge parking lots that fill up during the weekend easily as there are so many visitors.
This is the restaurant and the kitchen, the restaurant is obviously closed due to the covid-19 pandemic, but there is this terrace in front of the restaurant, that can host a few people during spring, summer and autumn.
Left to the restaurant there's this summer garden, which is huge. I was here a few years ago but this summer garden wasn't this big. Now with all the restrictions going on, restaurant owners have been forced to invest and expand, in order to be able to function. Those who has extra space outside and possibility to invest, have made it. Others have been forced to close their doors and sell the business. Albota is in a very lucky situation and you'll see why later in this post.
Summer Garden
Gradina De Vara means Summer Garden in English, and this is the entrance to the garden. the whole place is made of wood, simple and wonderful as design, perfect for a place like that. The place is open daily between 8 am and 11 pm.
What I liked the most is that the old trees here are still standing, they didn't cut them out to have more space for the summer garden. You sit under these wonderful, old trees and you obviously have the umbrella over your head to protect you from the sun and eventual rain. When the season is over, these benches can be stored in a storage room till the next season.
Most of the buildings, cabins are made of wood and painted like this wonderful color. This is the restaurant entrance but as it wasn't open for public, I didn't go in.
Playground For The Kids
At a place like this, a smart investor would think of families, not just people. Here at Albota, there's a big playground for kids, where they can play supervised by parents when they get bored.
The Wooden Observer
There's a wooden observer that gives you the opportunity to watch the whole place from above and also see the mountains as well.
The view is spectacular from up there. I wish I could have stayed up there undisturbed for hours and watch the weather change, clouds floating above the mountains.
If you look out on the other side, you can see the trout farm and the playground that is beneath the observer.
There wooden benches everywhere, to sit down and enjoy nature. Even the bins are made of wood and have covers to protect them from rain and snow. There was a cup let on that bench, which is really disappointing. Some people don't care about anything but themselves.
Hydrotherapy
There's this little creek that is set up with benches on both sides, so people can take foot baths
There's this pool, where you can also take foot baths, walk on rocks and enjoy the cold mountain water. Believe me, on a hot day a foot bath like that can be very refreshing and healthy too.
Fishing
There are a few pools populated with trout, where you can fish for a small fee, but you need to pay for the fish you catch, if you want to take it home.
It may look tempting to fish here, when you see the fish with your own eyes. However, real fishermen say this is for rookies, real fishermen would never fish here as there's no challenge in this.
This man was lucky, he coughs a fish and was struggling to pick it up. Fish are slippery, you cant just hold them in your hands, plus this one was struggling to get back into the water.
Stay tuned for the next episode in which I'm going to write about the food and the rest of the place, which is amazing.
Check out my latest travel posts:
- One Day At The Zoo - Part 7.
- One Day At The Zoo - Part 6. - The Aquarium
- Brukenthal Palace - The Exhibition Of Saxon Goods From Transylvania - Part 2.
- Brukenthal Palace - The Exhibition Of Saxon Goods From Transylvania - Part 1.
- Brukenthal Palace - The Medieval Exhibition
- Brukenthal Palace - Orangery And Garden
- The Clay Castle, Fairy Valley - Castelul de Lut, Valea Zânelor
- One Day At The Zoo - Part 5. - Food And The Surroundings
- One Day At The Zoo - Part 4. - Expectations vs Reality
- One Day At The Zoo - Part 3. - Education Matters
- One Day At The Zoo - Part 2.
- One Day At The Zoo - Part 1.
- The Medieval Fortress - Part 6.
- The Medieval Fortress - Part 5.
- The Medieval Fortress - Part 4.
- The Medieval Fortress - Part 3.
- The Medieval Fortress - Part 2.
- Haveyoubeenhere, Pinmapple And The Huge Potential We Have Here
- The Medieval Fortress - Part 1.
- The Medieval City - Part 3.
- The Medieval City - Part 2.
- The Medieval City - Part 1.
- The Blacksmith Workshop At The Dracula Daneș Domain
- The Park At Dracula Daneș Domain
- Horses And The Stable At Dracula Daneș Domain
- Horse Riding At Dracula Daneș Domain
- Carriage Museum At Dracula Daneș Domain
- Lunch At The Dracula Daneș Domain