Horlog Castle Guest House

The restaurant was a highlight, with delicious traditional Rhodopean dishes, and our comfortable, cozy room added to a charming stay. The décor and atmosphere felt authentic to the Rhodope Mountains. Just across the hall was a lovely outdoor balcony overlooking the stream beside the hotel, a peaceful place to sit and enjoy the scenery. We were only there for one night, and wished we’d stayed longer. The area was even more beautiful than we expected, with Devil’s Throat Cave, hiking routes, and Trigrad town nearby. We’ll definitely return, and Horlog Castle will be our first choice again for a peaceful, authentic mountain escape.

The restaurant service is great, with lots of traditional dishes to choose from. The place is really nice and unique, the staff are friendly, and everything is very clean.

The stream running beside the hotel adds to its atmosphere. It looks a lot like an old castle, and our room was spacious, with a kettle and fridge. The bathroom was excellent, and the service was courteous, polite, and welcoming. We went up the stairs to the first floor. Breakfast was very basic.

The host and servers were so attentive and chatty that the meal felt like being at home. Everything was homemade, and this was easily the best meal we had eating out during our three weeks in Bulgaria, between Sofia and Varna. We came specifically to try the restaurant, and it was beyond excellent, with top quality food prepared in an authentic Bulgarian way. We had bean soup, beans with sausage, kapama with cabbage, turshia (fermented salad), bio lemonade, and sourdough bread baked in an open fire. I’d recommend all of it. The bean soup had a consistency that takes rare skill, the kind only a local baba can manage, and the beans were local produce. The homemade lemonade with our food was made from fermented cranberries without added sugar, and was delicious and healthy. I can highly recommend it.