I cannot think of a better place to spend the night than in the very castle that inspired Bram Stoker into writing his classic Dracula novel and now thanks to Airbnb a peer to peer homestay network it is now something that I might actually be able to achieve as they offer us a chance to win a night in Dracula’s Castle.
In the heart of Transylvania, tucked away in the Carpathian Mountains is Bran Castle, widely believed to have been the inspiration for Stoker’s immortal monster Count Dracula the castle has been around in some form since 1212 when the Teutonic Knights built a wooden castle to fortify the entrance to the mountain pass in Burzenland and Bran Castle itself has been at the site since 1377 and although its links to Stoker are tenuous there is no doubting the castle’s imposing presence lends credence to it being the perfect home of the original and best literary vampire and now it can be a temporary home for you too.
Make sure you have your passports ready and your thinking caps on because you only have until 11:59 p.m. CET on 26th October 2016 to submit your entry to win this spectacular prize. All you need to do is answer this question. What would you say to the Count if you were to come face-to-fang with him in his own castle?
Open to anyone, anywhere in the world Submissions should be between 50-550 characters in English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Russian or Portuguese and 100-300 characters in Chinese (Simplified or Traditional), Japanese or Korean with the only criteria being that the entrant and guest both be over 18 and available to spend the night on 31st October – 1st November 2016.
Take a look at this for a prize.
A horse-drawn carriage carries you swiftly through Transylvania as the sun sets towards the horizon, heralding the hours of swooping bats and howling wolves. When you come around the final bend on the tree-lined road, you’ll catch a glimpse of Bran Castle. This misty mountain-top manor is home for the night. The chill that suddenly fills the carriage is not the evening mist, it’s a fear older than the forests now grown up around the castle rock. This is the lair of vampires, and you cannot leave until dawn.
Dacre Stoker, Bram Stoker’s great grandnephew, will answer your knock on the castle’s imposing wooden doors. He will be your host for the night, and resident expert on Transylvanian lore. Enter the castle and explore the labyrinth of lamp-lit corridors, creepy nooks, and squeaky staircases while there is still light in the sky. You may traipse through all fifty-seven rooms, from lofty tower lookouts to deep dark crypts, and even enjoy an incomparable view of the Carpathians from the terrace as the sun makes its final descent. But once darkness comes, retreat inside. Unexpected guests have been known to come knocking in the moonlit hours.
A secret passage on the first floor leads to the grand dining room where an intimate candlelit dinner will await, prepared exactly as described in Bram Stoker’s novel. Following the hearty, blood-enriching meal, you will be left to sleep in luxurious velvet-trimmed coffins in the seclusion of the Count’s crypt.
Fall asleep to the creaks and whispers of the Transylvanian night, and the sound of wolves roaming outside the castle walls.
Just make sure you take note of the house rules
• No garlic or garlic-scented items allowed
• You are kindly requested to leave your silver jewellery at home
• Do not cross the cutlery. In fact, please refrain from placing anything in a
• Cross formation
• Beware of the bats in the castle tower
• Please close all curtains before sunrise
• The count is not a fan of mirror selfies
I’ve submitted my entry, packed my high necked nightie and am ready to go.
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