Villa Arte

Villa Arte is a small hotel on Slavej Planina in Ohrid, built around a private collection of paintings rather than a lobby full of art books. Thirty works by the Macedonian surrealist Vasko Tashkovski hang through the corridors and public rooms, turning a stairwell into something closer to a gallery. The building holds 18 apartments: nine twin rooms, two double rooms, a deluxe double with a sofa bed, two junior suites, a studio, a deluxe studio and two one-bedroom apartments. Rooms run from 22 to 39 m², each with a balcony facing the mountains, air conditioning, a minibar and a flat-screen TV with cable channels. Bathrooms are private and fitted with an SOS call button. It is a compact stay, not a resort. A restaurant serves breakfast each morning, with a garden terrace for coffee or an evening drink. Downstairs, an underground car park spares guests the search for street parking near the old town. A small conference room seats up to 30, useful for a meeting squeezed between lake excursions. Lake Ohrid itself sits close by, one of Europe's oldest bodies of water, and several apartments look toward it over the rooftops. Guests can walk to the old town in minutes or arrange a boat trip along the shore. The villa keeps a vault at reception for documents and valuables, and asks that rooms stay smoke-free throughout the stay.