Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Pagan Rites & Rituals
Bulgaria is a wonderful mix of both the Orthodox and the pagan. Besides kuk-
eri, there is “Enyovden,” as the summer solstice is known: At dawn families
watch their shadows grow; if the shadow is complete, good health is predicted.
The night before is also considered the ideal time to pick certain herbs; one,
picked by feel, with closed eyes, is used to cure the “half illness” thought to
afflict pale and listless youths who have—unbeknownst to them—been mes-
merized by an invisible but love-struck dragon.
Fun Fact
(nos. 5 and 6) are ideal for single travelers. Popular with the locals as a sundowner
venue—so popular in fact that staff deem it unnecessary to woo any new clientele—
this is a great place to watch Plovdivians at play. The restaurant is also highly rated.
11 Knyaz Ceretelev St., Plovdiv, 4000.
&
032/632389
or 032/620789. residence@abv.bg. 6 units. Double 50
€
-75
€
($64-$96). Studio rooms 40
€
($52). MC, V.
Amenities:
Restaurant; room service; laundry. In room:A/C, TV, hair dryer,
fireplace.
Trimontium Princess Hotel
No list of Plovdiv hotels would be complete with-
out including the Trimontium: A grand structure looming over Tsentralen square, this
four-star hotel is rated by some as the city's best hotel, and currently hotel of choice
for top-end tour operator Abercrombie & Kent. Which is why it's such a total let-
down. No doubt it's a good bet if you have a group too large for the Hebros. Rates are
currently rather cheap and it does have all the facilities you'd expect from a large hotel
(including a new pool—a great boon in summer, when Plovdiv can be sweltering).
But once you see the receptionists wearing pale-blue jackets with padded shoulders
and matching miniskirts, and rooms seemingly furnished with items acquired at a bar-
gain sale on office furniture, you can only wonder how it is possible for a hotel that
was renovated a decade after the 1980s to be so entirely devoid of taste. Perhaps it will
have some ironic appeal, given that reruns of
Dallas
and
Working Girl
are not uncom-
mon; if so, retire to the aptly named Panoramic Floor bar during Happy Hour and
sink into the fat rolls of the white leather chairs that teeter on tiny timber feet—this
is a marvelous bar, located in the curving roof space of the hotel, and a great place to
be when the city lights start to flicker on below.
24 St., Plovdiv, 4000.
&
€
($45-$51) double; rates vary depending on room size and season (high season June 1-Oct 1). Rates include break-
fast. AE, DC, MC, V.
Amenities:
2 restaurants; bar, fitness room; sauna; hairdresser; business center, casino. In room:
A/C, TV, minibar, Internet, hair dryer.
WHERE TO DINE
The dining scene is not as stimulating as Sofia, or even Varna, but there is certainly
plenty of choice, particularly along pedestrian Knyaz Aleksandur I Street where cafes
and pizzerias spill out onto the street. But for a more intimate atmosphere you're bet-
ter off grabbing a table in one of the cool walled courtyards in Old Plovdiv. Besides
the two discussed below you will find two good options on 4th January Street:
Janet
(no. 3;
&
032/626 044
or 032/634 149) and
Ulpia
(no 17;
&
032/65 3747
), both
serving typical Bulgarian fare in wonderful 19th-century National Revival homes.
032/605000
or 032/605080. www.trimontium-princess.com. 158 units. 35
€
-55
