Type: Boutique alpine hotel
Price Guide 38 - 95 euros/person Minimum nights: Single booking: 3, Itinerary booking: 3
Children welcome
OUR VIEW
We were introduced to the Vitranc by Jon at the Hotel Antiq in Ljubljana. He assured us that if we liked the Antiq, we were bound to like the Vitranc. We promised to have a look when we got to Podkoren later that week. However, when we got to Kranjska Gora to try one of the hotels there, it occurred to us that a huge, brash, brightly-lit monstrosity sitting atop a casino and full of the living dead was not the place for us. So we ran away to find the Vitranc. We were greeted warmly and promptly shown to our room - which was when we absolutely knew that the Vitranc would be a Slovene Dream hotel. By the way, it's a three star, which proves our point that the hotel star system is a load of kak.
ACCOMMODATION The Hotel: The reason why we knew the Vitranc was good? The room made us smile. In fact, the whole place has been refurbished and decorated in a way that would make Grumpy smile: colour-washed walls with hand-painted patterns, beautifully finished furniture, simple but bright-coloured fabrics - it's as if Jocasta Innes has been let lose (and paid a lot). The guest-rooms are all individually decorated and each has an en suite shower room or bathroom, TV, phone and the usual stuff. Some have views of the nearby ski slopes in the winter - or just slopes in the summer. Outside there is a splashy brook, which is wonderful to fall asleep to.
The Apartments: The perfect answer to all of you who want self-catering holidays in Slovenia. Just across the way, in another beautifully renovated building, are the Vitranc apartments. Click here to go to Belopeški Dvori (House of the Counts of Belopeski).
THE RESTAURANT After just two meals - dinner and breakfast - I think we can safely say that the restaurant is OK. Both meals consisted of traditional Slovenian alpine fare (i.e. huge, tasty and nutritious), served in a lovely dining room. Given that we didn't meet the manager, until after both meals, we're sure we weren't given 'special' treatment.
WORKING UP AN APPETITE Skiing. Kranjska Gora is the largest ski resort in Slovenia and offers the most diverse winter sports package in the country. The ski lift at Podkoren will take you to the Kranjska Gora slopes, or you can drive there in about five minutes (the roads are always open in winter). The lowest slopes are easily accessible and rise to a giddy 1,500m. Suitable for all levels of competence, this is a resort where you can be sure of finding an excellent skiing holiday... but stay away from most of the hotels. Oh, and if you want to eat out, eat at the Vitranc: dining in most of Kranjska Gora is not recommended! Even better, the local slopes at Podkoren are just a step away. Summer: Podkoren is an excellent centre for hiking, mountain biking, ambling, fishing - indeed, just about anything that Slovenia has to offer. Horse Riding: Ask the staff to introduce you to the local riding stables.
CONFERENCE / FUNCTION FACILITIES Don't even think about it.
LANGUAGES Slovene, English, German
CHILDREN Children are very warmly welcomed
at the Vitranc.
WEATHER You might be in the mountains,
but Podkoren is also sheltered by those mountains.
July and August are the hottest months, with daytime
temperatures around 25C, while during spring and autumn
you can expect around 15-20C. Evening temperatures will
be rather lower, so bring something a little warmer.
In the winter, expect alpine winter conditions (lots
of snow, but the roads are clear).
WHEN &
HOW LONG Hotel Vitranc is open all year
- stay as long as you can afford.
TO TAKE WITH YOU This is not the place for suits
and high heels - shorts, T-shirts, sturdy shoes or boots,
something warm for the evenings and something waterproof
in case it rains, is best.
CAR HIRE AVIS - click on this link and you will open a new window for the Avis Slovenia website, from where you can book your car.
HOW TO GET THERE
Closest destination airports are in this colour.
Click on the airline name to open their web page in a new window. From Gatwick: Ljubljana with Adria (the national airline).
From Stansted: Ljubljana or Rijeka with EasyJet. Trieste, Klagenfurt, Graz or Balaton with Ryanair. From Luton: Zagreb with Wizz. From Manchester: Ljubljana with Adria (summer months only). From Bristol:
Venice with EasyJet. From Birmingham: Trieste with Ryanair, Wednesday and Sunday only.
Tourist tax: €1.10
per person/day (€0.81 for children)
Children:
Children not older
than 3 years - free of charge
30% for children between 3 and 12 years
Cot: 5.20/night
Minimum stay, nights:
Single booking: 3, Itinerary booking: 2
Single
occupancy supplement:
+ €15
Pets:
€8/night
Open:
All year
Deposit:
A deposit of between 10% and 25% will be required at the time of booking. The remainder will be payable directly to the hotel by you upon your arrival. Note that we do not add an extra margin to the hotel's prices: the price you pay by booking through us is exactly the same as the hotel's.
DRIVING TO PODKOREN Ljubljana Brnik: Take the E61 motorway towards Bled and then on towards Jesenice. At Jesenice leave the motorway and take the 201 towards Kranjska Gora. Drive past Kranjska Gora, then turn right into the village of Podkoren. Journey time about 1.5 hours.
Trieste (Italy): Take the A4/E70 towards Trieste and take the exit for Slovenia at Fernetti-Sežana (do not drive into Trieste itself). Take the A3 and then the A1/E61 towards Ljubljana. At Ljubljana, follow the A1/E61 to Ljubljana Sever and then towards Kranj, then onwards to Kranjska Gora. Drive through Kranjska Gora to Podkoren. Journey time, about 3 hours.
NOTE: there is now a vinjeta system on Slovenian motorways for collecting tolls. You can buy a vinjeta at any petrol station near the motorway or the airport. For 95/30/15 euros per year/month/week, you will receive a sticker that must be displayed on the front windscreen of your car.
The Hotel:
Skiing. 