How it all started<\/strong><\/p>\n Six years ago, Covid-19 restrictions sent Emanuel Nae home from university in the Netherlands to complete his thesis in Romania, online. During the lockdown, he and his family began driving to Malu Ro\u0219u, a village in the wine region of Dealu Mare, to picnic on a hill overlooking the vineyards.\u00a0\u201cWe were going there because it was very, very silent and the view was simply nice, and it gave you time to think, let’s say. So, we decided that it should be a place that more people can enjoy,\u201d he recalls.<\/p>\n After finding a plot across from the spot that served as their picnic venue during their pandemic excursions, they started the project. It is a family business, run by Emanuel Nae, who first tried his hand at entrepreneurship while he was a student at the University of Groningen, in the Netherlands, where he studied computing science, business track.<\/p>\n While pursuing his studies, he teamed up with a group of friends to develop a watch brand inspired by Dutch culture called Dutch Marina. The team was close to launching a Kickstarter campaign when the pandemic disrupted their plans. As lockdowns and travel restrictions took hold, the group was forced to return to their home countries. With mounting uncertainty and no way to meet suppliers, the brand was never brought to market.<\/p>\n An affinity for crafting things and projects informed this first foray into the world of entrepreneurship, as working behind a desk for coding and developing digital products didn\u2019t prove satisfying enough. In high school, he had considered both computer science and architecture for a degree. \u201cIn the end, architecture won. Not only architecture, it’s the passion for creating stuff,\u201d he says. It is something that extends to another business he manages, the woodworking studio Infinitura, which he describes as a \u201csoul project.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSince I was a child, I used to sit around my dad when he was working in his own workshop, just as a hobby, because he also had a corporate job. It was very relaxing, and I really liked it, so I decided to take it to the next level and, back in January 2025, I started this business as well. I’m not spending as much time on it as I want to because Arta Chalet takes a lot of my time, but it’s something that I do on the side, and it’s really peaceful.\u201d<\/p>\n The first cabins that opened on the property\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n The property <\/strong><\/p>\n The first cabins on the property, two A-frame units named Azaleya and Cataleya, opened in October 2022. Each features three bedrooms and is designed to accommodate families or groups of friends. In March 2023, a third unit, Apollo, was added. Positioned at the highest point on the property, it is a one-bedroom studio. \u201cIt has the best view of all of them,\u201d the founder explains. \u201cSince the A-frame ones have three bedrooms, we thought we should do something with only one bedroom for couples as well. This cabin is booked a lot more often than the other ones. That’s why the next two cabins that we made also have one bedroom.\u201d These are barnhouse cabins, named Terra and Aria. The first one opened in July 2025, and Aria is scheduled to open in May, bringing the property to five cabins with a combined capacity of up to twenty guests. The project was initially family-funded but is now sustained and expanded through the revenue it generates.<\/p>\n Every cabin was designed to be private, and for its temporary inhabitants to feel like they have no neighbors, he explains. \u201cThat kind of goes towards my vision that people should feel, when they come to this place, like they get to have their own place, like it’s theirs; they have their own time, and they can just use their time as they please. They don’t have to go through corridors in hotels; they can just be by themselves. My aim is that when people leave, they do so in a different state, calmer and more refreshed.\u201d<\/p>\n The property also features a wooden hot tub (ciub\u0103r<\/em>) and a fire pit. This summer, the team plans to expand the facilities further with the addition of a fitness room and a sauna.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, a highlight on site is the specialty coffee roastery Mikaffa. People enjoy it because they can taste the difference between commercial coffee and origin coffee, the founder says. \u201cBeing roasted here and being fresh is always a plus. We also want to launch this summer coffee tastings.” Since the Dealu Mare area hosts many wine tastings, the team expects the coffee tastings to provide a different contrast.<\/p>\n The retreat has also just added a breakfast option, in the form of a breakfast basket. In the future, they are considering opening a restaurant, perhaps a farm-to-table one. For the time being, guests have dining options at the restaurants open at the wineries in the area.<\/p>\n One of the barnhouse cabins at Arta Chalet<\/em><\/p>\n Exploring the region<\/strong><\/p>\n The wine region of Dealu Mare, spanning areas of Buz\u0103u and Prahova counties, is known for the wine-producing centers in Pietroasele, S\u0103h\u0103teni, Tohani, Ceptura, and Valea C\u0103lug\u0103reasc\u0103, among others. The \u201cpowerful and aromatic reds\u201d produced here were highlighted last year in the European Wine Tourism Index<\/em>, put together by tours and activities provider TUI Musement. Romania placed seventh in the index, which ranked the most attractive countries for wine lovers, offering a comparative perspective between wine heritage and the tourism potential of each destination.<\/p>\n Located roughly an hour away from Bucharest, via the A3 and A7 motorways, the region is within easy reach of tourists pouring in from the capital. This is also visible in the makeup of visitors Arta Chalet has had so far. Until now, around 40 percent of the tourists that stopped there were from outside of the country, which is not something the founder expected. Of the remaining share, he estimates 50% come from Bucharest and the rest from around the country.<\/p>\n \u201cWineries are the main attraction point of the area, so we always recommend our guests to have a wine tasting or go there for lunch or dinner, and also have a tour of the winery. We can provide transportation, so they don’t have to worry about drinking and driving.\u201d The property has informal partnerships with nearby estates such as Serve, Velvet Winery, Davino, Licorna, Lacerta, and Crama de Piatr\u0103, which host many of its referred guests, the founder explains.<\/p>\n Since wine tourism is the main draw, the occupancy rate tends to peak in August, September, and October, when wineries are the busiest, he explains. \u201cWe are always aiming to have a 40% occupancy rate throughout the year, because we are open all year round. Of course, some months have peaks, when the occupancy can go up to 65-70%.\u201d The current economic context has impacted the rates of the last three months, but the founder believes it is only temporary.<\/p>\n Besides discovering the region\u2019s vineyards, other leisure options include cycling. The property provides bikes for free for those interested in short tours, and collaborates with a partner offering electric bikes. Since it is a hilly area, they can be a better option for those who do not have enough training. For people who just like to wander around in the forest, walking is another alternative.<\/p>\n While the region has potential, it could use more effort to raise its profile, the founder says. \u201cOther than our website, platforms like Booking.com can be a huge plus for visibility.\u201d<\/p>\n Further plans include developing a second Arta location on another plot in the area, at a higher elevation. \u201cI want to turn the Arta into a group that has several properties, each with its own style but sharing the same standards and making people feel like they belong.\u201d<\/p>\n (Photos: Arta Chalet)<\/em><\/p>\n simona@romania-insider.com<\/em><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Arta Chalet, a cabin property in the wine region of Dealu Mare, is getting ready to open its fifth chalet, which completes the original plan for the site. Founder Emanuel Nae told Romania Insider more about the journey from idea to implementation and some of the plans to take it further. How it all started […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9815","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9815","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=9815"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9815\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=9815"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=9815"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=9815"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}