Slovenian Rhapsody
February 21, 2010 3:58 AM Subscribe
We're going to Slovenia, and are looking for recommendations for a place to stay around Bled or Bohinj, and a tourist farm near the Skocjan caves.
We've got a week planned in Slovenia in late March. We're going to Ljubljana, followed by Bled, Kobarid, ???? and then return. We have places to stay in Ljubljana and Kobarid, but Bled is very confusing.
Can you advise us on a place to stay in Bled or Bohinj? Here are some considerations:
- We are looking for a nice, clean double room -- better than a hostel, with private bath, etc. We'll be staying 3 nights.
- The extravagant part of the holiday is later, so we're hoping to spend no more than about 60-80 euros a night for a double room with breakfast. We could go up to 100 but would rather not.
- Our main activity is going to be walking and mild hiking and we won't be driving. So we're a little wary of staying in town -- having been to plenty of tourist towns in my time, I'd much rather take a cab to a small, remote place in the countryside where we can go for strolls easily. Unless you've been to Bled and feel it's easy to access nice walks from near the town centre and can strongly recommend a place to stay.
- We'd like to be no more than 20 minutes walk from the lake, which eliminates most of the tourist farms I've seen.
- We're pretty easy going, like good food, peaceful surroundings, and a comfortable room that doesn't smell of disinfectant.
- So far we've considere the following places: Pension Alp, Pension Mlino, Hotel Garni Berc and the Mulej Tourist Farm. Are you familiar with any of these? Would you recommend them? Do you have any other suggestions? I've seen all the reviews on TripAdvisor, but given the variable nature of the commentators there, would appreciate some Mefite recommendations.
I especially like the idea of the tourist farms, but since we shan't be driving, I'm concerned about being much too far from the walking trails and the lake, so any recommendations here would also be appreciated.
And final question: We're thinking of going somewhere near the Skocjan caves for the final leg of the holiday. Can you recommend a nearby place to stay, from where we can easily take a bus or train to Ljubljana to catch our 5pm flight back to the UK?
(I've read the NYT article)
We've got a week planned in Slovenia in late March. We're going to Ljubljana, followed by Bled, Kobarid, ???? and then return. We have places to stay in Ljubljana and Kobarid, but Bled is very confusing.
Can you advise us on a place to stay in Bled or Bohinj? Here are some considerations:
- We are looking for a nice, clean double room -- better than a hostel, with private bath, etc. We'll be staying 3 nights.
- The extravagant part of the holiday is later, so we're hoping to spend no more than about 60-80 euros a night for a double room with breakfast. We could go up to 100 but would rather not.
- Our main activity is going to be walking and mild hiking and we won't be driving. So we're a little wary of staying in town -- having been to plenty of tourist towns in my time, I'd much rather take a cab to a small, remote place in the countryside where we can go for strolls easily. Unless you've been to Bled and feel it's easy to access nice walks from near the town centre and can strongly recommend a place to stay.
- We'd like to be no more than 20 minutes walk from the lake, which eliminates most of the tourist farms I've seen.
- We're pretty easy going, like good food, peaceful surroundings, and a comfortable room that doesn't smell of disinfectant.
- So far we've considere the following places: Pension Alp, Pension Mlino, Hotel Garni Berc and the Mulej Tourist Farm. Are you familiar with any of these? Would you recommend them? Do you have any other suggestions? I've seen all the reviews on TripAdvisor, but given the variable nature of the commentators there, would appreciate some Mefite recommendations.
I especially like the idea of the tourist farms, but since we shan't be driving, I'm concerned about being much too far from the walking trails and the lake, so any recommendations here would also be appreciated.
And final question: We're thinking of going somewhere near the Skocjan caves for the final leg of the holiday. Can you recommend a nearby place to stay, from where we can easily take a bus or train to Ljubljana to catch our 5pm flight back to the UK?
(I've read the NYT article)
I loved my trip to Slovenia!! Bled is okay, but touristy. We stayed in Ribcev Laj on Lake Bohinj in a nice rental apartment for two weeks last summer. I can't say much about hotels--there was a decent looking place in Ribcev (which is a tiny village, feels like it's in the countryside, and is accessible by bus) and a couple at the other end of the lake. We went to Bled for the day and that was enough. The Vintgar gorge hike near Bled is amazing, though. From Ribcev, you can walk or bike around the lake, out into the farm-filled countryside nearby, or hike up to a waterfall or peak. The whole area will be really dead in March (big for skiing in winter and hiking/cooling off in summer). Your budget should be no problem--it's a cheap area.
Skocjan is a wonderful cave, and we were very glad we went--but it's a little tricky with public transit. I'd probably stay an extra night in Ljubljana (or, if you have time, a couple nights in Piran) and do it as a day trip. You can take the train and walk about 4 km (not too well-marked, but we managed) or take a package trip out of Ljubljana.
Please check our our webpage at www.theslowroad.com for pics and info about Slovenia. Mail me if you have questions!
posted by mkuhnell at 11:25 AM on February 21, 2010 [1 favorite]
Skocjan is a wonderful cave, and we were very glad we went--but it's a little tricky with public transit. I'd probably stay an extra night in Ljubljana (or, if you have time, a couple nights in Piran) and do it as a day trip. You can take the train and walk about 4 km (not too well-marked, but we managed) or take a package trip out of Ljubljana.
Please check our our webpage at www.theslowroad.com for pics and info about Slovenia. Mail me if you have questions!
posted by mkuhnell at 11:25 AM on February 21, 2010 [1 favorite]
In Bled, I can highly recommend staying in the Travellers Haven. Nice place, the staff are AMAZING. In fact I made friends with some people, we stayed in Bled an extra 3 days, the staff helped us negotiate a car rental (argued with the guy in Slovenian to get us a reduced price as he was two hours late with the car), gave us tips on where to drive etc.
I left my shirt in the dryer there, they emailed me and posted it to Australia for me. So they are really willing to go above and beyond.
posted by Admira at 2:42 AM on February 22, 2010
I left my shirt in the dryer there, they emailed me and posted it to Australia for me. So they are really willing to go above and beyond.
posted by Admira at 2:42 AM on February 22, 2010
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Some places near Škocjan that might be interesting to stay: Lipica (home of the famous horses) or perhaps one of the coastal towns: Piran is pretty charming, Portorož is gaudy, and Trieste is also close (if you're feeling adventurous) They're all well connected with Ljubljana via train.
Feel free to mail me for more. Hope you have a great trip!
posted by Ljubljana at 7:50 AM on February 21, 2010