I may get it in the neck for saying this, but the one thing that Transylvania could do with is a few more vampires.

When I first learn that Romania’s prettiest city, Sibiu, is in the province of Transylvania, I’m expecting a long weekend of Dracula tours and visits to garlic fields or silversmiths. But as we fly over the picture-book terracotta roofs of what you and I would call a country town, there’s not a hint of malevolence.

And an hour later, in a traditional restaurant where the dress code is more lederhosen than black capes and fangs, I can’t help wondering why Bram Stoker chose such an idyllic place for the backdrop to his tale of a bloodthirsty aristocrat.

We down our wheat beers and embark on a four-day mission to consume at least one pig each. This, I’m soon to discover, is not a land for vegetarians. Every restaurant has its own version of dishes influenced by Romania’s colourful history – Saxons, Germans and Hungarians have made it home in the past – which include soup with pork cubes of pork fat, cabbage stuffed with minced pork, roasted pork in fat, pork meatballs, and the delicately translated pork scraps.

Okay, there is cheese and some other meat and smoked fish and the ubiquitous – and delicious – national pudding of papanasi – doughnuts with fruit sauce – but you get my drift. Even Shepherd’s Purse is a pork dish. At one point during the weekend I gently mention to our host that in the UK we’re told that a diet like this is a one-way trip to the cardiac ward. He looks blank for a moment and then grins.

“Ah, yes, if you buy your meat from shops,” he nods. “But this pig comes from my father’s farm. It is a good pig. It has no bad parts. Here, try some more of our bacon….”

Still, they don’t look bad on it.

Despite the fact that medieval Sibiu city is steeped in culture – it was joint Cultural Capital of Europe in 2007 – move outside the historic town and you see the real Romania, vast swathes of land planted with potatoes, small villages where artisans trade in wood or wool, and every working day clearly keeps the weight off.

The tranquil backdrop of snow-tipped mountains must help keep the stress levels down too.

Next morning we head off with a guide to the alpine Balea, where the April temperature plummets to -3C and we step out onto six inches of snow before taking a slippery stroll – on a less windy day and with more sensible walking boots we would have been allowed take a cable car to the Ice Hotel at the top.

There’s a quick stop off at a trout farm – where they’ll barbecue any trout you catch in front of your eyes – and then it’s off to a stunning medieval city within a city – albeit a small one – Sighisoara, where apart from the heart-stoppingly gorgeous houses and churches, complete with glass-tiled roofs, there’s a statue of Vlad the Impaler, the inspiration for Stoker’s Dracula. At last! The first acknowledgement that these Carpathian mountains are home to vampires! I even manage to find a mug with a vampire bat on it in one of the tiny tourist shops.

I proudly show our tour guide, who shrugs.

“You’re far more likely to see a bear out here than a vampire,” he says casually (on the way back, our party is rather quiet as we all look sideways out of the car windows...).

Back in the city it’s surprising how much there is to do in such a small area.

We take a walk through the upper and lower old town, along the ancient city walls – three of the 30 defence towers that were each manned by different guilds still stand – watched over by what look like eyes in the medieval house roofs, but are actually curved airholes that helped preserve food in the lofts.

The Brukenthal Museum is crammed with fabulous pieces of European, contemporary and Romanian art, and the cobbled streets are crammed with jazz and blues cafes, coffee shops, tiny shops selling beautiful glassware for a song, and that reminds me that the prices of almost everything here are almost embarrassingly low. A meal can cost you around £3. A 50 minute massage at the lovely Eden spa on the edge of town sets me back about £20.

On our last day, we fit in a trip to the magnificent ASTRA museum – an enormous open-air folk museum that illustrates Romania’s history with centuries-old original houses and churches. Then suddenly it’s over, and as the taxi takes us back to Sibiu’s tiny airport, I wonder what, apart from Count D, is missing. And then it hits me. Stag parties and hen nights.

Imagine how Prague could be without planeloads of would-be wedding guests descending on it.

Imagine somewhere a fraction of the price, and with a fraction of the tourists.

The lack of Ryanair or easyJet flights into Sibiu mean it’s a fairly well-kept secret at the moment. But I’m guessing that it must be on some low-cost airline operator’s list.

So you heard it here first.

Short on vampires, but for stress-busting and style – well, you can count on it.

GETTING THERE

Lufthansa flies from London Heathrow via Munich to Sibiu – from £199 return per person. Visit lufthansa.com for more information or to book.

STAYING THERE

Sue stayed at the Ramada Hotel, surprisingly uncorporate in a good way, with a suite to die for – two bathrooms, a kitchen, sitting room and a bed wide enough to sleep half a dozen vampires, topped by a stunning view from the top floor of sleepy little city below. What more could a budding bride of Dracula ask for?

* Ramada Hotel, just off the town centre’s Piata Mare: Single Room – 139 Euro per night, Double Room – 159 Euro per night, Suite – 249 Euro per night. Including breakfast, VAT and local tax. ramada.co.uk * For tourist information: sibiu.ro * For information on holidays in Romania in general, see RomaniaTourism.com