Majerija — Hotel in Vipava

What an awesome surprise this place is!!! A very warm welcome, very approachable hosts. On your room keyholder it says, ‘Aroma Burje in Sonca’, Aroma of the wind and the sun, and it sure is.||Sitting by the large herb and veggie garden listening the bees hard at work, watching the sun rise over the mountains and now highlighting the church tower of nearby village of Slap, I feel serene . Not far are a baby llama with mom and dad as well as some goats. Birds are beginning their early morning songs. Sitting on about ten hectares of prime-quality vineyards, orchards and fields, this place is peaceful, calm and lovely. I had a very restful sleep after a long day of biking to get here. The view is sublime. ||The initial house was built around the year 1700 containing the usual (kitchen, outhouse, bedrooms) as well as a ‘faladur’ (an old dialect word for an antechamber to the cellar where people socialized and drank), a room for grape/wine processing, a hay shed, a chicken coop, a granary, a stone vaulted cellar, and a stable.||Matej and his wife Nataša finally bought this farmhouse, long dreamed about but without the necessary funds, in 1994 when he was still working as a chef in renowned restaurants and teaching at a hotel school in Trieste. She was also a teacher.||It took them twelve years to slowly give shape to their dream and transform that abandoned place into what it is today. Since Majerija is a protected cultural property surrounded by land used for cultivation, the strict rules made it that the only possibility to make something special was to create a cozy, modern and innovative underground accommodation with completely natural materials.||Of consideration was also the view. ‘Because the Vipava valley is so characteristic, I didn't want to change that too much when I wanted to start a hotel. Therefore, I decided to put the rooms not on top of the land, but under the ground. Now you are probably wondering whether there is enough light, but if you had looked closely at the vegetable garden you would have seen that there are large sheets of glass along it.’ ||Under the herb garden, you enter a simple room. Each of the ten rooms is named after an herb. I chose Rosemary but it could’ve been Lavender, Hyssop, Basil or… A gigantic painting of the said herb covers one of the walls of the room. Lavender is of course painted in that color and so are the others, the Rosemary room was painted in that green. ||Due to the good use of light, you do not have the feeling of being underground at all. There is little in the way of cupboards or chairs (hangers are provided), and no TV. There’s Wi-Fi and mobile reception. Skylights ensure you’re not starved of natural light, and the temperature is a constant 17C. ||Kudo to Matej and Nataša for their perseverance and amazing creativity while respecting the ancient feel of this place.||A delicious breakfast is taken above ground and includes freshly picked fruits from the garden, homemade breads, jams, cheeses, cold cuts,...

We spent three nights here and enjoyed ourselves very much. Our host greated us with wine (local AND fantastic). Very helpful on making dinner reservations for us and giving us info on local restaurants and sights to see. ||We truly were happy with our stay, but there were oddities for you to be aware of: 1) The guest quarters are below ground. The Incandescent lighting was excellent but there is only a small skylight to connect you with the outdoors. 2) The bathroom is open to the bedroom with a cloth curtain to afford privacy. 3) The shower glass is squeaky clean and both my friend and I walked into it during the night. I had a lump and bruise but no concusion☺️. 4)There is a great room area and group refrig, plus dishware, glasses and silverware so you can have a snack or a cold meal. This was wonderful to have. ||The beds were comfy and the rooms meticulously clean. There is heat and air conditioning as needed. The rooms are all the same except for the accent colors and wall flora paintings. Very sleek and modern with stone and natural wood floors; simple, gorgeous wood furniture and contemporary bathroom fixtures.||You can get your laundry done by the housekeeper for $€10. Neatly folded and returned to you room.m||Typical European breakfast. After three mornings we were tired of the same serving of meats, one cheese, toast and a small selection of fresh fruit.||Unfortunately their gourmet restaurant was closed while we were there. Beautiful dining area with lots of bottles of wine for decor.||Lovely, quiet area around the hotel. Wonderful herb garden plus a table and chairs under a persimmon tree where we had lunch (meats, cheeses and bread bought at local markets) and...

My wife and I stayed here for two nights as part of our Slovenia holiday. The hotel is small with 10 rooms and located in the middle of the vineyards of the Vipava Valley. It is about 3-4 km from the main town of Vipava. we walked into town and it was easy to follow the roads. Additionally, we walked around the roads in the vineyards and saw the local goats and llamas. The staff was super friendly and helpful and allowed us to pick our room for our stay. ||||The rooms are in a lower level below the main building and vegetable/herd garden. Each room had a skylight to provide natural light that could be covered for sleeping. The bed was comfortable. The bathroom was open to the bedroom with only a curtain for privacy. The shower has a partial glass wall and great stone floor. However, when showering, water got all over the bathroom floor and leaked under the glass door. They had placed a towel at the shower opening to reduce water on the floor, but the towel got very wet. ||||Breakfast was standard with fresh basked bread, meats, cheeses, yogurt, and boiled eggs. one huge bonus was the homemade jams that were included in the breakfast. These were great! We had dinner one night and were blown away by the quality of the dinner. We a four-course meal and each course was unique, unusual, and delicious and probably the best meal we had in Slovenia. We also tried some local Vipava wines with our dinner and the staff helped pick the best wine. Don't miss out on having dinner here, you will not be...