Guest House Vesko & Suzi — Hotel in Garmen

We arrived after a long drive via the monasteries at Rila and Rozhen, the former beautiful despite the crowds, the latter deserted and more mystical.|The drive over the mountains from Rozhen to Kovachevitsa through Gorno Spanchevo, Pirin and Gotse Delchev was glorious in the evening sun. The road was almost deserted and on one side you look towards the Pirin range while on the other the hills stretch out to northern Greece. Shepherds herding goats, eagles catching thermals, strange rock formations and everywhere golden ears of corn. |We arrived at Vesko and Suzi's place after taking the winding and, in places, narrow road through Leshten. As soon as we arrived we were welcomed by Vesko and Suzi and their collection of animals. We were served with a wide range of homemade juices including black-currant and raspberry. Vesko set to work in the kitchen and we were soon eating a delicious meal of home-made sausage and chips. The rooms were simple, clean and comfortable and utterly peaceful. As the road runs out just past the guest house there's absolutely no traffic noise and all the rooms look out over the valley. We were the only guests in the hotel and although we wandered round the village we saw nobody else while we were there. Many of the village houses appeared to be on the verge of collapse. |Although it was over 35 degrees down on the plain it was much cooler in the mountains and the room was cool enough with just the windows open. |The guesthouse has been decorated in traditional style with local carpets and furniture and some nice carving. There are masses of trails through the woods and into the mountains.|We had a great breakfast the next morning and, sadly, had to leave for Plovdiv. Again, the road through the mountains was spectacular and deserted. The views into Greece are replaced with dense pine forests and glimpses of the Rhodope mountains. The B66 up through Nastan and Devin and then the B62 through Likovo and Boykovo s a real driver's route so long as you have the nerve to overtake the trucks as you get closer to Plovdiv. Devin has a fantastic public outdoor pool on a road out of town under a cliff covered in pines. We had to ask check the way as the road deteriorates as you get closer to it. |Vesko and Suzi have created a beautiful guest house in a stunning location and if you are exploring the south-west of the country we would recommend that you make the effort to...

We only stayed one night but could easily have stayed for days. We instantly relaxed into the rustic charm of both Kovachevitsa and Guest House Suzi and Vesko. It really is a characterful building in a quiet hill village with stunning views.||||Our room was clean and cosy (with an en-suite) and we enjoyed both our dinner and breakfast in their restaurant (the breakfast is included in the room price). Suzi and Vesko's hospitality is faultless. The food was home-cooked, we had home-produced blackberry juice and wine made by Vesko which were delicious! And because people from the village who knew Suzi and Vesko appeared, we had the delight of Suzi singing some folk songs (although I suspect this isn't always on the menu!)||||In our short visit, we explored the narrow network of streets in Kovachevitsa - filling our water bottles with spring water straight from the fountains, visited Leshten (the village back down the valley with a few shops, a couple of cafes, a mosque and even more great views - including old ladies dressed in full Bulgarian/Muslim traditional clothes) and walked to the Blue Pool. The walk to the Blue Pool is about an eight mile round trip from the village. You could drive up the road (through the village and continue north along the 'main' road up the valley that gives you a great view of the village) and eventually park at the small sign (Синият Вир) that points to the left from the road to shorten the walk considerably - but it's a very bumpy track rather than a road in places. Once you leave the road the trail is quite narrow with steep drops to one side - so not for the faint-hearted! We also failed to get really close to the Blue Pool and ultimately saw it from a clifftop. Apparently as an alternative, you can also walk down to the river which takes...

Stayed there 3 nights, could stay easily a week. Very charming rooms with everything needed - comfy big bed, clean sheets, good pillows, TV, combined bathroom. And an incredible view from the window - the whole valley and the mountains on the other side. ||||The place has its own traditional restaurant with lots of tasty dishes and lot of home-made traditional wine and rakia. They are ready to serve you whenever you feel like eating - breakfast at almost lunch time (which is included in the price), lunch at 3PM or dinner at 10. And gosh they cook well.||||Most of all - the owners. They are so hospitable, that I felt almost at home. Vesko is incredible - has good stories, good sense of humor, always ready to help and Suzie, almost invisible, but when she starts singing she is ia miracle. If you go there, ask her to sing for you and you'll be mesmerized. ||||Overall - 5 stars are not enough for the place. ||||Ah, almost forgot - lots of other places in the village dont have a place to park your car, so you have to carry your luggage up or down. This one has a nice little parking spot 20m...