Main Info
Zornitza Family Estate is located in the Struma Valley 15 km southeast of Sandanski and 5 km from Melnik among vineyards and mountain peaks. Here you will find beauty, spaciousness, nature, luxury, coziness, ecological food, an enviable wine collection… and so much more.
The estate has six elegant villas and a boutique hotel with 16 suites – picturesque stone buildings with wooden beams, red bricks and artistic Tuscan-style design. Pets are welcome to join their owners and the estate is wheelchair accessible.
Guests can also enjoy a magnificent spa experience at ZOMA body & soul, with various terroir-based therapies, relaxing thermal water pools and Biologique Recherche cosmetics.
The complex offers relaxation with a steam bath, a salt pool, a sauna and a relaxing warm pool with a hot tub, gym, massages and therapies. Restaurant aEstivum offers signature terroir cuisine and emphasizes local and organic products from the estate’s eco farm and gardens. Their wine list includes both the best of the region and world-renowned wines.
A second restaurant, Bistro 55, has recently opened, and if aEstivum strives to provide a gastronomic pleasure for its guests, Bistro 55 delivers an informal, casual and relaxing experience. The menu offers a balanced fusion combination of recipes from Bulgaria, Asia and America with a pinch of terroir flavour.
Sommelier Alexander Skorchev will guide you through the fabulous world of wine as he shares fascinating stories with a glass in hand in the estate’s tasting room.
Fans of mountain and cultural tourism can choose between fabulously beautiful eco-trails or a walk to one of the nearby sights – the Rozhen Monastery, Rupite, the house of Venerable Stoina in Zlatolist, the Melnish pyramids.
At Zornitza Family Estate wine enthusiasts will surely be tempted by the unique opportunity to take a tour around 5-6 first-class wineries in the region where they can taste the best of local varieties and learn about winemaking traditions.
Nearby sights:
Numerous artifacts are located in the city of Sandanski both in the historical museum and outdoors in the city center. The area is famous for its mineral springs, clean air, mild climate and beautiful park – just 15 minutes from Zornitza Family Estate.
One of the most popular routes will take you to Rupite where one of the most famous Bulgarian personalities and prophetess – baba (grandma) Vanga spent her last days. The area is a 15-minute drive from Zornitza Family Estate. The complex around the house, the church “Sveta Petka Bulgarska” and the well-maintained park attract domestic and foreign tourists.
Miracles and mystical powers reign over the village of Zlatolist where Venerable Stoyna used her prophetic abilities to heal and foresee the future. The monastery in the village is named Saint George, in honor of its patron.
From a cultural and historical point of view the most significant landmark in the Melnik region is the Church of the Holy Nativity in Rozhen. It is the largest Orthodox monastery in Pirin and is a centuries-old spiritual center. The miraculous icon of the Holy Virgin Portaitis is kept there which is a replica of the Panagia Portaitis from the Iviron Monastery on Mount Athos.
Melnik is located only 5 kilometers from the Zornitza Family Estate and is the smallest town in Bulgaria known for its unique architecture, winding cobbled streets and its fruity soft wine from the Shiroka Melnishka vine. The most popular houses are Kordopulova house, Pasha house, Litova house, Bolyarska house (which is also the oldest preserved house in Bulgaria).