I was quite disappointed in my stay here. First, let me say that there is admittedly a LOT that is nice about this property. And for what it is, it is nice enough. My problem is that what it holds itself out to be is not consistent with what it actually is. I found the "luxury" description to be inaccurate in several key respects, which meant that this property did not deliver what I was expecting, what I had chosen it for, and what I paid for. I feel like they misrepresented a number of things about the property and, because those things happened to be some of the very reasons I chose to stay here instead of somewhere else, I was not very happy with my stay. ||First, the good: Very nice location, near some restaurants, and about a 7-10 min pleasant walk to the lake. It is also very close to a grocery store so you can stock up. While I didn't park, it did have (I believe free) parking for guests, which I think is a rarity in these parts, so that is likely very convenient if you have a car. In SOME respects, the apartment was well appointed - the bathroom was nice and modern with a big shower that had good water pressure; the kitchen was well appointed, as well, and was also well stocked with plates and cookware, etc. It was nice to have a sitting area/living room and the Smart TV with Netflix, etc., was nice especially since I got rain for 2/3 days I was there. It was, although in the process of getting somewhat beat-up (see below), very clean. They provided ample towels. ||But, as nice as THOSE things were, I have some major complaints about this place, and some big objections to its claim to be a "luxury" accomodation. I was angry about the generally the misleading nature of how they characterize the place. ||- First, the beds were NOT comfortable. The "mattress" was basically a big mushy sponge sliding around on top of a cheap ikea-esque plastic cube bed frame. I woke up stiff and sore every morning. The sheets were cheap and scratchy, but admittedly clean. ||- Second, and this was my BIG issue - though this place claims that it is Air Conditioned, that is VERY misleading. In truth, they can either turn the heat on or the AC on, and if the heat is on, you can't use the AC at all. They still had the heat on in late May. When I arrived late afternoon my first day, it was about 79F/26C outside, and about 77/25C inside. I turned the AC on. I waited. Hours. It did absolutely NOTHING and the place never cooled down. It was impossible to sleep that first night because it was like 83 degrees F. The instructions that they leave you in the building specifically say not to leave the windows open. The next day when the woman came to check me in (more on check in timing/process below) I mentioned to her that the AC was not working. In the ensuing conversation it was clear that she had no idea how to work the AC in the first place (she kept telling me I had to have the sun and not the snowflake mode selected which, anyone who has ever used an AC knows, is not right. The sun is heat. The snowflake is AC) and also that she did not really understand me. So, she called her boss, and after speaking with him she told me (what I eventually understood to mean) that the building is floor-heated, that the AC doesn't work when the heat is on, that the heat WAS currently on because it was supposed to be cooler/rain the next few days, and that I would just have to turn the AC off and leave all the windows open. Well, first off, I chose this place (and paid more money than other options closer to the lake) because it said it was Air Conditioned and that is something that matters to me when I travel. I realize that I am a spoiled American about this, but I know myself and this is a key thing I look for in a place to stay, and I will pay a premium for it. So if you promise it (and I am paying more for it), you need to deliver what you promised. Second, OK fine, even if I put that aside, I am a solo female traveler on the ground floor, maybe I don't want to leave the giant screenless windows open all night? Plus, I want to leave the room for most of the day every day and don't want to leave the windows wide open while I am gone, especially since it's POURING out (and because I have to leave valuables out, more on that below). Third, um windows open means....so. many. bugs. So, I asked to speak directly to the boss who basically told me (cordially, but rather dismissively) that he was leaving the heat on, I couldn't use the AC, and to deal with it. Despite having written instructions in the room that say NOT to leave the windows open, he acted like I was a nutcase for not wanting to do so. "This is what we Slovenes do. Open the windows. It is just nature." "If you leave all the windows throughout the whole apartment open it will cool down." So, despite the fact that is not what I wanted and not what they promised the room would be like, I did what he said and left all the windows open all over the apartment. And put up with the massive influx of bugs. (SO MANY BUGS. Moths. Mosquitos. Spiders.) And the fact it felt unsafe. And the fact that it was raining and splattering in. Etc. And it STILL didn't cool the apartment!!!! Lucky for me, the next few days were cooler because it was raining - but it was 15C/60F outside and still 25-26C/77-79F degrees inside the whole time, even with every single window wide open! The room was much hotter than it was outside, no matter what I tried. In short, the place was stifling. It is actually lucky I got rain and not sun the remaining days I was there or I would have melted. In short, despite what they claim, this is NOT an Air Conditioned accommodation. That is just a blatant misrepresentation. ||- Third, there was very bad (non existent) communication from the management/property, and inaccurate info about check-in and the presence of staff. As soon as I booked the apartment/paid my deposit, I reached out to confirm some things and ask a couple of questions about check-in, as I was coming by car transfer and wanted to see about drop off times, details, etc. I reached out 3-4 times via email over the course of about 4-6 weeks with zero response. Finally I went through their website inquiry form (which goes to the same email I had been emailing, but I assume comes in as an inquiry from a POTENTIAL guest as opposed to someone who already paid) and got a response. And when I asked questions in response to that, I again was ignored. I chalked it up as cultural thing where email responsiveness is more laissez faire (though I did not have that experience with anyone else in Slovenia), NBD, and figured the place had good reviews and no one mentioned check-in issues so I didn't have to be too worried about getting in when I got there. ||The information I eventually gota day or so before check in said that check-in was 2pm to 10pm, and that someone is there until 5pm. I got there between 3-4 specifically to make sure someone was there, just in case I had any issues (I prefer that someone be there when I check in; I realize not everyone cares, but I do). I planned my day based on what they represented to be true about staffing -- I had left my previous place much earlier than I would have preferred, and rushed my day, specifically to get there when there would be a person there to check me in. Moreover, I had specifically told them in advance (at their request) what time I would arrive, and (again at their request) messaged them when I was about an hour away. But I was THEN told that, actually, no one would be there and to check myself in using codes, and they would come the next day to get payment, etc. In some ways, because the codes worked, no big deal, I got in, etc. Not worth getting pissy about, right? But maybe I didn't want to have to wait around the next day to do the whole passport and pay thing. Why aren't you there when you say you are going to be there? Also, despite the fact that it was hours after 2pm (when check-in begins), and they knew when I was coming, my room wasn't ready when I arrived. The cleaning people were still in it cleaning when I got there. I had to wait like 45 min to get in. In and of itself, not a huge deal at all but coupled with everything else it just seems like bad communication and organization. ||Then, after I dropped my stuff off, changed, and got ready to go out, I had an issue. The apartment door wouldn't lock behind me when I tried to leave, and the woman answering the messages on behalf of the property did not understand me and could not help. She kept telling me the door locked automatically and I kept telling her that I knew it SHOULD be locking behind me, but it wasn't. I lost at least an hour trying to resolve the issue. When finally her boss called me (the same one I ended up speaking to the next day about the AC) he helped me fix it pretty easily (there is a little switch in the door jam that was in the wrong position) but it was a giant pain and having no one there and no one immediately available who was knowledgeable about the apartment was an issue. Which leads me to....||- There was never any staff there. I know this is not a hotel. I did not expect a 24-7 front desk and concierge. There are hotels, and there are apartments, and there are apartment hotels. Hotels are constantly staffed, apartments have no staff ever, and apartment hotels (and B&Bs) are supposed to have staff during certain hours. This place purports to be an apartment hotel with staff on site during certain hours, which is one of the reasons I picked it. In reality, there is never anyone around. I think I saw someone at the front desk once in my days there. It is another misrepresentation. ||Other gripes: |- The "safe" is so small you cannot fit an iPad or laptop in it, so assume you will have to leave those things out in the apartment (you know, with all the windows unlocked and open). You will also not be told unless you specifically ask that the code for the safe is the same as the code for your room. Even after I mentioned the first day that my safe was not working no one told me about the code until later in my stay. Again, bad communication.|- Overall, while the general standard of the apartment is nice, there is a LOT of wear and tear that is clearly not being taken care of. My walls had scuffs and dents and indeed in some places GASHES in the drywall all over them. Certain curtains were ripped and stained or coming off the tracks. There were chips in the ceramic sinks, and the toilet flusher button was missing a piece of plastic, etc. I don't think this place has been renting out that long - seems like a lot of heavy wear and tear for a short period. In short, the place is not being repaired/maintained well as things get damaged and my guess is that it will therefore decline rapidly in the near term.||In summary, my big problem with this place boils down to the fact that they just don't accurately describe the accommodations or the amenities. I feel like accommodations have a duty to describe their rooms and services honestly and with complete candor. Travelers rely on these descriptions to make sure we can pick a place that meets our preferred criteria, as individual travelers with our own preference and picadillos. I realize that the things that matter to ME when choosing a place to stay don't matter to everyone. So many of the things I took issue with might not be problems for anyone else. In which case, great, go and have a good time here, you will like it. But the things that matter to me matter to me. If you say you have certain things or describe your place a certain way, and I chose your place on that basis, I am going to be mad when you don't deliver. So if you, like me, care about AC, comfy beds, or any of the other issues I outlined, don't trust their descriptions. They oversell the place for sure. ||A final note: As a general matter I did not feel like I was made to feel welcome here at all. I did not perceive any effort from management to make sure that the Vila's guests enjoyed their time in Bled. Compared to my accomodations in Piran (a B&B with limited staff hours) and Ljubljana (an apartment with no staff), both of which could not possibly have been lovelier or more welcoming (check out my reviews - I could not recommend either of THOSE places more highly), this property fell laughably short. Vila Ula La did NOTHING to make me feel at home or like they cared about my comfort or enjoyment of the place or of the town. I found that they were pretty cold and uninviting and at times even rude. The feeling I was left with was that I was income and nothing more to them, and once they had my money who cared if I had an enjoyable stay. For that alone I rounded down 2.5 rating to a 2. I would not stay here again, and would not...
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