Rancho i Vancho na Kata

Stone walls, wool blankets and a spiral staircase set the tone here. The house is 90 years old, built in the centre of Omorani village and restored in a plain Macedonian style rather than polished into something else. Three bedrooms sit on the upper floor, reached by an indoor spiral stair: the Wish Room and the Retro Room at 15 square metres each with a double bed, and the smaller Red Roses Room with two singles. Downstairs, the living space doubles as kitchen and dining room, so guests can watch breakfast and dinner being cooked while they eat it.

The pool sits in the basement pit of an even older, 18th-century house that once stood on the site. It measures five by three metres and 1.5 metres deep, too small for laps but enough for cooling off, with two sitting platforms and towels provided. The garden runs to 350 square metres, planted with sitting areas and a village bar that operates as an open summer kitchen beside the pool. Dinner can be taken outside after dark, under a clear sky away from town light. Babuna Waterfalls, the peak of Solunska Glava at 2,555 metres, and a monastery two hours' walk away sit within reach for guests who want to leave the garden. Breakfast is homemade, built around eggs, local cheese and seasonal vegetables.