| Product: |
Lake Bled |
| Date: |
15/10/01 (506 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: Beautiful views, Great food, Nice people
Disadvantages: Very quiet, Not a lot laid on for the kids
We visited Bled this summer with our two young children (two and a half and eight months). The Idea was to get lakes and mountains without the hideous prices of Austria and Italy. The verdict - this is it!
We went late August/ early September, when the prices had started to drop. Beware though, the weather is changeable at that time of year (it ranged from 30 degrees celsius and bright sunshine to 14 degrees and rain) and the resort is starting to close down for the summer.
Our Accommodation - a self catering apartment, although in the best traditions of self catering apartments it was two rings, a sink and a fridge. It was clean, well furnished and in a good location. The owners spoke little English - I had to use my schoolgirl German - so if you have a phrasebook, take it.
Highlights - The castle is a very steep climb (when pushing a buggy!) but the views are spectacular. It has a small museum with some good background info.
- The lake, and the infamous church on the island (the blob in the middle of the photo). Take a pletna (a gondola) over to the church, ring the bell like the world and his grandmother and enjoy a delicious ice-cream.
-The open-air Lido pool. This is very clean and well-maintained. It's great for kids with safe little pools, sand pits, play equipment and room to run. The water is quite warm.
-The lake - beautiful at the time we went as the autumn colours were just starting. The walk round the lake is easy going, or take the little road train (approx £2.50 for an adult, £1.50 for children, and you can hop on and off), or take a horse-drawn carriage(approx £20) if you're feeling flush.
Eating- food is great. There are Italian and Austrian influences, but lots of good local dishes. The absolute best restaurant, in my humble opinion, is "Pri Planincu", close to the Jelovica hotel and the youth Hostel. The food is wonderful, service good, and it's great value for mo
ney. We tried other places, but I wouldn't recommend anywhere else.
Kids stuff - there's entertainment in high season, but not much laid on outside it. There are two playgrounds which we found, one at the campsite, and one at Ribno, about a mile out of Bled. The Slovenes are very child friendly, but forget baby change facilities or highchairs. Baby necessities (food, nappies etc)are quite easy to come by, but choice is limited.
Anything else? The Lonely Planet Guide book is great. The New Bank of Lubljana, up the hill from Globtours and the Kompas hotel changes sterling traveller's cheques without commission, and right next door you'll find a Brown Bear cake shop - yummy!
Any downsides? It's very quiet at night, and there seems to be an endless stream of German coach parties.
Overall - great if you want quiet!
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