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.
Cape Town is one of the world's great cities. The setting alone is worthy of top billing. And then you have a vibrant culinary scene, a fascinating flora and fauna representative of its microclimate, a diverse population and the logistical advantage that makes it a gateway for visits to the wine lands, to the garden route and north into the bush. In spite of the aforementioned, what makes me vibrate with anticipation in Cape Town is its flourishing art and design scene, its world class museums and galleries, its artisans, many of them passionately committed to ensuring that hand and design skills endure. The person who knows as much about this sector of the Capetonian landscape is Marion Ellis whose company, Cape Insights, designs whole or partial itineraries that feature - among other subject matter - the flourishing arts of the city. Marion's knowledge has both the breadth and depth to take you on a meandering journey across the media - from paintings and ceramics to photography and art installations - and behind the scenes to meet with collectors and artists, teachers and innovators."
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