A few months back I wrote a piece on a house that I had heard raves about. Located at 5500 feet in the Rhodope mountains of southern Bulgaria, this 6-bedroom restored 19th century mountain house with cool stylish interiors, gorgeous swimming pool, terraced gardens and stunning pastoral and alpine views is, without doubt, the most beautiful private house in Bulgaria.
Accompanied by the owner, I recently spent a deliciously comfortable and very interesting long weekend at Villa Gella to take the measure of both the house and the surrounds. Gella sits atop a hamlet of farmhouses and, like them, is built in the iconic rural style of the Rhodope Mountains with the ground floor fashioned in stone and supporting plastered upper stories with multi slanted roofs and tall chimneys. The traditional has been modernized with large windows and plate glass doors opening on to mountain views in all directions.
The interiors, designed with an eye to organic textures, clean lines and cool hues, are extraordinarily adaptive to the delights and the constraints of the four seasons. Large windows and huge plate glass doors that swing open from the indoor pool to the outdoors take full advantage of the glorious views and the cool mountain breezes. Wood-burning fireplaces in each of the 6 bedrooms, an indoor swimming pool, steam room and wellness area ensure a luxurious apres ski life (the ski area is only 20 minutes away).
The house, to be rented as an exclusive booking, is run with consummate professionalism. The menu of local specialties is extensive, locally sourced and delicious.