Viesu nams Barži

We really enjoyed the stay and might come back. Our room was the largest of the three upstairs, with a balcony overlooking the river. Since we booked the sauna, our shower and toilet were beside it, leaving the upstairs bathroom for the other guests. The double bed had one large mattress, though it came with two small duvets. Each room also has a single bed that can be made into two singles. The outdoor tub was already hot when we arrived after 16:30, and we cooled it a little with the hose the host pointed out. Around eight people could sit in it comfortably. With the lid on between dips, the water stayed hot until at least midnight, even at about -1 degrees. The river runs right beside it if you fancy a cold dip. There’s a BBQ nearby too, probably more useful in summer. The sauna took about two hours to reach 80 degrees. Firewood was ready, with more available around the other side of the house, and extra towels were provided. There were no sauna hats or bath-brooms, so you may want to buy those at Depo beforehand. The hostess was very kind and explained everything when we arrived. Tell her ahead of time if you want to pay by card, which is possible. She lives in another house some distance away, so there’s plenty of privacy. The shared kitchen had plenty of cookware, dishes and cutlery, plus an induction stovetop, microwave, coffee maker, kettle, fridge and small freezer. The water tasted of iron, so we boiled it before drinking. Radiators warmed the house using water heated by a pellet stove. It got to 21 degrees downstairs, then cooled by a couple of degrees before the heat came back on. We were cold, but there were extra blankets in the rooms. There was WiFi, though we didn’t try it. TVs were in each room, the upstairs common area with its big sofa, and downstairs. About five Latvian channels were available; the others needed a TV smart-card. There were also stereo systems in the sauna area and downstairs hall. We stayed one night and had booked a room, the sauna and the outdoor tub. Fresh snow had fallen a couple of days earlier, and the cold weather made everything look beautiful.