LUXURY BULGARIA

Bulgaria is blessed with magical nature where everyone can find their place for a wonderful vacation: majestic mountains, gentle sea, abundance of mineral springs, gorgeous wines, hidden spots far from the crowd.

Fortunately, Bulgaria is becoming a destination where the quality of its nature resources is mirrored by the quality of the accommodation. In the most popular resorts and at less-known places, luxury and boutique hotels offer service of the highest class, modern design, exquisite food and ambience, variety of options for fun and relaxation, spa procedures. Targeting the whole family, the overstressed modern professional and the ones who love the joys of life, the Bulgarian top hotels are oases of tranquility, quality, elegance and health the year round.

Dvoretsa SPA Hotel: Five-star relaxation for families and burnt out managers

When you want to stop your children for a while from constantly being on their smartphones, when you crave to break from the stress of the workplace and the big city, when you don't want to compromise between contact with nature and luxury ambience, Dvoretsa SPA Hotel (Velingrad, 8 Tosho Staykov St, phone: +359 889 999 050, www.dvoretsa.com) is the place. Located next to a pine park, the five-star hotel offers an elegant experience, clean Rhodope air and warm mineral pools. There you will find everything that helps you say goodbye to stress – massages and spa procedures that rejuvenate, tone and refresh, and opportunities to stay active with swimming or walks on Velingrad's eco paths. The summer days and nights in the mountain become even more pleasant with a cocktail at the bar, looking like a cave by the pool, while in winter you can enjoy a drink and a cigar by the burning fireplace at the special cigar bar. In Dvoretsa, children immediately immerse themselves in the magic of playing in pools with water slides, on inflatable castle for jumping, swings or in a playroom with an animator. No matter the season you decide to escape in the Rhodope, Dvoretsa SPA Hotel will welcome you and will help you to achieve tranquility and health.

The Bulgarian Black Sea coast deservedly attracts visitors from close and far. But sometimes everyone craves to enjoy its water and sun among tranquility, quiet, elegant cosiness and greenery. There is already a solution.

WAVE Resort, Pomorie: All inclusive luxury on the Bulgarian Black Sea

Luxury rooms, 24-hour service and a variety of options for active or leisurely relaxation for families with children: no, it is not the description of a five-star all inclusive hotel in Turkey. This is WAVE Resort (www.waveresort.bg), the latest and most ambitious project on the Bulgarian Black Sea. Created after the principle of the best luxury all inclusive hotels, WAVE Resort offers spacious open green areas, about 3,500 sq.m of swimming pools, elegant architecture and large rooms with sea view. Every detail is created to make the guests feel relaxed and calm. There are enough chaise-longues by the pools and there is a designated relaxation zone for adults only. For lovers of swimming and for children there is a variety of pools, and the beach is long, with fine sand and slightly sloped bottom. At WAVE Resort you enjoy life to the full – besides the main restaurant there are three elegant à la carte restaurants, the animation programme is rich and developed for children and adults, and the procedures at the wellness and spa centre are with healing Pomorie mud. The rooms are designed for families with children, and if you want an even more exclusive experience, book a Lagoon Room with direct access to the side pools. At WAVE Resort every moment is a relaxation, tranquility, pleasure – you deserve them.

Healing mineral springs are one of Bulgaria's greatest wealths. They are also the basis of a number of spa therapies and procedures that help us to relax, restore our inner balance and health. The country's southwest is blessed with many such springs, but Ognyanovo stands out with its impressive location between four mountains.

Valentina Castle and Royal Valentina Castle: Fairy-tale magic and hot mineral springs

Do you want to transport yourself back in times when people lived closer to nature? Or to relax in modern luxury and amenities by a pool with hot mineral water? At Valentina Castle and Royal Valentina Castle hotels (Ognyanovo, Blagoevgrad Region, Valentina Castle: +359 884 345 844, Royal Valentina Castle: +359 884 345 944, www.valentinacastle.com) you will find all of these. The hotels are the pearl of Ognyanovo, one of Bulgaria's most famed spa resorts, and deservedly so. The guests choose from elegant luxury rooms and apartments in the hotel buildings Valentina Castle and Royal Valentina Castle, which remind of a medieval castle, and six eco houses of natural materials. Whatever you choose, the comfort is guaranteed, and it is only the beginning of Valentina Castle's pleasant experiences. The hotel has outdoor and indoor pools filled with hot mineral water straight from the spring. The relax zone offers massages and therapies, spa and wellness, Jacuzzi and sauna, steam bath and warm benches. There is a kids' corner for the children and for the ones who prefer active relaxation – biking in the nature, a gym, sport facilities. The restaurant offers specially selected wines and local foods. The variety of options to relax and have fun guarantees that every minute at Valentina Castle is spent well and charges you with energy and health.

Escaping from the noise of the big cities and resorts doesn't mean that you will have to compromise with the quality of the experience. On the contrary. Less-visited places in the country offer not only the luxury of elegant ambience but also the luxury of total tranquility and quiet. At specialised boutique hotels you receive personal attitude and opportunity to discover new tastes, landscapes, stories.

Zaara Estate: Luxury and wine, wine and luxury

Discovering a less-known region of Bulgaria is always a pleasure, but when at the same time you discover excellent wines in an elegant ambiance, the pleasure grows bigger. Zaara Estate Winery (Glavan village, reservations: +359 888 776 605, www.zaaraestate.bg, FB: ZaaraEstateBG) gives you exactly that. Located among the rolling hills of the Sakar mountains, the winery creates impressive wines from its own vineyards and allows you to discover their bouquets of tastes and aromas in the elegant atmosphere of an exquisite boutique hotel. The combination between luxury, amenities and easy atmosphere at Zaara Estate enchants, and the options for relaxation and wine, green and rural tourism win over the hearths. This explains why couples with taste choose Zaara Estate for their wedding, but you don't need to wait for a special event in order to head on a trip towards the unknown, the charming, the magical. Just listen to your inner explorer, Zaara Estate will do the rest.

Bulgaria's mountain resorts are deservedly popular in the winter, but are actually a wonderful place for relaxation the year round. The fastest way to discover this right away is to head to Borovets, this country's oldest mountain resort.

Hotel Rila, Borovets: Freshen up your summer

Located in the heart of Borovets Resort, only an hour away from Sofia, Hotel Rila is a real oasis in the mountain. The unique location next to the lifts and Borovets Mountain Bike Park, the stylish alpine interior and the comfortable renovated rooms with majestic views are attracting active tourists who love the mountain. The Resort guests can enjoy Bulgarian and international cuisine in the restaurants and bars of the hotel and try the innovative gourmet menu prepared by Chef Veselin Kalev in à-la-carte restaurant Samokovi, nominated for Creative Cuisine in the 2018 Bacchus Awards for best Bulgarian restaurant. Chef Kalev will reveal the secrets of his recipes during the culinary and pastry classes in Hotel Rila. The classes are a part of the summer teambuilding activities with outdoor catering. For other special occasions such as events, conferences, parties, gala dinners, etc, the 8 multifunctional event halls will offer everything you need. Find more information for the summer teambuilding activities, conferences, and event promotions in Hotel Rila at events.btcollection.com/hotel-rila or (+02) 805 5569 / 5549 and events@rilaborovets.com.

The variety of options for a luxury holiday in Bulgaria not only lures us with its promises for authentic experience and total relaxation. It invites us to travel and to get to know the country, to discover its landscapes, nature and people, its tastes and history.