CURRENT OBJECT: THE FIG HOUSE, SVIRACHI, BULGARIA
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Romantic stone-built house with private pool on the Greek border.
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Rental Price450 Euro per object per weekPrice includes following expenses
Description of objectThe Fig House sleeps six people on a self-catering basis (four in the main house and two in the nearby annexe) and is available for private rental throughout the year.The house was built in 1926 but, 80 years on, had fallen into near-dereliction. The recent restoration has aimed to create a haven of tranquility by retaining maximum atmosphere without sacrificing modern comfort. Reflecting its location in the historical region of 'Aegean Thrace', right on the Greek border, the interior decor of the house has been designed to have one foot in the Balkans and one further south. Exposed beams and hand-made terracotta-tiled floors give a Mediterranean flavour. Ottoman-style banquettes, rugs and light fittings and traditional hand-made Bulgarian 'revival' style furniture add a taste of the near east. The house has many charming and unusual features such as the romantic spiral staircase to the basement and the stone-built corner open fireplace in the sitting room. The beamed and terracotta-tiled airy main corridor is a particular delight. FACILITIES MAIN HOUSE * Sleeps four in two spacious bedrooms - one double and one twin. * Two large bathrooms. One en-suite with the master bedroom with bath/shower and toilet and basin. The other a separate shower-room also with toilet and basin. * Basement 'Mehana' (summer dining room) with table for six. Exposed stone walls and tiny traditional window keep this room cool on even the hottest summer's day * Small kitchen with fridge/freezer, conventional gas/electric cooker and microwave * Cosy sitting room with Ottoman-style built-in wall banquettes around a corner fireplace. * Basement boot and clothes-drying room with washing machine. * Spacious built-in wardrobes in the bedrooms and copious drawers and cupboard space throughout. * The bedrooms and sitting-room all have fans, although the thick stone construction and high ceilings keeps the whole house naturally cool in summer heat. * All doors and windows have locally-made traditional wooden shutters for security. * Mosquito nets in the bedrooms provide a romantic 'tropical' look - but it is unlikely that you will need them! ANNEXE * The atmospheric annexe (formerly a cattle shed!) 20 metres from the main house sleeps an additional two people. It has its own small sitting-room, exposed stone walls, traditional timber ceilings, corner open fireplace and twin bedroom with en-suite shower room and toilet. The kids, teenage love-birds or mum and dad can stay out here in independent comfort and still be able to join the others in the main house for meals. OUTSIDE LIVING * Swimming pool right in front of the house - 3.5 by 8 metres and maintained daily throughout the summer. * Poolside open barn and 'summer kitchen' for summer barbecues or just for chilling out in hammocks in the shade from the hot southern sun. * Walled and gated garden for privacy. You can see the views over into Greece but the villagers can't see you. * End of village location (by the restored 19th century church) with unspoilt views into Greece. * Gated driveway to keep the hire-car secure off-road. Drive the car in, bolt the gates and you are in a world of your own. Location of objectWhether you are driving from Sofia, Plovdiv, Burgas, Varna or the Greek/Turkish border the key place to head for is the town of HARMANLI.FROM SOFIA AIRPORT turn left (happily the airport is in the east of the city) and head east towards Plovdiv/Burgas on the A1 (also, confusingly, called the E80). Journey time from Sofia to Plovdiv is usually just over two hours. Unless you are staying in Plovdiv I suggest that you do not go into the town as it is very confusing and badly signposted. The E80 Sofia - Plovdiv is a modern, fast, two-lane highway (but no tolls). Remember to stick to the speed limits as there are frequent speed traps and on-the-spot fines, payable only in Leva. Stay on this road until it runs out and joins up with the old route 8/E80 and head east to HASKOVO. (If you wish, you can break the journey for the night at Plovdiv - in which case I suggest the excellent 'Hotel Hebros' for an atmospheric overnight stay). FROM PLOVDIV, head east on either the E80 or old route 8 towards Haskovo, as above. From Plovdiv to Haskovo is usually about an hour. FROM HASKOVO take the old route 8/E80 to HARMANLI (25 minutes). At Harmanli head east towards Svilengrad on the old route 8 for preference (as the E80 tends to push you all the way to Svilengrad) but DO NOT GO TO SVILENGRAD or you will find yourself in Turkey! About 15 minutes east of Harmanli take the small turning right at the town of LYUBIMETS (Любимец) marked 'Ivailovgrad' (Ивайловград). (There is railway station in Lyubimets - you can also travel there by train from Sofia and get Dimitar to pick you up, but it is not recommended). FROM LYUBIMETS TO IVAILOVGRAD it is about an hour through very beautiful scenery - first of all flat plains with mountains in the distance and then through winding, heavily-wooded valleys past Ivailovgrad dam and lake (DO NOT stop to take photographs at the lake. As in Greece it is illegal to photograph 'strategic assets' such as dams, airports and factories and occasionally the police get a bit annoyed if you try). IN IVAILOVGRAD KEEP RIGHT...pass by with the town on your left hand side and do not go into it. Follow the signs marked 'Mandritsa' (Мандрица) and stay on this road, which winds first of all around to the right and then meanders through the cobbled streets of Ludja district. In Ludja you will see the signs for the 'White Fortress' of Lyutitsa (in English!) on a road to your right. This road (Ulitsa Manastirska - Улица Манастирска) is where Dimitar, the manager of The Fig House, lives if you need to pick up the keys from him. Carrying straight on through Ludja you will get to Svirachi after about ten minutes Be warned that during daylight hours you may be stopped at the 'Granitsa Politsei' (BORDER POLICE) post as you enter Svirachi (Свирачи). Svirachi is within the Greek-Bulgarian border control zone and passports or other identification should be carried at all times. (Don't knock it - these chaps caught Saddam Hussein's number three man trying to sneak into Europe by the back door here a couple of years ago!) The border police don't speak any English but if you stop, smile and show your passports all will be well. If you have problems simply say 'Dimitar Nalbantov' and those should be the magic words - or I can e-mail to you in advance a printed piece of paper in Bulgarian explaining that you are staying at Smokinevata K'shta. Once the police know that you are mad enough to be a tourist in this remote area it will be smiles and 'Bravo' all round! IN SVIRACHI keep right at the junction entering the village (ie the 'low road' through the village proper) and count the roads going to the right. The third road on the right is the one that you should take. Turn down here, past the white-painted church on the left and THE FIG HOUSE is on your right behind the high white walls. Enter. Enjoy. Town: Bulgaria, Ivailovgrad, SvirachiThe village of Svirachi is five kilometres south of the town of Ivailovgrad.In the village itself two village stores and bar-restaurants are just a ten minute walk from the house. Practise your few words of Bulgarian or just point and smile - the locals are extremely friendly and pleased to see you. You can buy bread, cheese, eggs, beer and soft drinks at the village shop and get coffee and light meals at the restaurant. For anything more sophisticated try.... Ivailovgrad, just a ten minute drive from Svirachi, has a modest collection of mini-markets selling most non-speciality food and drinks. There is also a growing number of bars and restaurants in the town - several with menus in English. The delightful Julia in the store on the main square is fluent in English if you are worried about communicating! If you get fed up with the pool at the Fig House there is even a recently-opened bar and restaurant complex built around a massive swimming pool in the town. They do delicious barbecued chicken and it's a good place to go on a hot summer's night if you want a little more action than the tinkling of goat bells. The weekly open market in Ivailovgrad every Wednesday is a good place to get fresh produce. Failing Ivailovgrad try.... The regional capital, Haskovo. For those really specialised things that the kids really can't live without, remember to stop off here on the way down and stock up in the local Kaufland supermarket which holds pretty much everything you might want (cheesy puffs and ready-made pizzas included) for a two-week stay. Or you can nip up there for a day's shopping (it's a one-and-a-half hour drive or Dimitar can take you). Failing that.... Send our local friendly manager Dimitar Nalbantov an SMS/ text message (we will lend you a local mobile phone at nominal deposit for this purpose and Dimitar speaks good English and is very helpful). Dimitar lives five minutes up the road from Svirachi and will solve all your problems. Link to our websiteThe Fig House, Svirachi, nr. Ivailovgrad, BulgariaArrival and distancesArrival day: anyDistance to next airport: Sofia 200 or more Km Distance to next trainstation: Lyubimets 40 Km Distance to next motorway: Lyubimets 40 Km Distance to the sea: Aegean 90 Km Distance to next shop: 0.2 Km Sport facilities nearbyFishing, Hiking, Swimming,Theme of holidays
Total sleeping facilities and distributionTotal number of sleeping facilities: 3
BathroomsNo. of bathrooms: 3
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CateringCatering: Self catered (inclusive) |
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