Hotel Grad Otočec — Hotel in Novo Mesto

One of the most attractive hotels in Slovenia reigns on the beautiful island of the shallow watercourse of the Krka River. The only "water castle" in Slovenia is a member of the international association of hotels and restaurants Relais & Châteaux, and with its offer it ranks among the top tourism destinations on a global scale. Guests are offered 16 luxuriously appointed rooms and suites with furniture made of natural materials, and the renowned castle restaurant boasts fresh, healthy and landscape-inspired dishes of exciting flavors.The story goes that originally the castle was not built on the island, but on the right side of the river Krka by the water, but later one of the lords on the right dug a piece of land so that in the middle of the water the castle was so much more secure from the enemy.

It is unknown who built Otočec Castle and when. Only so much is known historically that it already stood in the 13th century.

Peasants: in 1252 and 1254 Henrik Otolsky and his brother, in 1256 Ulrik Otolsky, in 1289 Engelbert, in 1322 Valkun, in 1355 Nicole, in 1372 Hincelin, in 1386 Witner Otolski. Later, the Otocan family became extinct and the castle came into the ownership of the Vilander family. This is how history names in 1503 Sigmund Vilander, who died in 1520 and his son William, who also supplied the Turjak and Taricko castles. On Good Friday, 1547, William died because he had fallen off a horse a few days earlier. Both owners lie buried in front of the pulpit in the Franciscan church in Novo mesto. When the Vilandrov family died out, the barons of the castle were the barons Lenkoviči, among whom Janez Lenkovič and his son Yuri, who died in Ljubljana in 1601 and with whom the Lenkovič family became extinct, are especially famous and well-deserved. Yuri was the provincial governor of Carniola and merged the manors of Trebelsko and Štatenvrsko with Otoška, ​​where they established a provincial court. Behind these, the castle was given the birthplace of the Permalink, and from them the castle was bought by Wolf Jakob Solnce. In the 18th and 19th centuries, the Schweiger family was found to be the owners of Otočec. The last owner was...

Hotel Grad Otočec is a truly special place — set on a small island nestled between two gentle streams of the Krka River, surrounded by lush greenery and serene nature. The setting is straight out of a fairy tale and offers a peaceful, relaxing escape from the outside world.||From the moment we arrived, we were welcomed with warm hospitality. A lovely lady at the reception greeted us in the beautiful castle lobby, brought us a glass of champagne, and personally took care of our check-in while retrieving our luggage from the car. This level of service set the tone for the rest of our stay.||Our room was spacious and very clean, with a large bathroom and thoughtful amenities. While I personally would have preferred furniture with a bit more historical charm to match the character of the castle, the room was nonetheless elegant and comfortable. The complimentary minibar (soft drinks and water), coffee machine, and excellent nightly turndown service were all appreciated touches.||We stayed for both dinner and breakfast, and dinner was nothing short of exceptional — truly Michelin star quality in both taste and presentation. Breakfast was also delightful, served with the same warmth and care by the attentive staff.||The front desk and restaurant staff were consistently kind, professional, and helpful throughout our stay. Their genuine hospitality really enhances the overall experience.||All in all, Hotel Grad Otočec is one of the best hotels we've stayed at in Slovenia — a perfect blend of nature, comfort, and refined service. Highly recommended for anyone seeking a luxurious yet...

Historic castle in a park setting with swans floating by on the river so a charming first impression. A lovely stone courtyard. The room was ok, all dark wood and fairly small considering the price. Our big disappointment was the food. The breakfast was fine and in fact we enjoyed the treat of local smoked trout. We had booked a package with a dinner and that’s where we felt disappointed. Most of the dishes were fairly mediocre- we expected more from a Michelin rated place. The server was young and enthusiastic but needed more training as service was not very professional. Two dishes that did stand out were 1) a “ deconstructed” caprese salad with basil ice cream and 2) a dessert which was not only beautifully presented but very good, and I am not usually one for merengue based pastries. Photos of both included. One outstanding offering of the hotel was the chance to go to an affiliated spa. We picked the one about 1/2 hour away because the hotel staff said it was the nicer one; it was very large with many choices and excellent massages at a fair price ( only had to pay for massages). The hotel receptionists were all exceedingly nice and helpful- gold stars to all of them. We took a several hour hike one day- not a lot else to do in the area.We went out of our way while in Slovenia to have this unique stay and I am not sorry we did but I’d more recommend it if you are going to be in the area anyhow, rather than thinking of it as a destination. It might be okay for a weekend get away if you are...