Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
miles to get to this mountainside
location, from where you can not
only see Italy, but feel the breeze off
the ocean, while you're almost eye-
level with soaring mountain peaks,
often capped with snow. You'll feel
like a private guest of the debonair
owners as you lounge on your private
terrace and conjure up dreams of
owning the world as you look down
over the beautiful So
c
a Valley and
watch the deer in the adjacent field
frolicking at dusk. See p. 672.
•
Kendov Dvorec (Slovenia).
Arguably
the finest restored manor in the coun-
try, this is an ideal and idyllic retreat
filled with antiques and plush furni-
ture. Each meal is a triumph, and
while you're pretty much in the coun-
try, you're never too far from every-
where else in tiny Slovenia. See p. 675.
3 The Best Hotel Bargains
•
Villa Filipini (Pore
c
, Croatia).
Despite its location a couple of miles
outside Pore
c
's center and the lack of
a beach in the vicinity, the warmth of
the hosts, the casual but elegant decor
of this tiny inn set in the woods, and
the innovative gourmet cuisine in Fil-
ipini's restaurant make up for any
shortcomings. See p. 176.
•
Hotel Peristil (Split, Croatia).
The
Peristil is tucked in a corner inside
the walls of Diocletian's palace, and
while its facade is respectful of the
magnificent Roman ruin, its interior
is brand-new (2005) and comfort-
able. See p. 161.
•
Valsabbion (Pula, Croatia).
The
hotel's seven rooms and three suites
are decorated with flair in a breezy,
romantic style that carries over to its
exquisite restaurant, one of the best
in Croatia. There is also a spa with a
long menu of beauty treatments. See
p. 168.
•
Dryanovo Monastery (Near Veliko
Tarnovo, Bulgaria).
Many Bulgarian
monasteries offer cheap accommoda-
tions, but facilities are usually spartan
(no hot water, shared toilets) and
often less than hygienic. Not so
Dryanovo Monastery, where the
monks offer spotless en-suite rooms.
Admittedly they are tiny, with two
single beds, but throw open the win-
dow to allow the gushing “prana” of
the river coursing past the fortified
walls below to lull you asleep, and
you'll wake miraculously refreshed. If
you'll forego the sight of a long-
bearded monk in a black cassock
entering your name into a massive
leather-bound ledger, you could also
opt for a bigger room (and a towel
that's larger than the face cloth the
monks supply), at Komplex Vodopadi,
an independently run hotel within
the monastery grounds. See p. 109.
•
Kapsazov's House (Kovachevitsa,
Bulgaria).
Located in one of Bul-
garia's most attractive heritage moun-
tain villages—all narrow cobbled lanes,
and timber homes perched above tow-
ering stone walls—this is the classiest
guesthouse in the country. Right on
the edge of the village, with an immac-
ulate stonewalled garden, you can loll
about all day watching swallows dive-
bomb the pretty pool, but it is in the
evenings, seated at Sofia Kapsazov's
table (often with a fascinating mix of
expat diplomats and Sofia intelli-
gentsia) that you really know you've
landed up in heaven. The angel in
charge is Sofia, who hosts regular
cooking courses—after one of her
meals you'll wish you had time to
sign up for one. See p. 99.
•
Pension V
ê
trník (Prague, Czech
Republic).
This family-run romantic
hideaway is reachable in about 20
