Boutique Hotel & Restaurant Milka Slovenia
Boutique Hotel & Restaurant Milka
Vrsiska cesta 45, 4280 Kranjska Gora, SI-Slovenia
www.hotelmilka.si
HOTEL INFORMATION
Group
Moya Estates doo
Shareholders
Privately owned
Date of Creation
May 2022
Hotel General Manager
Dino Katalenic, General Manager
Worked at Blakes, London from 2003 until 2007 in various roles, from 2007 until 2012 in corporate sector, then travelled and worked around the world until 2015 and from then until 2020 worked for Backroads, the #1 active travel company in the world, working in luxury tourism from Argentina to South Africa to various parts of Europe from Portugal to Russia and from Italy to Finland.
Hotel Positioning
According to local classification law governing hotels in Slovenia we can get a maximum rating of 3* superior, because we are lacking an elevator which we couldn’t incorporate into the structure due to limitations of the building. However, we have enough points (services ad amenities) to be a 5* superior and this is also visible on the official rating report.
Development Strategy
We envisage to become Virtuoso partner and we have started the conversation with the LHW, where we would also like to join. If it becomes available, we are looking into purchasing another property next to ours to expand the number of rooms and add a swimming pool to our current portfolio.
Our mission and vision is to provide the best experience to our guests in Slovenia and we will do everything to achieve this, including promoting ourselves in trade shows like ILTS, Le Miami etc. We are also limited by our small number of rooms which are already getting booked up in summer.
BOUTIQUE HOTEL & RESTAURANT MILKA
History & Story
Gostisce Milka was built in the early 70s and was owned and run by Milka who then passed it over to her daughter who ran it until 2015 when the current owners purchased it. The building desperately needed a renovation and with the global pandemic it was perfect time to make that a reality. Out of previous 7 rooms only 3 were overlooking the lake and the mountains. We managed to get 6 rooms (3 larger suites and 3 standard luxury double rooms) all having access to the beautiful panorama that stretches from the hotel overlooking one of the most beautiful alpine lakes in Slovenia and the Julian Alps behind. We are located right at the entrance to Slovenia’s only National Park: The Triglav National Park. Furthermore, Slovenia’s highest mountain pass Vrsic also starts right in front of our doors where cycling enthusiasts flock in summer to climb the pass or continue with a loop covering two of the most coveted Slovenian mountain passes. Winter offers a myriad of activities from easy snow shoeing options to ice-climbing or back country skiing in Julian Haute Route.
Great attention was made to place the small hotel in line with our values to protect and care for the environment and the people. We are a plastic free destination with all our amenities in non-plastic containers. This rule applies also to fabrics in rooms – no non-natural materials have been used and to staff uniforms. All our work shoes are vegan and sustainably sourced. Our cosmetics is custom made from best natural ingredients, not tested on animals. Our bespoke ceramics is made partly from finest Slovenian clay and in its entirety, hand-made by Slovenian artisans. Our façade is made entirely out of wood and has been burnt and hand brushed to never need a layer of colour, which then could be washed off into the water stream. These are just a few examples of our commitment to protect the environment we are in.
Restaurant Milka is a fine dining restaurant with set menu for both lunch and dinner and a commitment to snatch a Michelin star within our first year of operation. Lunch menu features local fine dining experience with the option of 4- or 7-course meal and dinner option is 7- or 10-course meal. We offer a wide choice of local wines, over 250 Slovenian labels and our bespoke non-alcoholic pairing.
Date Renewal
The entire building with its surroundings was renovated during the years 2020 & 2021 with renovation works finished in May 2021. The entire concept of previous structure has been revamped and a new path was chosen for Boutique Hotel & Restaurant Milka. The most important aspects of the renovations were:
1. To create an unforgettable guest experience in the Julian Alps,
2. To bring the beautiful environment we find ourselves in, into the building and to provide an extension of the exterior in our rooms and in our restaurant,
3. To unify aspects of nature with the modern standards and to have a red thread following throughout the structure combining these two.
By following these principles, we created a small modern boutique hotel satisfying the current standards of living, including thoughtful design, functional living solutions and alpine tranquillity and minimalism. The entire project was handled by Gartner Lifecycle Architects under the guidance of our General Manager who has extensive background in boutique hotels from all around the world.
Previous Milka had 7 small rooms with only 3 of them overlooking the lake and the mountains, and after the renovation we created 6 rooms in two categories: 3 suites and 3 luxury double rooms, all having vistas over the lake and the surrounding mountains and all but one having an open area – whether a balcony or a terrace or both.
Date added extensions
There will be a bar/lounge area added to the premises within the next year, however we have a small bar already, there is just no lounge area per se at the present.
Main Strengths, Special Touch
Small and boutique is our strong point – each room is different and special and given the fact that we only have 6 rooms, we can help our guests in ways bigger hotels cannot. We offer activities in the area as well as a whole range of other amenities, from massages to private car hire and helicopter flights (with or without added activities on top). We want to be the base for those guests who seek active lifestyle and enjoy the pristine nature, good food, carefully chosen local wines and beautifully designed rooms. All of this connected with a very personalised service that goes the extra mile.
Our view into the Julian Alps and over the Jasna lake is breath-taking and definitely one of our strong points as is our proximity to Alpine activities in the National Park year-round. We pride ourselves in being the first truly boutique hotel in Slovenia, catering to the modern traveller but especially to those seeking to take in the environment that surrounds us by actively participating in it.
Location
We are located right at the edge and looking into Slovenia’s only National Park – the Triglav National Park. It is a vast area of protected southern Julian Alpine Massif stretching between Italy, parts of Austria and Slovenia. Furthermore, we are at the bottom of Slovenia’s highest mountain pass Vrsic, a mekka for cyclists, connecting the alpine world with the Soca river valley, which is dubbed the cleanest river in Europe. Film Narnia was shot there for its pristine waters of gorgeous emerald and turquoise green. Vrsic pass is also a natural continental divide between the littoral and alpine worlds. Cyclists have the option of cycling 3 mountain passes in one day – Vrsic, Predil and Mangart saddle, completing a 100km/60mi ride loop from hotel and back to the hotel with over 4000m of elevation gain.
There is a myriad of other attractions in the vicinity. The spring of Sava river – natural reserve Zelenci – to breath-takingly beautiful Fusine Lakes 15 minutes away by car in neighbouring Italy. Soca valley was the famous front (Isonzo front) between Italy and Austria-Hungary during WW1 and has many reminders to those days from old forts and fortifications to pill boxes high in the mountains where one of the bloodiest battles during the great war was fought. It was here that Hemingway visited and got inspired to write the book Farewell to Arms. Bled – Slovenia’s most visited town, famous for the gorgeous lake with the island and the iconic church on the island is only 30 minutes away and the lesser known Bohinj (Boh-heen) lake is additional 30 minutes away in a picturesque glacial valley and a myriad of hiking options, paragliding options and more.
Udine, Italy is 1,5 hours away, Venice, Italy and Trieste, Italy are both 2,5 hours away as is Zagreb, Croatia. Entire Istrian peninsula on the Adriatic coastline is under 3 hours away and both Vienna in Austria and Munich, Germany is 3 hours away. Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia is 1 hour away, and Austria is over the hill, 20 mins away. We are truly in the heart of Europe and Slovenia has consecutively been named the green country of Europe.
Key sites/activities in the area
• Triglav National Park (TNP) and Mt Triglav (2864m/9400ft) and over 300 additional peaks over 2000 metres just in Julian alps. Then there are Karavanke mountains and Kamniško-Savinjske mountain range all perfect for hiking, mountaineering, ferrata hiking, climbing, skiing etc.
• Lake Jasna (stand up paddle boarding, kayak, fly fishing, swimming)
• Kranjska Gora (the oldest ski resort in Slovenia: Alpine skiing, snowboarding, Nordic skiing, Back-country skiing in TNP)
• Planica (ski jumps, Europe’s steepest zipline, indoor Nordic skiing run all-year-round, curling, cross country skiing, mountain biking)
• Juliana Trail and Juliana Bike (a 270km long distance circular hiking trail around the Julian Alps and a 290km long mountain biking loop)
• Vršič mountain pass (1611m), Mangart saddle (2.072m), Predil mountain pass (1156m), an old railroad (road cycling, motor cycling)
• Mojstrana is Slovenia’s town with most Olympians and one of the gateways into TNP and a myriad of hiking/mountain biking/skiing options. Via Ferrata, ice climbing and snow shoeing are also available.
• Paragliding, heli-hiking, heli-skiing, parachuting are all options we can organise, however it is important to reserve these activities well ahead of time, especially during the peak season (summer&winter).
• Private dining is possible at our restaurant – subject to availability and prior confirmation.
• Slovenia is a heaven for speleologists with thousands of caves and underground systems to be explored.
• Finally, the beauty of Slovenia is that it is a small country and within 2 hours everything can be reached. We are wedged between the Alps and the Adriatic Sea, where one can easily ski one day and soak in the Adriatic Sea 2 hours later.
• Italy, Austria, Croatia, Germany, Switzerland, and Hungary are all within 3 hours of drive from anywhere in Slovenia.
Fun Facts
• Slovenia is a country of 2 million and its citizen speak its own language – Slovene.
• Slovenia has the largest brown bear population of Europe.
• Slovenia has the largest amount of wood per capita in Europe (after Finland) so it truly is green.
• Slovenians invented the wheel (oldest wheel was found in Slovenia), has the oldest grape vine in the world (Maribor old vine) and has invented democracy (Prince’s Stone of Carantania).
• 216 sq kilometers of Slovenia is covered in vineyards.
• Our country is shaped like a chicken running east.
• Ljubljana is Europe’s greenest capital.
• The famous Lipica stud farm in Slovenia is recognised as the oldest European stud farm continuously breeding one of the oldest cultural horse breeds (Lipizzaner white horses). The history goes back to 1580.
• The most important battle to cause the breakup of the Roman Empire into Eastern and Western part was fought in Slovenia.
• Healing water of Donat Mg (highest magnesium content in the world) has been used for therapeutic purposes for nearly 1000 years (since 1109) and is being sold as the most expensive water in the world under the label Roi Water.
• The old pharmacy in Olimje is one of the oldest surviving monastic pharmacies in Europe.
• Slovenia is not big, but it is layered with more than 8000 known caves. Word karst comes from Slovene region Kras, where karst phenomena was first studied. Postojna Cave is the most visited cave in Slovenia and is over 2 million years old.
• The first married couple to summit Mount Everest were Slovenians. Davo Karničar, the first man to ski descent Mount Everest was from Slovenia. He was also the first man to ski the highest peaks of all seven continents.
• Slovenian language has over 50 dialects and if two Slovenes – one from the east speaks to the one in the west in their own dialect, they won’t understand each other and yet speaking the same language.
Children’s Corner
We accept children from the age of 12 and onward and no special spaces or programs are offered. We treat this age group like adults. In this respect one can say we are an adult only hotel, accommodating teens and young adults form the ages of 12 and onward. Alcohol however is served to persons 18 years old and more.
HOTEL FEATURES
Accommodation
• Number of suites: 3
• Number of Luxury rooms: 6
• Number of rooms, (keys) in all: 6
• All the rooms offer lake as well as the mountain view. All the rooms (apart from Lake Luxury Double) have access to the outdoors either via a balcony or a terrace or both.
• The sizes of the rooms very from 18 to 85m2. Luxury Doubles range between 18-30m2 and suites range between 49-85m2.
• Room amenities: TV with cable and Netflix, premium cotton towels, minibar, premium coffee especially roasted for us, in room coffee machine, tea kettle & our own tea, hair dryer, natural bespoke toiletries in non-plastic containers (shampoo, shower gel, intimate wash, conditioner, nail file, body lotion, hand & face cream, cotton buds, toothbrush, deodorant, bath salts, organic luffa sponges, foot cream…), fridge, bathrobes and slippers, hypoallergenic pillows (on demand), personal in-room safe and a large safe for larger items at reception. Upon request, there is a hair iron available, as well as an iron and ironing board.
• A la carte breakfast included (possible breakfast in the room with an additional charge)
• Free Wi-Fi, free access to digital version of NYT and The Economist
Restaurants & Bars
• Milka restaurant is a fine dining with a 1 Michelin star, slow food restaurant that offers set tasting menus only (4 or 7 courses for lunch and 7 or 10 courses for dinner). It is open from Thursday to Sunday for lunch between 12 and 4pm (last seating at 1:30pm), and dinner between 6 and 11pm (last seating at 7:30pm). Additionally, the restaurant is open for lunch for our hotel guests on Wednesdays. All our ingredients are local (bought from different farms in the radius of 150km) and seasonal. Our dishes change often due to the seasonality of the produce we get. With our meals there is a choice of different wine pairings (local varietals, organic wines, regional wines) as well as our own in-house made non-alcoholic pairing. We pride ourselves to have over 250 Slovene wine labels, truly showcasing our rich history and heritage in being a wine producing country.
• Our bar is open every day from 7:30am to 11pm and it offers a variety of drinks, including the bespoke Milka cocktails that take a creative twist on the classics.
Wellness
• Finnish sauna with a shower and resting space – 1hr slots are booked per room, which makes it private.
• A private jacuzzi (hot tub) on private terrace overlooking the lake and the mountains that belongs to our Garden suite.
• All rooms feature a bath tub, except Garden Suite where there is an outdoor hot tub and Pine Luxury Double, which features a double shower instead of a walk-in shower and a bath tub.
• We have an agreement with a local fitness/gym that is 5min drive away – we can book a slot for our guests. They can also book a private trainer at an additional cost.
Corporate & Celebration Events
• Our restaurant can take up to 25 guests and our hotel can sleep up to 13 guests for any potential events.
• For private events we can host up to 40 people at a time for canapes and drinks or standing events – subject to prior agreement. For seated events we can host up to 25 people, also subject to availability and prior agreement.
• We can sit 25 people on our terrace.
• We are happy to host small private corporate events such as company lunches, dinners and/or cocktail parties, as well as birthday parties, small weddings and more. All these need to be agreed upon well ahead of time.
• Restaurant can be reserved for private events, lunches, and dinners. Cost for private hire which includes our current menu (additional changes to the menu need to be approved and are subject to availability) for lunch is 4000€, for dinner is 5000€ and for an entire day is 8000€. These prices do not include drinks and are valid for up to 25 people. These prices are of informative nature and should there be significant price increases in supplies or guests’ wishes then a more accurate calculation will be communicated.
Extra Notable Features
• Yoga at the lake (outdoor) – we provide mats free of charge and upon request a yoga instructor (extra charge)
• guided hikes, bike rides, Nordic walking and all the other activities mentioned above. We work with local activity agencies that do bespoke tours and programs for our guests. Our guests can use Nordic walking poles we have at the hotel free of charge.
• Ski centre 5min drive away, heli-skiing and back country skiing options available
• Massage in room or at a Spa nearby
• Golf course (9 hole) in Kranjska Gora village (operates in summer months) 5min drive away
Hotel and restaurant Awards
Milka restaurant has a 1 Michelin star
Number of employees
13