Slovenia is an outdoor destination. Nature lovers can enjoy walking and hiking along those beautiful mountains, blue rivers, green lakes and lovely valleys to their heart’s content. For the more adventuresome this country offers: rafting, caving, kayaking, paragliding, canyoning, … the list is endless – take your pick! But that’s something we’ll discuss in greater detail in our next blog post.

Cause those outdoor activities make you sleepy! Where to sleep better than somewhere surrounded by nature? This is where we spent our best nights in Slovenia.

B&B Els and Mathieu

Sander’s sister told us about two crazy friends of hers, who bought a house in Slovenia and turned it into a bed and breakfast. The first Belgians with a B&B in Slovenia! You can read every step of their story on their website. They spent almost 3 years renovating the house and are still going on with several projects!

They live close to the border of Triglav National Park, about 9 km from Tolmin. It’s quite isolated, so make sure you have the directions with you. Be prepared for small roads winding up the mountains and lots of turns! But once you get there – waauw – what a view! They have chosen a beautiful place to live. That place consists of the house – with two guestrooms – and a BIG garden! In 5 vegetable gardens they grow almost all the food they need for themselves and their guests. Every meal that’s served here will be ecological ànd vegetarian. Guests can enjoy Els’ culinary skills under the lovely fig tree.

Since they’re located close to the Soča valley and Triglav National Park, there is no shortage of activities to choose from. They have a bundle of information with all there is to see and do in the area and further away. They can provide you with maps and routes for walking and hiking. We recommend everyone to stay with them for a longer period – we only had 2 days – because it’s easy to explore the region from there on and Els & Mathieu are really flexible when you would, for example, want to get up earlier or come home late – like us – after a long hike. We could still enjoy a delicious dinner!

Apart for the food and the beautiful surroundings, there’s another reason to come here: peacefulness. We were quite jealous of Els & Mathieu. Even though they start to work in the garden or around the house from the moment they get up, and are already thinking about what to cook for dinner, they seemed very calm and relaxed. Taking a break from technology and surrounding oneself with nature will do you good and recharge your batteries.

Whenever we go on another trip to Slovenia, we’ll know where to stay. We’re curious to see how the place will have turned out by then! To Els & Mathieu: We’ve been going through your blog posts – wow – what a transformation! The result is something to be proud of! Keep on dreaming!

Kaki Plac

We first arrived at Camp Fiesa in Piran. Taking a quick look before agreeing to stay at a campground is always a good idea. Glad we did that, cause it didn’t really appeal to us at first sight. Very crowed and densely packed. Besides, it’s more focused on campers and caravans, cause there was only a small space available for tents.

We looked in our guidebook for another campsite. They recommended ‘Kaki Plac’. Address = tucked into the woods just outside Lucija on the outskirts of Portorož. AHA! So we payed the tourist information centre a visit. The guys behind the desk started laughing. “Ha, where is Kaki Plac? We get that question a lot, all we know is that it exists… but nobody has ever confirmed that they actually found it.” He pointed out some directions on a map and drew a circle “It’s supposed to be somewhere in this green area…” Challenge accepted!

So we started driving… Just when I was about to say “I don’t think this is the right way…?” we saw a sign in the cornfields “Kaki Plac” pointing to a sandy road. WE FOUND IT!

Apparently there is an ‘how to get to us’ – explanation on their website, and even free pick-up service, so it’s probably better to check it first when you have Wi-fi. Meanwhile you can also take a look at their monthly events & activities program.

Our own directions = When you get out of the tourist buro, drive to the left on Obala street, pass two roundabouts, keep following, until you see traffic lights. Again, keep going straight, when you see the store “Lidl”, turn right, and follow the “Police” signs, keep going straight until it seems you cannot go any further, and there you’ll see the wooden sign!

The owners’ words: “One of the last unspoilt parts of the Slovenian coast took our breath away. Under the shade of kaki trees, hidden in the Mediterranean jungle we opened a new funky campsite, where all our friends can find an oasis for themselves.”

They’re not lying, an oasis it is! We’ve never slept so soundly on a camping ground. You have three options. You can sleep in one of the ‘Istrian lean to’ tent houses that are already equipped with mattresses, pillows & linnen. You can also rent-a-tent (including air mattresses) or bring your own. The owner was very friendly and relaxed, we could choose wherever we wanted to set up our tent. Furthermore, there is a small kitchen, 3 showers and 2 toilets (men and women have to share them though…), a common fireplace and wood-hewn benches so it becomes one socializing area. Since there is not a lot of space to put tents, this a very peaceful and cosy campsite. We wished we could have stayed longer to explore that ‘Mediterranean jungle’! If you want to get away from the hustle and bustle of Portorož, this is the place to go!

Kaki Plac is part of the environmentally conscious Adrenaline-Check Organization. If you’re near Soča/Bovec, check out Adrenaline-check Soča Eco Camp: Europe’s first sustainable open air hostel.

Oh, yes, we accidentially forgot a whole bag of food and kitchen supplies there. We were already in Croatia when we realized it! So if the owners ever read this, we hope you enjoyed the wine!