Type: Castle Hotel
Price Guide 104-232 euros/person Minimum nights: Single booking: 3, Itinerary booking: 2
Excellent sports facilities
Children welcome
OUR VIEW
Otočec (pron.
Ototchets), about one hour's drive from Ljubljana, is
a beautiful castle sitting on an island in the River
Krka. There are records of a castle in this fantasy
location since the 13th century - populated by many
families of the Slovenian nobility. Now it's populated
by hotel guests the likes of us. Across the road from
the castle hotel is the cheaper (and more... socialist)
Šport Hotel, which is in fact a part of the same business.
Guests at both places get to use the sports amenities,
including tennis (indoor and outdoor) and the fitness
centre, plus access to the nearby pools at Šmarješke
Spa and Dolenjske Spa.
The castle hotel has recently been refurbished (2008) to a very high standard. The decor is modern, yet perfectly blends with the more historic masonery it's stuck to. Much of the hotel is now floored with hardwood (from sustainable sources, natch), while the walls and furnishings are an elegant match of creams to browns.
ACCOMMODATION The rooms are comfortable, large (the
bathrooms are huge) and very tastefully decorated. The furniture wouldn't look out of place in a modern Paris boutique hotel - we think whoever was in charge of the refurbishment did a superb job.
THE RESTAURANT The restaurant is very good indeed
and serves traditional Slovene cuisine. First course
dishes include the usual beef soup (usual maybe, but
not to be missed), plates of pršut (cured Parma-like
ham) and local cheeses. Mains feature all kinds of meats,
game and fish (some from the Krka river), štruklji (can't
easily describe this - but you'll like it) and piles
of vegetables and salads. Desserts will finish you off
in fine style - you'll need a whole day's tennis to
compensate for the gibanica (apple, walnut, poppy seed
and cottage cheese cake). A very good wine list featuring
local wines completes the fare.
THINGS TO DO Drive to Ljubljana
- one of the world's most walkable cities - where you
will find unique examples of Plečnik's architecture,
two beautiful rivers, countless bars and world-class
restaurants, the beautiful Tivoli gardens... the list
is much too long to feature here. Walking around the grounds
- I spent a whole afternoon hanging around the gardens,
watching the river and feeding the swans: great battery
recharger.
Visit the castles and monasteries in the region, for instance:
Brežice Castle - the Knight's Hall is a riot of baroquishness, and is the venue for a classical music festival every year.
Pleterje - the Carthusian monastery itself isn't open, as they like to keep to themselves, but you can walk around the grounds and buy their excellent spirits (the alcoholic kind), ice-wines (absolutely superb) and honey.
CONFERENCE
/ FUNCTION FACILITIES There is a dedicated conference
hall in the Sport Hotel, seating 220 people, while the
Tango restaurant can accommodate 250.
LANGUAGES Slovene, English, German, Italian
CHILDREN More than welcome.
WEATHER Summers are warm, with July and
August are the hottest months, with daytime temperatures
around 25C, while during spring and autumn you can expect
around 15-20C.
Winters can be very cold indeed, with deep snow sometimes
during January and February.
WHEN Otočec is open throughout the
year.
TO TAKE WITH YOU In the summer, shorts, T-shirts,
sturdy shoes or boots, something warm for the evenings
and something waterproof in case it rains, for daytime
adventures. In winter: wrap up!
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.
Under 4: free. 4-12 50% if
sharing with parents, 20% if not.
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 FROM LJUBLJANA TO OTOČEC
Take the E70 south-east towards Novo Mesto and Zagreb. About two kilometres past the turn-off for Novo Mesto is Otočec. Journey time is about 1.5 hours.Note that, between 2005 and 2009, local roads have been radically changed, so you'll need to follow the current road signs.
Zagreb is about another hour further on, should you wish to visit for the day.
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.
