During our road trip around Slovenia we had the chance to stay in a very eco-friendly resort: Garden Green Village Bled.
This eco-friendly resort is located next to Lake Bled, one of the main attractions of Slovenia. What made me want to stay there were their accommodation types and how different it looked from every accommodation I had ever stayed at.
Quick facts:
Good for: families, couples, friends
Starting from: 275€ per night
Location: lake Bled, Slovenia
Checking in at Garden Village Bled
On arrival we were offered a signature non-alcoholic cocktail to be enjoyed in their VIP table, located in the middle of their pool, with a canape. While we waited for our key we could just look around and see how green everything was.
Everything in the village has been taken care of. Gardens are perfectly aligned with tents and paths, there are little waterfalls throughout the property and all the wood structures are polished. It feels like walking around Wonderland.
The stay at Garden Village Bled
The resort is located barely 3 minutes away driving from Lake Bled.
It has a main restaurant and swimming pool area on the first level, and the rest of the village is located on tiered wooden structures that go down to the river.
Their room categories offer glamping tents, tree houses, pier tents and apartments.
I only found this incredible resort when our whole trip had already been planned (and it was close to the date) so all their tree houses and glamping tents were booked out.
I have to say that I would happily stay in a Pier Tent every day. Ok, I was lying, I would but only after trying the other two room categories.
From the restaurant level one can see the tree houses almost on the same level. Going down the wooden structures we arrived at different viewing decks and when we were almost to the river we were shown our Pier Tent.
Pier tents are located on individual wooden decks overlooking the river, only 2 metres down from the balcony. Some Pier tents even have stairs down to the river so you can refresh yourself right from the privacy of your own deck.
The pier tents amenities include mattresses and sleeping linen, two little lamps at each side. On our private deck a lamp, a big box to store our belongings, two chairs and a mini fridge complemented the room. For all of you worried about the safety of your belongings, both the tent and the box have a lock.
The pier tents do not have private en-suite bathrooms, they are communal. The Treehouses and glamping tents do have en-suite bathrooms.
What makes Garden Village Bled an eco resort?
Garden Village Bled is an eco resort. The energy is powered through solar panels, they have a river running through the property that feeds both the pool and drinking water for guests.
Instead of using chemicals for the pool, there is a pond with different plants that filter and clean the water. How cool is that? Their gardens are full of different vegetables that are served in the Greenhouse restaurant at a later stage.
What I loved most
The attention to detail throughout the property is really satisfying. The staff were over the top kind and the resort was a quiet place to rest after a busy day.
Garden Village Bled offers glamping at its best in lush green gardens. It is a peaceful quiet garden to reconnect with yourself.
Sleeping so close to the river made the whole sleeping in a luxury tent even better. Hearing the water running below us the whole night was very soothing.
As a kid, whenever driving down a road with my parents or walking through a forest, I would always imagine houses sitting among the trees, and dream about someday having my very own tree house.
So when researching where to go for a weekend getaway around the Western Cape, the tree houses at Vindoux Guest Farm sounded like the perfect fit.
Quick Facts:
Good for: families, couples, friends
Starting from: 2150 ZAR per night (116€)
Location: Western Cape, South Africa
Where is Vindoux Guest Farm
Close to Tullbagh, merely 1h40 away from Cape Town, you can find Vindoux Guest Farm. I was so excited during the drive, thinking that we were going to be sleeping in a tree house for the weekend!
It should be on every romantic getaway and family getaway list in the country and even the world. So, thank me later guys, because there’s no way you aren’t going to fall in love with Vindoux Guest Farm too. The last time I introduced a friend to it, he proposed to his wife there (do I get extra points for that?)
About the lodge
Vindoux Guest Farm has two different types of accommodation. They have three luxury tree houses and one honeymoon treehouse.
They also have self catering cottages and family cottages for bigger groups. One of them has it’s own private pool!
The main area is comprised of reception (with quality board games to play during your stay) and main area with pool and big grass area surrounding it. There’s also a main deck that serves as a restaurant.
One of their best assets? In house spa, gym and jacuzzi! The spa therapists are amazing, one of the best massages I’ve ever had in my life!
Tree houses at Vindoux Guest Farm
I have stayed in two different tree houses. They are both around 3.4-6m high from the ground. The room has a double bed, two living chairs, dresser and mini fridge.
The bathroom has a bath big enough for two people, basin and toilet. They also offer fluffy bathrobes. 3 of the tree houses face the game paddock while one faces the vineyards.
Breakfast is included in the night rate and you can have it delivered to your very own door at whatever breakfast time you choose! How great is this?
My favourite Vindoux tree house is the vineyards facing one!
Main deck and game area
They have a rather big paddock for animals. In 2017 they had zebras, springbok and wildebeest. In 2020 they only have the springboks (around 10 of them).
If you are staying in the tree houses or the cottages (and have requested breakfast), you can have your meals at the beautiful main deck (if you stay in a tree house you have your own balcony for that).
From here you can also see the game. They have an amazing menu on offer with lavish platters and gourmet food to pick from.
Activities available
You can book a bike and wine tour from the farm itself and also rent bikes to go explore.
There’s a number of nature paths near the property and a famous waterfall “Waterval”, that unfortunately due to water scarcity was dry when we went. Another excuse to go back soon!
What’s to love
We all love having breakfast in bed, so that you can have it delivered to your tree house is a highlight. The attention to detail from super attentive staff to every flower in the room makes you feel very cared for.
Definitely a top spot for enjoying yourself and the tranquility surrounding you without missing any comfort.
The balcony privacy for a night under the stars playing board games or having a drink is magical and enjoying a two persons bubble bath is incredible too (if there is a drought in the area please be responsible and don’t bath!).
Vindoux Guest Farm is the perfect weekend away. It combines affordable luxury with small game, has its own spa to pamper yourselves during your stay, and exceptional food with ample portions.
Have you ever slept in a treehouse? Where? Let me know in the comments!
If you’ve been reading my blog for some time, you know I enjoy hiking quite a lot. Since I first came to Cape Town I had been seeing posts about people finding Wally’s cave, so one day after reading through a selection of blogs with detailed information, we decided to meet at the parking at 5:15am and start our ascent to the cave before sunrise.
There are two possible ways to get there, and we used one path on the way up and the other on the way down, so I’ll be explaining both.
HIKE UP WALLY’S CAVE
Full hiking route
The path starts on the Lion’s Head trail. You go up on the same path until you find the first metal stairs (that you have to climb). There, instead of climbing up, you have to continue to the left of the stairs. Yo will see a small fence that you have to round and after few steps the little path that you have to follow will appear in front of you. You will continue for some time on that path until you see a wooden bench on your right. It is a little bit covered in plants, but you can see it if paying attention to that side. It could take about 10 or 15 minutes to reach it (time is approximate and it depends on the walking speed).
After that, you will soon see two different paths, one goes to the right and one to the left. If you take the right one, you will continue until the path ends, and you will find yourself in the top of the cave, there is no way you can climb down unless you actually know a lot about climbing and have gear with you. Because we hiked for the first time and it was dark, we didn’t see the path to the left and found ourselves at the top of the cave. Luckily it is not a long path either way from the bench, so we went back until we found the path to the left and followed that one. After a rocky corner you can see the cave up on the right hand side and after some light rock climbing you will arrive at Wally’s cave.
Views from Wally’s cave
The cave is actually quite small, but you can take pictures from the back of it so that you can fit the whole silhouette of Table Mountain in your frame. Having a macro lens will help too.
Sun rising from Wally’s Cave
We got there when it was still dark. Had the opportunity to see the sunrise illuminating table mountain (right in front of the cave). When the sun was up we went around the rocky corner to admire the city of Cape Town.
It was magnificent and the four of us totally enjoyed the views and the experience. The hike is not long at all, it is easy and the views are more than worth it!
After that on our way down from Wally’s cave we took the second possible path down to the parking lot. It is very easy to see with daylight, there’s a path running pretty steep down the mountain. We only had to follow it until the starting of the trail. The path leads to about 6 stairs that take you back to the start of Lion’s Head trail. If you want to take that path on your way up, please consider this carefully as it is steeper.
The blogs I checked out recommended to not do the hike with a dog. I have a small mix breed dog considered small to medium, and he would have loved the hike. It is true that parts of the path are tricky because there is not much space to walk, but small and medium dogs can do it. My opinion is that you can bring your dog to Wally’s cave if it’s not a very big one.
Have you ever done a sunrise mission to Wally’s cave? Don’t you agree the best views are when the sun is rising or setting from the summit of a mountain?
There is no doubt the old town of Dubrovnik is a spectacular thing to behold. The walls surrounding the city make for a very special feeling when you enter. As a Mediterranean tourist city in July, further popularised by a hit TV series, the city was full of people walking around.
Old Town of Dubrovnik
In the main entrance there are tours offered for Game of Thrones fans, but I prefer to discover by myself. I tried to uncover the locations where the show was filmed. Besides a couple very famous ones, all streets really look like every scene of the show could have been filmed there.
After walking in and seeing the amount of people in the main streets we decided to avoid the crowds as best we could and start getting lost around the city. To be fair though, there is not much city to get lost in, so we knew we couldn’t actually get lost. The old town of Dubrovnik is surrounded by walls, so unless exiting one of the big main doors you know where you are at all times.
We started climbing up stairs and walking down little winding alleys and streets. The further away from the city centre we walked, the fewer people we found and the more restaurants with a romantic or a ‘not too busy’ vibe we discovered.
We walked, and walked, climbed some towers. Then we enjoyed some drinks and bought sweets in the typical big sweet shops dotted throughout the city.
We stayed inside the walls for three quarters of the day. The rest of our two days in Dubrovnik discovering beautiful little beaches tucked into the hills. Being more than 30º outside, sightseeing was left for an afternoon and an early morning. During the hottest hours of the day we opted for rocky beaches.
Beaches close to Dubrovnik’s old town
Like always, the hostel receptionist was the best at pointing us to the closest ones. Jumping off rocks, tanning and swimming was very refreshing after the walking around. There is nothing more appealing on a hot summer day than rocks to jump from, cold drinks and a shade to lie during the hot hours of the day.
The great thing about cities next to the sea is that you can always mix sightseeing with relaxation. Some freshening up during the hottest months of the year is definitely a must.
When I started being abroad during yearly festivities, a topic that came up several times was each region/country’s traditions. I have found myself explaining some of the Catalan traditions to internationals that have laughed in my face and googled after my explanation because it sounded too hectic to be real. I wanted to write a post for you guys about the traditions I grew up with that seem odd, strange or funny to people around the world.
Each culture, region or country has some specific traditions, so I’ve chosen 6 Catalan traditions and tried to explain them as good as I can.
Easter “mona”
Catalan and Valencian tradition with its origin in the 15th Century when moriscos would gift a type of cake called “tortell” to their lords to celebrate that Lent was over. In the catholic tradition the godfather would give a mona to their godson on Easter Sunday, and then on the Monday they could eat it. Nowadays the tortell has a second spot and it is more common to give chocolate figures that include bird pen’s and eggs.
The Canigó Flame
On the 23rd of June, coinciding with the shortest night of the year, Sant Joan is celebrated. During St Joan there are fires where people burn old furniture and firecrackers are lit. In the middle of the 20th Century a hiker, inspired by the poem “Canigó” by Jacint Verdaguer decided to hike to the summit of Canigó mountain, light a torch and run from village to village sharing the flame just in time so that a single flame could be used to start all the fires. This tradition of sharing the flame started only in the villages of the Northern Cataluynya, but during the Franco dictatorship it spread as far as the town of Vic.
Tió de nadal
I think this one was my favourite growing up. First of all, to give you all context, back home we do not celebrate Santa Claus. Traditionally families would do the tió for little presents and the 3 wise man for the big Christmas presents. On the night of the 24th of December, the Tió would take place. Now, tió means log, and caga means to shit. The literal translation of CAga tió is the shitting log. It is funny without an explanation, but I think more details will actually make you laugh harder. At the beginning of the month families get a log and the kids paint a face on it.
During that month the Tió has a plate in front of him and kids feed him. They would give him food every day once or twice so the log is happy with the kids and gets fatter, because that means he is getting ready to shit presents. On the eve of the 24th, families congregate around the log – that is now covered with a big blanket – and sing songs while KICKING it with two sticks. After each song the log has shit some presents for everyone in the family. This tradition was so much fun as a kid, not only did you get presents but the singing and then excitement from finding the presents as well.
Caganer
The caganer is a figure of a farmer with his pants around his ankles posing like he was about to go for a shit in the middle of the field. This figure is found hidden in the nativity. Historians seem to think that El Caganer comes from the 17th Century but it was not famous until the 19th Century. Against all my bets, I was surprised when I found out this tradition does not have an escathologic origin. The figure returns to the earth everything that the earth has given him, fertilising the ground for next year’s crops.
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Castellers
Known as human towers in English, the name says it all. It is a Catalan sport consisting of groups of people that create towers by standing on top of each other. The higher they go (more levels) the more difficult it becomes to assemble the figure.
A tower is complete when the smallest guy in the group, called Anxaneta, arrives at the top and rises one hand. They are immaterial heritage for UNESCO.
Sant jordi
Sant Jordi is the love day in Catalunya. The legend says there was once a dragon that lived close to a village, and everyone feared him. They used to feed him their flocks, but one day the village ran out of stocks to give him. They decided to make a lucky draw and give him someone from the village every day. The first lucky winner was the king’s daughter, who insisted against her father’s will, to go. When she was about to be eaten a knight on a white horse came galloping and killed the dragon with his spear. He had freed the village and the princess. From the dragon’s blood a rose plant was born and he gave one of the roses to the princess. The name of the knight was Sant Jordi.
Nowadays women give books and men give roses. It is a romantic tradition between couples, but also between friends and parents and kids. It is certainly my favourite day of the year. Walking around crowded streets, with people just strolling to find their perfect book or rose.
Do you have a funny tradition in your country or region you would like to share? Please comment below
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