Winter in the wonderfully wild East

New in Romania: MATCA

Looking for the ultimate winter hideaway in the middle of nature and far away from the fun of the slopes and après-ski parties? Then how about a trip to the Romanian Carpathians? After all, Europe's second largest mountain range boasts peaks of up to 2,5000 m as well as legendary powder snow and unbeatably cheap heli-skiing. The new MATCA, a 16-room and 10-villa resort with a fine dining restaurant and spectacular nature spa, serves as a luxurious and stylish home base. If you don't want to spend the day on the slopes here, you can instead look out for bear and bison tracks on snowshoe hikes, visit Count Dracula in nearby Bran Castle or even pay a visit to a real king. Charles III of England owns five guesthouses and private residences in the neighborhood.

www.matcahotel.com