What is more, landscape architect Darja Matjašec tweeted the following: “While some villas at Bled are crumbling, investors decided to build wooden houses in treetops, dramatically changing the character of this destination." She added: “That’s just it, anyone can do whatever they want on their land. We have no strategies, no goals. Why don’t we just try with fashionable glamping.”
Whether ecological wooden tree houses, located where a garden centre used to be, are really an anomaly that is demolishing the character of Bled, is a matter of discussion. After all, with the exception of the idyllic islet and the castle above the lake, Bled is hardly an architectural jewel, and the overall fairy-tale image of the village started to deteriorate with postmodern behemoths in the 1970s, that is, long before the visually less invasive glamorous camping at Camping Bled sprung up in 2012 and before two Boruts (designer Borut Kokelj and entrepreneur Borut Kelih) started building Garden Village Bled last year, with their business venture now thriving and earning money. 100 metres away, however, Tito’s former holiday residence Villa Bled, one of those villas Matjašec talks about, the ones supposed to be the highlight of tourism at Bled, stands closed and no one seems to know what to do with it.
The managers of Garden Village, on the other hand, know how to run a business. Even before the complex opened in June, Slovenia’s public agency for tourism SPIRIT SLOVENIA already gave them a recognition award for the creator of the most promising idea in the field of tourism. Located on 8,000 square metres that used to belong to a garden centre, 300 metres from the lake, the innovative ecological tourist complex was built in a year. The constructors used eco-friendly materials and fit the complex organically between trees, a pond and a brook. There are 6 wooden tree houses, one of them designed for newly-weds, with eight trees growing through it and its own set of liftable stairs. Guests are greeted by a personalized written welcome in their own language. Enquires for this tree house are the most frequent, but as the CEO Maja Dimnik admits, many are discouraged when they learn about the price. Slovenians in particular. The tree house costs 280 euros per night, and the same goes for 6 glamping tents with their own heated wooden bathtub and a pier as well as two luxury apartments with an en suite jacuzzi. The cheapest accommodation for two is available in 9 tents on the piers above the brook – 150 euros per night, with the added bonus of being able to fish right from the tent and perhaps catch a trout.
Wooden landings connect the houses with the tents, a terrace with a massage table and a birdnest-shaped sauna. The complex boasts a self-cleansing pond that flows into a pool, natural Kneipp baths with reflexology massage, its own photocell-charged electricity source, a heat pump and a charging station for electric cars. “We had Dutch guests who said they had looked for such complex all over Europe,” explains Dimnik, who claims that Garden Village is unlike any other holiday facility in the world. That might not be quite true, since similar boutique eco-resorts can be found at least on a number of paradise islands. However, the latter are usually independent complexes while Garden Village tries to blend and connect with the surroundings.
Dimnik claims that the locals received the project favourably, although what speaks to their favour is also the fact that their guests – mostly couples and families – are very calm. The price has likely played a role in this. Nonetheless, Garden Village was practically sold out before the opening and there are only a few openings still available for this season (until the end of October). The complex calculated in choosing its target audience abroad, occupying specialized foreign websites in the months before the opening. Facilities for 75 people are apparently ideal for weddings, too, as two couples from abroad have already rented the entire resort for their weddings next year. Guests can choose from various activities, from rafting to hot balloon flights. Their interests differ – some come for active holidays, whereas others prefer to stay in the dream-like complex. What’s also special about the resort is that everything planted in it is edible. The garden, part of the former garden centre, offers self-supply, and around the tents the owners planted fruit trees, strawberries, blueberry bushes, herbs and vegetables. Guests are welcome to pick their fruits and vegetables. They can also bring them to the restaurant to be prepared for a meal.
The restaurant is one of the most innovative ones in Slovenia: a brook runs through it, tomatoes hang from wooden beams, tables are covered in grass. A bio-shop with a rich selection of Slovenian food and drink products can also be found in the complex. The shelves are laden with boutique jams, cheeses, tea, meat products, chocolate, honey, vinegar, oil and a number of spirits. A selection of quality wines from all Slovenian wine regions is available for tasting and purchase, including the internationally renowned Movia and Ščurek.
A boutique resort for lovers of nature and privacy willing to pay well for it, as a means of promoting Slovenia? Who knows, strange are the paths of tourism. The fact that foreigners had known about Garden Village Bled sooner than Slovenians did, speaks loads.