Glamping seems to be an upcoming trend. I had read about this glamping resort Garden Village in Lake Bled and had to give it a try. This is definitely camping done right!
We were welcomed with a local Slovenian aperitif while the kids explored the pool and playground.
The pool was “living” meaning instead of cleansing the water with chemicals they plant a certain variety of plants for a natural filter. It seemed like a good idea, but attracted a lot of ducks. I guess that’s when you pretend to be in a lake and get over it! We only got to enjoy an actual swim one time because of the rain.
Garden Village offers several accomodations — we wanted the tree house, but they were booked so glamping tent it was! It ended up being a good trade off because only the glamping tent comes with a private wooden hot tub!
Our secluded table overlooking the stream was most perfect for enjoying coffee each morning. (In full disclosure we didn’t actually do this…it’s just what I had envisioned upon seeing the setup.)
Our tent had full plumbing (some tents on the property use shared bathrooms) including an outdoor shower which I loved — especially while hearing the pitter-patter of a nice and warm summer rain.
The tent was surrounded with its own private yard and gardens all throughout the resort. Guests are free to pick and enjoy anything they find. Strawberries, apples, raspberries, and blueberries were our favorites!
The raised bed above the trough was full of fruit and vegetables. We could watch the kitchen hands wandering around the grounds picking herbs for tonights dinner.
This little creek was just outside of our tent. Perfect trickle of water for sleeping. I didn’t need earplugs or a sound machine!
Now for the star of the show…the wooden tub! We enjoyed a few bottles glasses of sparkling wine over the weekend in this! I could’ve used a little more heat, but the temperature was perfect for the kids. We spent more time at the resort than normal because the weather was so iffy — rained on and off the entire time. The private wooden tub was the perfect remedy!
These are the smaller tents perched over the larger river. They allow people to fish in the river and I’ve read they are happy to throw your catch on the fire for dinner!
The restaurant Vrtnarija is worth visit even if you don’t stay there. Everything is seasonal, locally sourced, and mostly grown on the property — it was delicious! You could taste freshness in every bite. The tables had grass planted right into them! It came in handy…when one of the kids spilled their juice it soaked right into the grass without creating a scene! What a win-win!
A small stream ran right through the restaurant and was also filled with fresh grown herbs and produce. The walls and most of the ceiling were all window which created a wonderful outdoor ambiance.
The kermna rezina, the cream cake of Bled, is made of delicate layers of pasty with vanilla cream and custard on top. Delicious, but I still feel I’m missing out on the original. This was the restaurants variation. According to what I’ve read, the cake must be sampled from creator — the Park Hotel. Guess I still have an excuse to go back…
Beyond our glamping site, we checked out some of the surrounding area. We checked out the castle towering over Lake Bled. The castle is beautiful, but was somewhat unimpressive at the top. It consisted of trinket shops and had beautiful views hard that were a bit difficult to enjoy in the pouring rain.
We stopped at the sleepy village of Radovljica.
We got some lunch and visited a gingerbread house museum in the basement. Derek ordered some kind of dumpling and any time goulash is on the menu it is a definite “yes, please!” for me.
On the way home we stopped at a beautiful park/garden. I can imagine how lovely it is on the weekends. I was surprised it was so empty, but we were there on a weekday. I would’ve gotten more pictures, but it seems like tension was high that day and none of us were in the mood.
I REALLY want to go here. Everything looked amazing, the place, the food, the surroundings. LOve!
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