We slept in a castle far away from home. Two nights in Ognyanovo village, Bulgaria.

It was far… but we eventually reached it…

Why did we decide to go somewhere that is 6 hours away from our home? First of all we love to travel, as I explained in my last post here, and secondly this is a pet of Bulgaria where everything is cheaper, and at the same time not so desired and busy area. We paid maybe almost half of the price for this spa hotel compared to the most famous tourist destinations in Bulgaria.

And what a hotel this was…

The place is called Royal Valentina castle and it was built like a castle. From the outside it doesn’t look very archaic and authentic, but it’s not that bad at all. The place surely is not a big one, I would say about 20 rooms are available for visitors and that’s all. Being small means that it is supposed to be a more relaxing stay. Not much people to mess with our space. And we chose working days which means even less people around.

First day we arrived quite late, but the staff on the reception was kind and well mannered. They called us two times during the day just to make sure everything with our trip is going as planned.

Right after you enter the inner space, you see the same architecture and design of the hotel. It’s supposed to look like a medieval castle, but warmer and more comfortable. I don’t think that all the inner castle areas were heated back in the days of the knights, but this one was impressively warm.

The room that we have booked was the President’s apartment and it was like 60 square meters. I had plenty of room and the main advantage was that it had a hydro massaging bathtub and a glass walled bathroom. This was looking very cozy and given the fact that the water on the faucets was mineral, we had a real spa zone in our bathroom. Total cost for the room with breakfast included was about $85, which was $15 more expensive than the ordinary double room. We got a lot of additional things for not that much of a price difference. The President’s apartment sounded like the perfect deal!

Apart from the wet area, we had a dining table, relax corner with two king chairs and a working corner, which we didn’t use, because our main purpose was leisure. We felt unbelievably comfortable in this room, with so much space and a large terrace. Also, a fireplace was available, but we needed to pay $15 per evening if we wanted to use it. If it was snowing and colder, maybe we would benefit of this additional treat. Sadly it was raining almost all the time but it was not cold enough for snow, so we couldn’t enjoy neither the fireplace, nor the outer parts of the room. Maybe next time?

As I mentioned, this was a spa hotel and the spa zone wasn’t big at all, but for 15-20 room hotel with no more than 40-50 people visiting it at a time, there’s nothing more needed. A sauna, a steam bath, 2 jacuzzi (indoor and outdoor) and 2 pools (indoor and outdoor) is everything that you get, but they were empty and available for me almost all the time. The size and quantity of facilities was picked perfectly for the needs of this hotel.

If we visit the place in a more pleasant weather, we would be able to enjoy the outer garden too, but winter isn’t the best time to enjoy outside areas here in Bulgarian mountain villages.

I have to admit that everywhere you look at, there was some excellent detailing that completed the medieval castle spirit. Every painting and light faucet was in the theme, and even the main staircase looked brilliant, although I don’t think they had such railings back in the time.

Generally, this whole place was representing quite well the spirit of another time and every detail was picket to match the design. I think it would be nice if we are able to visit it again when the weather gets warmer and we can enjoy the outside pool as well. The real benefits are that all the water is mineral, and the surroundings are beautiful. Definitely a place to visit again some time soon!

Hope you liked the quick summary of my post. See you soon and have a wonderful Friday!
Bye!