Testimonials
7-13 September
I had such a wonderful holiday, riding in beautiful woods, Cantering and Galloping on the hills, The weather wasn't probably the best one could wish for, Still, warm fire and drinks waited for me on my return. I thought 5 days of riding was long, but i didnt seem to get enough of it and could easily go out again tomorrow morning! I'd like to thank Michelle, Rob, Tom and Ollie for the warm welcome i recieved and the effort to make me feel at home. Would definatley like to come back again in not to distant future.
Best Wishes
Miwo from Japan.
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21st-23rd August 2009
Unfortunately with such a young baby we were unable to participate in any horseback riding, However, we all had an extremely relaxing and fun three days playing table tennis, badminton etc and made even more enjoyable by the good selection of cd's and dvd's. The views are amazing and it has been a great place to unwind, very peacful , just what we needed.
Best wishes and hope to see you again sometime next year.
Tony, Justine, Joseph, Grace & Florence Hollington.
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Angie from New zealand July 3, 4, 5 2009
To Michelle, Rob, Tom, Ollie, Monty, Darling, Motley, Preves and Alisa.
I have had the time of my life over the last two days, and have thoroughly enjoyed staying with your family + animals! I was able to gain more confidence with the horses and will continue to build on this. Its been great to experience Bulgarian life in an authentic village, much better than seeing the country from a hostel or tourist resort. You are a fantastic family and i will keep in touch with you throughout my travels. My only regret is i could not stay here for longer! I will miss you all.
Love from Angie from New Zealand
(ukulele player extraordinnaire)
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Kjetil, Nina, Tora, Anna and Kaia July 7th-14th-1009
Dear Michelle, Rob, Tom, Ollie and the herd (minus the chicken sadly!). Thank you all for a wonderful week and most of all for making us feel at home. I will remember the wonderful nature, the hacks, all the cool animals but most of all i will remember the warm nights around the table in the garden with you all. All very memorable! The bike wont be missed though :)
Good luck with all your plans and to Tom in collage. If you ever get "lost" and end up in Norway, we are most happy to be at your service and show you around.
Thanks for the wonderfull rides, great horses! we've had lots of fun. Perfect riding conditions. The gallops over the fields is something we wont forget. Thank you! we'll miss Alisa, Goran, Melody and Chloe a lot and of course the wonderful dogs. We almost brought Darling back with us.
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Diane & Hanna May 15th 2009
We have had a fantastic riding holiday that far exceeded our expectations. The countryside is superb for riding and the horses were brilliant. We have been made to feel like old friends rather than guests, Michelle and Rob have gone out of their way to give us a great time.
We have fallen in love with rural Bulgaria. We hope to be back again next year.
Thank you ! Diane & Hanna xx
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Tallulah and Harper 4th May 2009
We did watch the light show thanks it was Great!! Oliver i wish we couldcome back again... today even! but it becomes a bit hard when you liveon the other side of the world! We could always see you again if youguys ever came to our parts of the woods or we came back to yours.here are some things we would of loved to right in the guest book.We got to spend time with the horses and the family Everyone was so nice and caring and always thinking about what we coulddo next and ways to make everything better You could never get board All the horses were extremly well trained and behaved, and were alwayswilling to go out for a rideWe could of stayed there for the rest of our lives!! (seriosly)The horse farm changed us my mum said, we got up every morning at seventhirty and got our selves ready to go and have a days work with thehorses and a lovely, Cheery and happy Michelle and family.It also changed me in the way it realy showed my weak side Causeliteraly the second Robb and Ollie left us i started crying!(Tallulah) The experiense i had there at the horse farm will stay with me for therest of my life It has definately better then all the holidays ive ever had... combined!It was the highlight of our holiday even thought we havnt even had itall yet!There are so many other things we would love to share but i have to go.Lots of Love Tallulah and harper
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Chris and Cheryl 2008
We have just returned from Bulgaria at the weekend and we had a fantastic time with Michelle and Rob at Orchard Stables on July 11th for 2 nights. Cheryl and I both were looking forward to our weekend with them and it was a weekend we will both look back on with great memories. Nothing was too much trouble and we were both made part of their family. Our first port of call was into the village were we met the friendly locals and chilled out with a refreshing beer after arriving in from Sunny Beach. When we arrived with Rob, Michelle had laid on a very nice buffet lunch for us before we headed out for the afternoon. The "Mayors House" which Michelle and Rob own is stunning. Set in the heart of the magnificent Stara Planina mountains with unspoilt views all around and a lovely garden area in which you can relax. Our room was very nice and comfortable and we woke to a fully cooked breakfast. The horse riding experience offered at Orchard Stables is unique and personal, the scenery in the mountains and trails is breath taking in this very unspoilt region of Bulgaria. We went through rivers, mountain trails, villages and stopped for refreshments and the weather was fantastic. We also did off road jeep driving which was great fun and mountain biking through the mountain trails and along with a great evening out in Veliko Tarnovo where we had a very nice meal overlooking the famous view of the fortress and houses overlooking the gorge. Following our meal we went to a nice hotel with a panoramic view of the Veliko Tarnovo “Lazor Light Show”. The following day, Cheryl and Michelle went horse riding and I followed with their eldest son Tom on the mountain bike which was great fun. After conquering our way through the trails we were all rewarded with a very nice picnic under the shade of a tree after an energetic morning through the mountains. Following our picnic we set off and stopped by a natural “Laundrette”. I have never seen anything like this and was amazed. Fully water powered by the river, we saw the locals rugs getting washed in big wooden circular drums powered only by the river. It was a unique set up which was very memorizing to watch. After a stop for drinks next door, we passed a lovely monastery by the river where the horses played in the water, kicking the water around their feet much to the amusement of the people on the bridge overlooking them who took lots of photographs. To our surprise our second night was spent in a great hotel which was at the end of the days horse riding and mountain biking. The swimming pool on-site was very welcome. We had a really nice night here with a nice evening meal and the following morning we made our way back to the “Mayors House”. Quad Biking is also available along with many other activities, so you can make your stay as diverse as you wish. On our way back to our apartment in Sunny Beach we took in the tour of the Shipka pass and went up the tower here and then to the Russian Church in Shipka. After a great weekend, we really enjoyed finishing off on our way home, seeing these beautiful places and along with everything we got a great feel for the rural life in Bulgaria. We both highly recommend “Orchard Stables” and we really want to thank Michelle and Rob and their two son’s Tom and Olly and also my friend “Monty the dog” for making us feel very welcome and giving us a wonderful experience. We will see you all soon, Chris and Cheryl
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"August 20, 2007
Dear Michelle, Rob, Tom & Ollie,
Thank you for a wondurful weekend.
You all are fantastic hosts. Our family truly enjoy ourselves on your lovely farm. The rides were awesome and adventurous. thank you so much for allowing the kids the help around the stables. They both really love horses and all the fury animals. We hope to visit again.
Blessings
The Fortners, Deborah, Robert, Alex & Ray"
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Sandra
."Many thanks for making ourselves very welcome here. Many of us dream of doing what you are doing.....You unlike a lot of people are living your dream and you have made it possible for people like us to share an insight. Take it easy as I am sure you will, Sandra."
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Jo, Dave, Sam and Ben"
"Thank you so much for a really special week we have loved our time here and will definitely return, the house was lovely and welcoming. It is the most beautiful setting and a fantastic place for a holiday, but what has made it most special is meeting and making friends with such warm and lovely people, Jo, Dave, Sam and Ben"
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Jeff, Maria, Ellie and Ben
"Didn’t notice we were on a mountain (feeling on such a high) such a lovely place with lovely people, the horse riding was an amazing experience and made the week extra special, Thanks guy's for making us all so welcome. Jeff, Maria, Ellie and Ben."
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Andrew.
"This was my first time in Bulgaria and I can honestly say that I doubt it will be my last. The views were great and the accommodation was very pleasant (the summer kitchen was a good little bachelor pad). The nights out with Sam and Rob and Michelle were great fun. I'll have to return at some point. See you again Andrew."
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Jo David Sam & Ben
Jo, Dave, Sam & Ben: Well its the end of another amazing week, and oh my god we've bought a house!! Thank you all so much for your help in doing that, we couldn't have done it without you. Thank you again for the lovely rides, maybe next time we'll be buying a horse! We loved sharing Sam's 18th with you, I'm sure he will remember it for a very long time. The evenings we spent in VT with you were great fun, I'm sure Andrew will remember his night with Rob and Sam with great fondness. LOL (that's lots of love) Jo David Sam & Ben. See you in February!"
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"Had a very sunny day for November and fantastic ride through the hills and woods and the ride was easy enough for less experienced but interesting for all riders. I'll be back thanks Michelle & Rob."
Helena & Jane
"The scenery was fantastic. Rob and Michelle were very friendly and very helpful. I was made to feel comfortable dispite never having riden before, Helena & Jane."
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Anne Clarke
""The most memorable image for both of us will be that of the horses rounding the bend on the way back to the house silently bathed in golden evening sunlight, just the sound of the hooves and a wonderful feeling of tiredness but of total contentment, although we visited many places in Bulgaria we were never happier than been back at the Mayors House“........Anne Clarke."
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Dagmar + Zara
""It's our last riding day, and how much we will miss those beautiful rides! The week has gone much too quickly, unfortunately! Thank you so much for your warm welcome, your wonderful hospitality, all your hard work to make us feel comfortable and at home, for the fantastic rides, the food, the company, the laughter and simply a wonderful week in your beautiful house. We will miss you all, Michelle, Rob, Tom, Ollie, Monty, Goran, Alisa and all the other lovely horses and four legged creatures. We hope Maya will have a beautiful and healthy foal-there is still a small chance to see it born, but I’ve given up hope now! Bulgaria is stunningly lovely, more than I’ve imagined. You have found a truly magical spot here in Devetatsi! I will never forget the clear star-lit nights and the bright blue skies day after day. Thank you for a wonderful holiday! Dagmar + Zara xxx 20/7/07.PS: We'll be back hopefully soon"."
"What a fantastic holiday. The accomodation was lovely in a very relaxing setting - we didn't hear a car for days it was wonderful. This was our second visit to the Mayor's House and we will definitely be returning next year. For a relaxing holiday you couldn't ask for more. We were made to feel very welcome and left as friends."