Two Romanians who went skiing in Ukraine, taking advantage of the last days of their vacation, had an unpleasant surprise when they arrived at the Bukovel resort. Although they had the room reserved, they discovered that the hotel reception was closed and they could no longer check in.
The two spouses decided from the first days of 2026 to go on a short skiing holiday. The choice of destination was a spontaneous one, and immediately after they decided they booked a room in a hotel in Bukovel. The wife, a doctor by profession, filmed the whole experience and narrated it all in a video posted on TikTok, which quickly went viral.
“My husband quickly thought of running away to Bukovel to ski. We went to Baia Mare, from Baia Mare we realized that we could not cross the border at Sighet because the car was over 2 tons and we returned to Satu Mare”said Dr. Mihaela Mureșan on his TikTok account.
Reservation made, but the hotel was closed
After a long journey to Ukraine, the two arrived in the resort of Bukovel, but there they discovered that they could not enter the hotel where they had the reservation. Although the room had been paid for through Booking, the reception closed at midnight and check-in was no longer possible after this time.
“We booked accommodation on Booking and when we arrived in Bukovel we realized that we couldn’t actually enter the accommodation because check-in was only done until 00.00. Now we’re sitting and looking for accommodation and I don’t even know if we’ll find it”the woman confessed. “We went back to the hotel to see how we could work something out“, she also said.
Video source: TikTok/ @dr.mihaela.muresan
The couple tried to find other accommodation but were unsuccessful, so they returned to the hotel car park where they had originally booked. After several discussions with a front desk employee, the two were finally able to get a room at the resort.
“At four in the morning we arrived at an apartment, opened a bottle of wine and went to sleep”said Dr. Mihaela Mureșan in the video.
Why do hotel receptions in Bukovel close at night?
In the comments on the video, several netizens explained that there are nighttime traffic restrictions in Ukraine due to the war. Other Romanian tourists who have been to the resort before said that hotel receptions usually close between 11:00 p.m. and 04:00 a.m.
“I was also looking for information about Bukovel last year and on a Facebook group I found that there is a night restriction, from 11 pm to 4 am it’s like you’re not allowed to drive on the street, maybe that’s why there was no one. I don’t know if it still applies or if there was another reason why you didn’t find the reception open“, wrote a netizen. “There were young people on the street, we met about 3 taxis, but all locations close at 22:30“, also explained the author of the post.
What European tourists who want to go to Bukovel need to know
European tourists can travel to Ukraine, including the Bukovel resort, for ski holidays in 2026 as well, but must comply with the resort’s entry, safety and operating rules. EU citizens do not need a visa for short stays of up to 90 days, but must have a valid biometric passport with a validity of at least six months from the date of entry into Ukraine.
International medical insurance is also recommended. Tourists are also advised to constantly check for possible travel restrictions and war alerts. Although Bukovel remains operational in 2026, authorities recommend avoiding conflict zones and following local safety, evacuation or shelter-in-place instructions.
