We have visited many beautiful countries in our time and had decided that if we had a little spare cash we would buy a property on the Amalfi Coast... and then we visited Slovenia.
Both my husband at I were in awe of the magnificent scenery: the lakes, mountains and meadows were breathtaking.

We picked up the car from Avis rental at Ljubljana airport and headed to our first hotel located not far from the shore of Lake Bohinj. On the way we passed through Bled, stopping at the Grand Hotel Toplice to have coffee and a slice of Kremna Rezina and take in the view - as you had suggested. What a perfect introduction to the country.

Following your directions we arrived at Vila Park and were greeted by Jana who showed us to our room on the top floor.
The hotel was was immaculate in every way and in a very pretty location close next to the trout steam: idylic. We spent a few hours the next again day reading there, drinking G&Ts and marvelling at the surroundings.

I am also proud to say that I plucked up the courage to get on the cable car which takes you to the top of Mount Vogel. The panorama from the top is amazing and even my husband agrees; as a mountaineer he has climbed many peaks world wide and even he was impressed.
We had a few glasses of wine at one of the summit alpine bars, the one renouned for the quality of it's wild boar, before heading back down to earth.
That afternoon we hired a rowing boat and spent a leisurely afternoon floating in the middle of the lake basking in the sunshine.

We had a wonderful few days before moving on to Nebesa.

This journey was spectacular: we drove to the north through the Triglav National Park up to Kranjska Gora and stopping at the Hotel Kompas for lunch. We then drove up and over the snaking route that takes you through the Alps to Livek and Nebesa. We found ourselves stopping every five minutes to admire the scenery and take photographs to prove to the folks back home that our stories of the beauty of the Slovenian landscape were true and not just a follies of our imaginations.
Well what can I say just when we thought that things couldn't get any better we arrived at the Nebesa.
We were given a lovely welcome by Katja and the two Newfoundland doggies and shown around our chalet and the communal accomodation.

The words I have used to describe the place since have included, spectacular, spiritual, unique. This environment inspires calmness and wellbeing.
We sat out on the balcony looking down into the Soča Valley and across to the slopes opposite dotted with little villages - the domes of their churches glinting in the sunshine and the peel of their bells wafting into audible range.

The communal wine cellar was delightful, the house red and white wines were complimentary (I recommend the white which was similar to a Chardonnay with a definite hint of melon)
The other wines on offer were available at trade price and an honesty box was used for you to drop your money in for any bottle you chose from owner's collection.
As well as wine in the cellar there was a joint of the finest cured ham and a few fine mature chesses for the resident's delectation, all complimentary of course... nothing but the best at Nebesa... which of course as Bob had told me meant heaven... and wasn't that name appropriate.

All too soon our time here had come to an end and we set out travelling south east through the rolling countryside of Dolenjska toward Otočec for our final few nights staying at Šeruga.

Šeruga was contradictory to what we had expected, a working farm it was... but there was no sound of tractors at dawn or cows being paraded up and down for milking. But instead of that the farm had a feel of tranquility. We did see Lili the farmer's wife feed the goats, and the trout in the little stream that runs in front of the resident's accommodation.
The guest rooms are located in an old independant chalet style house located across the courtyard from the main farm. The rooms are very pretty and quaint with
beamed ceilings, sturdy furniture and wooden shutters on the windows with love heart shapes carved out of them. After a few hours I wanted to plait my hair and change my name to Heidi.

The food here was delicious, true home fare but what else could we expect as it was made and served by Lili and her daughter Eva: everything was locally sourced and organic. What a fitting end to a fabulous holiday.

Thanks to Slovene Dream for all the help and advice: it proved invaluable and I have been extolling the virtues of your company since our return.
[Thank you Ida: you are an angel - Bob]
Ida Taylor

Well my husband and I have fallen in love with Slovenia and can’t wait to go back. What a beautiful clean country and such friendly and helpful people. Almost all the people we met spoke English which made life a little easier for us. I think our next visit will be in the spring of 2009 – waterfalls should be quite spectacular after the winter snow.

We really liked Vila Park. Jana is the perfect hostess and nothing is too much trouble for her. We enjoyed the food so much on our first night that we ate at Vila Park every night and so did all the other Brits. We loved the area around Lake Bohinj and were glad you recommended instead of touristy Lake Bled (although it was also beautiful).
Margaret Bissett

Hi Bob,
We had a lovely holiday – many thanks for your recommendations, which were both spot on.
Slovenia and both the hotels you recommended were excellent. Nebesa in particular was one of the best places I have ever stayed in. Wonderful mountains, vineyards, food and drink. We really enjoyed our week there, and would definitely return.
Marcia Hall

Had to give you a complete thumbs up because of the entire trip.
Just an overview of each hotel:
Antiq is good and location is great.
Kendov Dvorec was wonderful.
Vila Bled is awesome - our room was the best. Heard a rumor that 207 has a ghost!
Hiša Franko is in a class of its own. Hard to describe to people - not luxurious, but splendid - especially the food.
Joan Brodnik

Lepena was fantastic place to stay – owners were lovely and happy to help, and room was great. Really liked the fact we had our own area outside to sit at and play cards.  The kittens were a fantastic added extra and the tennis court surely has the best view in the world. We enjoyed all our activities (rafting, paragliding, quad biking) and had some delicious meals (Hiša Franko was particularly fantastic, even for people used to London’s high quality restaurants).
Sarah Rose

Hi Bob
Our holiday in Slovenia was absolutely fantastic. My mother really enjoyed the Lakes and our choice of Lake Bohinj. The scenery was out of this world and on the whole we had reasonable weather. The end of the week was rainy but we managed to fit in everything we wanted to.
Thank you so much for recommending Hotel Bohinj. It was great. Staff and service were excellent and our 3 bedded room was lovely. Loads of room and very light and airy.
All in all a thoroughly enjoyable holiday and we ended our stay by visiting Venice for the day on Saturday. Could not believe the amount of people. What a contrast to Slovenia. We saw more people in Venice in one day than a whole week in Slovenia!!!!!
Once again thank you for your input.
Janice Pottage

A wonderful holiday, a great hotel [Hiša Franko], the staff were really friendly and helpful. I would like to return next year. Slovenia is breathtaking!
Juliette Treliving

I have got to say the food was superb and my wife raves about having a degustation menu in a remote town in Slovenia (not that anywhere in Slovenia is remote). Slovenia was every bit as good as you said it would be and we have recommended it to our friends as a place they must go.
Geoff Adams

Hi Bob,
Our holiday was very enjoyable. We had a great time.

Although we were only at the Antiq for one night, we were impressed with the hotel. The staff were very helpful and the hotel was very well kept. It was also ideally situated for exploring the city centre, and in particular, the older parts of town.

We then moved on to Vila Park in Bohinj, after a day in Bled on the way. Vila Park is kept immaculately and it is situated in idyllic surroundings. We had a lovely room, and a balcony with mountain views. The standard of food was good, and there didn't appear to be a wealth of restaurants around the hotel. While in Bohinj, we especially enjoyed our trip up the Vogel cable car and some boating on the lake.

The Lieber was very nice and great value, although it is rather more basic than the Antiq and Vila Park. We were fairly unimpressed with the breakfasts, as by the time we made it down in the morning, a French family had managed to clear the buffet table [funny - it's usually Germans]!

The meal you arranged at Pri Danilu, which is a wonderful restaurant, was a very generous gesture and we were delighted with the food, wine and service. While staying at the Lieber, we explored Ljubljana some more, and had day trips to the Postojna caves and Piran. Both well worthwhile.

All in all, we had a great time, and would thoroughly recommend the country and 'Slovene Dream'.
Best regards, Richard Druce

We had a fantastic holiday and will definitely return to Slovenia.
The journey from Marco Polo was very straightforward and the autostrada not nearly as unpleasant as most British motorways. Belica was less isolated than we had imagined but the views were lovely and the room extremely spacious and well appointed.. The pool is fabulous - well maintained and with a stunning panoramic view. The food was really excellent and the staff very helpful and friendly. The wine was particularly good and we were puzzled that they do not have an outlet in the UK. We have arranged to make an order via email.
Nebesa - Its hard to know where to start. This really is everything described and more. Katja and Bojan are perfect hosts obviously enjoying what they describe as their hobby!!! The pictures cannot do justice either to the scenery/views or to the design and quality of the built environment. The attention to detail is impressive with the emphasis on understated good taste. The pool and wellness centre is fabulous and even though all cabins were occupied we always had this facility to ourselves. We were fairly stunned to learn that all produce from the cellar including wine from the barrel was included in the price - Bojan only too happy to help you himself.

Highlights must be: sipping wine on the balcony watching a thunderstorm 'below' in the valley; waking up and watching the cloud burn off the mountains; swimming before breakfast with a panorama of mountains around you; being engulfed by 2 adoring Newfoundlands... We can't think of anything other than better weather that could have made this place more idyllic.

The Vršič Pass and the Kobarid Museum are a must (it was fascinating to learn about the war on the Soča Front) and in good weather the cable car to Kanin. We also enjoyed the car train to Bohinj. From Belica we visited the Skocjan Caves which are fantastic but should have given Piran a miss.. We were impressed by the lack of crowds everywhere apart from the coast, the good use of english - even young girls on the checkouts in supermarkets conversed willingly and fluently...

It was a memorable holiday Bob and you have cured me (Gill) of my inbuilt distrust of tour operators - or in fact of anybody trying to sell a product. Well this product is sublime.. and you have no need to exaggerate .. lovene Dream deserves every success in the future. We hope to do business with you again very soon... Have you any suggestions for skiing either Feb or Easter??
Many thanks from 2 very satisfied customers.
Gill and Dave Matthews

Bob
I just wanted to add my words of thanks and praise to my daughter Caroline's message to you earlier in the week.
We had a fantastic week in Slovenia which was very much enjoyed by the three of us. It is a part of Europe that until our visit we did not know much about. The opportunity to learn about a new country added to our enjoyment. The Slovenes are a lovely people and their country is rich in history as well as scenery. Our walks in the hills gave us a lot of insights into their incredible country.

Our stay at Jana's [Vila Park] was a high spot of the trip. She is a great host and her house is very comfortable and homely. The surprise to us was the excellent dinners she served us for 5 Euros! As Caroline says she should put the prices up for that high calibre cuisine. All of us would highly recommend her to other potential guests.

The lunch degustation was another highlight. What a meal and again at a very reasonable price and again a restaurant we would recommend to anyone [Hiša Franko].

Your recommended tour on the car train and through the mountains was followed to the letter. Fascinating, exciting, exhilarating - all words that apply!!

Thank you for all your advice and help in making our holiday such a memorable experience.

Thanks again for all your help
We are 3 very satisfied customers!!
Regards, David Pumphrey

Firstly a big thank you for arranging our stay at Grad Otočec. The castle/hotel itself exceeded expectations by a long way - our arrival late at night with the castle and grounds floodlit was quite magical, and we really could not believe the spacious suites we had been allocated (we thought we had merely booked double rooms but were not charged any more for the incredible amount of space we occupied). Our son's jaw dropped when he saw the entrance to his suite - genuine gothic stonework with a leather covered door - I think he thought he was in a Harry Potter film!
Meals in the courtyard were another highlight - great atmosphere and excellent food.

The surrounding countryside is very beautiful and visit to the Pleterjel monastery was worthwhile. We spent quite a lot of time just sitting by the river watching the abundant fish - very soothing. We also saw herons, dragonflies and wildlife too numerous to mention.
We are definitely considering visiting Slovenia again, and when we do will definitely call Slovene Dream for your recommendations!
Best wishes from Laura Luckhurst and family.

Stephen Emery and Judy Drury didn't write: they both phoned us on Monday 13 August to tell us about their wonderful trips. I'm afraid I didn't write down all they said, but each of them talked for some time on the places they stayed in:
Judy Drury: Hotel Bohinj, Nebesa.
Stephen Emery: Vila Park, Dobra Vila, Belica, Antiq.

I'd like to thank both of them for taking the time to call: it made my day.

All of these places were fantastic:

Seruga - heaven. great place, very spacious, great food, great hosts.

Belica - beautiful rooms scenery, wine, food, swimming pool and view.

Dobra Vila - top notch especially room 2001.

Vila Park - lovely little place, opted for half board and didnt regret it, location was superb

Rachel Janssen

Hello Bob, thanks ever so much for your help in organising our trip and also your recommendations [Hotel Bohinj and Hiša Franko]. We had a wonderful time and love Slovenia. We'll definitely go back - there are so many other areas we'd like to explore and we were fairly limited with walking/caves etc having a little one - though we still did a lot.
I'll be recommending Slovenia and Slovene Dream to friends and family - we feel like we've discovered a bit of a secret. Hope to go back out there in the winter to see some snow and frozen lakes.
Kirsteen Williams