(PCM) Two very lucky (or unlucky) winners, depending on how you look at it, could win a chance to stay overnight in Dracula’s Castle on Halloween night courtesy of AirBNB. Bran Castle, otherwise known as Dracula’s Castle, is located just north of Bucharest, Romania isolated in the foothills of the Carpathian mountains. The rules for the contest jokingly state “No garlic or garlic-scented items allowed, including perfume!” as obviously one wouldn’t want to ward off the Count.
Two people will be allowed to rest in velvet covered coffins in the secluded area of the castle referred to as The Counts crypt and will spend the entire night complete alone together in the creepy castle. In all seriousness, can you really think of a better way to spend Halloween eve? AirBNB launched the promotional contest which will pick the castle’s first ever overnight guests since Romania’s post-World War Two communist regime expelled the owners, the Habsburg royal family, almost 70 years ago. The castle is currently a well-known tourist attraction and museum in the region, however this will mark the very first time that they have allowed an overnight stay.
It is worth nothing that Castle Bran was never actually a part of Bram Stoker’s famous novel “Dracula”, however Romania’s notorious 15th century ruler Vlad Tepes (Vlad the Impaler), whose life inspired the book, may have rested his head there at one point in time.
Airbnb said the winning pair will tour through the castle’s labyrinth of dark corridors to eventually discover a secret passage to the grand dining room. There, an intimate candlelit dinner will await, prepared in a traditional way, exactly as described in Bram Stoker’s novel: “A hearty, blood enriching meal of robber beef steak and paprika hendl chicken.”
“Bran Castle is where the legend of Dracula was born, and I have many stories to share as I guide the guests through the dark secret passages of the castle for a private unveiling of its many mysteries,” said Dacre Stoker, a descendant of Bram Stoker who will play the role of Jonathan Harker, a character from the novel.
Would you be willing to enter the contest and sleep in a coffin for the night? We think it definitely sounds like an epic adventure, but one that we will most likely sit out this time around!