Where to stay in Moldova

Its 1,804 reviews are an unusual volume for a village of a few hundred inhabitants and place the guesthouse among the most visited rural stays in the country. Eco Resort Butuceni is at Butuceni, on the bank of the Răut, close to the Orheiul Vechi complex, and operates out of houses built in the traditional style, with a restaurant that cooks from its own garden and farm activities for guests. Daily hours, 08:00–22:00; average, 4.4. Bookings on 0796 17 870 or at butuceni.md.

The telephone number tells you where you are: the 0254 landline prefix belongs to the Rezina district, some hundred kilometres from Chișinău. Hanul lui Hanganu is the agritourism guesthouse of the family of the same name, in the village of Lalova, on the bank of the Dniester, with rustically furnished rooms and traditional cooking. Its 453 reviews, at an average of 4.6, show a well-run place rather than a seasonal improvisation. The hours are not posted publicly, so an arrival is announced ahead on 0254 75 284 or at hanulhanganu.md.

The 4.8 rating is among the highest of the rural guesthouses listed here, but it comes from only 120 reviews — the mark of a small guesthouse, where every guest weighs. Valea Stâncii is in the village of Trebujeni, at the foot of the cliffs on the bank of the Răut, within the perimeter of the Orheiul Vechi complex, and is furnished in the register of a peasant house, with local traditions as part of the offering. It has no posted hours, so an arrival is announced on 0694 00 157 or through valeastancii.md.

With 2,926 reviews, it is the most heavily reviewed place to stay in Chișinău, and the 4.7 average holds up despite that traffic — a combination few hotels sustain. Radisson Blu Leogrand is officially rated at five stars and occupies number 77 on strada Mitropolit Varlaam, 130 metres from the A. P. Chekhov Theatre, 250 from the Mihai Eminescu National Theatre and 290 from Cathedral Park. Reception and bookings on 022 201 201.

The 4.7 average from 753 reviews is a score hard to hold at such a volume of opinion, where chance no longer explains anything. Berd's Design Hotel presents itself as a boutique design property and stands on bulevardul Dimitrie Cantemir 12, in the south of the centre: about 460 metres to the Sensorica museum, 700 to the Deportees' Monument and a little over a kilometre to the Museum of Military History. Bookings on 022 022 222 or at berdshotel.com.

Four theatres within less than 300 metres: Satiricus at 97, the Mihai Eminescu National Theatre at 104, the A. P. Chekhov Theatre at 261 and Luceafărul at 300. Hotel Nobil, a boutique property, occupies number 49/1 on strada Mihai Eminescu, in the theatre quarter of central Chișinău, and keeps reception open around the clock. An average of 4.7 from 552 reviews is among the best in the small-hotel category in the capital. Bookings on 0684 00 400 or at nobil.md.

Vila Roz is at Trebujeni, some 300 metres from the bridge over the Răut, in the Orhei district — that is, at the entrance to the Orheiul Vechi complex, coming in on the road from Chișinău. It is a small guesthouse, and pets are accepted, which greatly narrows the list of alternatives if you are travelling with a dog. The property has its own website for details and availability. From Trebujeni you can walk to the cave monastery and the plateau above the Răut, and the drive to Butuceni takes a few minutes.

Hotel Speranța is in Vulcănești, a town in the far south of the country, in the Gagauz autonomy, close to the border with Ukraine and the road running down to the Danube. It is one of the few places to stay in the area, which makes it useful to know about if your route passes this way. Families with children are welcomed; no other services appear in the available data. Vulcănești is a stopover rather than a destination: from here you head for Giurgiulești and the Danube port, or back towards Comrat, the capital of Gagauzia.

Gagauz Sofrasi is on Lenin street, in Congaz — one of the largest villages in Europe, south of Comrat, in the heart of the Gagauz autonomy. The complex brings together a restaurant, a museum, a banqueting hall and accommodation, with the emphasis on local cooking and traditions. It has a terrace, serves breakfast, takes groups and accepts bookings, at a mid price level. Parking is free, and the entrance, the parking and the seating are adapted for wheelchair access. The data indicates that the place is not marked as suitable for children — worth asking in advance.

Pensiunea Franzeluta operates as a holiday base at Vadul lui Vodă, on the bank of the Dniester, some twenty kilometres from Chișinău — the capital's classic weekend area, with river beaches and floodplain forest. It welcomes families with children, and information about the season and conditions can be checked on its own website. Like many properties in the area, it works mainly in the warm months, so the opening period is worth confirming before setting off. For a short break by the water, close to the city, it remains a straightforward option.

Eco-Resort Butuceni operates in the village of Butuceni, inside the Orheiul Vechi complex, in a group of farmhouses kept in the local style. It is one of the best-known addresses in the area and has its own website. It welcomes families with children. Details about meals and activities are best confirmed directly, because the programme varies a great deal between the warm season and winter. The advantage is simple: you sleep among the limestone hills, a few minutes' walk from the cave monastery and the church at the top of the village.

Reședința Rotundu stands on the main road through Butuceni, the village inside the Orheiul Vechi complex. The houses here keep the traditional line, in stone and wood, and the walk to the cave monastery is done on foot. It is a small bed and breakfast, suitable for families with children. Bookings and details can be followed on the property's Facebook page. The real advantage is that you sleep in the village, not in Orhei: in the evening and early in the morning, once the coaches have left, the complex is almost empty and is worth seeing at exactly those hours.