Our story

Our families have many years of experience in welcoming guests to our home. The first guests started coming to ŠKANTAR HOUSE in Ribčev Laz, the origins of my husband's family, shortly after the war, as his great-grandmother Amalia arranged a few rooms for guests in her house by Lake Bohinj and started making her living by renting accomodations. My mother-in-law Marija and my father-in-law Miro, who live on the first floor of the house and took after her to accomodate guests, often tell stories about tourism in those times. What we remembered most was that at that time, the guest was considered a »king« – he came to rest in the Triglav National Park, so his peace was not to be disturbed at any cost. Today, the younger generation is less reserved and we no longer tiptoe around the house because of the guests. On the contrary: we happily socialize with them – and for many of them, there is no better experience than joining local people or their hosts on a trip to the mountains.

In the summer time, Marija and Miro like to sit on the bench in front of the house and admire the Julian Alps with their crowning peak Triglav – it's a view you can't get enough of. In the morning, they go hiking at the nearby hills, such as Galetovec, Ratitovec, Rudnica, or take a walk by Lake Bohinj. They still like to take care of the guests who have been returning to our apartments for years, and are happy to serve them in the afternoon when they return tired from wandering around the Bohinj mountains.

»Life is great when there's plenty of us around the table, and even greater when the table is full of food and wine.« In GORENC HOUSE in Bohinjska Bistrica, this was my father Stane's life motto. He was very open and hospitable, and his gregariousness was contagious, so it's no wonder that he became friends with most of the guests. Many like to visit us even after his death. The first guests in the apartments were friends and acquaintances of my parents from all over Slovenia, who shared their love of nature and passion for fishing. That way they, when coming to Bohinj, got the chance to sleep there. In all these years, our house has become their second home, and we have become their family.

My parents and my in-laws have been closely connected with nature all their lives and have passed on to the younger generations their admiration for its beauty, especially for the alpine world. We often collected herbs and flowers during our trips – spruce shoots for cough syrup, thyme for tea, blueberries for blueberry brandy, dandelion flowers for dandelion honey... I believe this is where my love for colors and natural flowers comes from. Above all, I am fascinated by flowers in the highlands, where the conditions are really unrelenting, but nature always finds a way. That's why I named the apartments ALPINE FLOWER and used floral motifs from nature in the interior design of both houses.

My husband and I inherited the tradition of Bohinj hospitality from our parents who nurtured it for many decades. We try to make the stay with us even more pleasant, and we try to share everything that excites us with our guests. My husband is a great supporter of a respectful and sustainable attitude towards nature, and he is also professionally engaged in environment protection. In his spare time, he is an avid mountain biker, mountain climber and holds a mountain bike guide license. I love trekking and cycling. In the winter, we both like to go ski touring, alpine skiing and cross-country skiing. We are truly grateful that our natural environment allows us to indulge in all these sports activities. Our next challenge is to walk the Juliana Trail in stages and complete the Bohinj Mountain Trail. Our sons also like to help with the cleanliness of the apartments and the surroundings of the house. They are excellent advisers if you are interested in how to experience Bohinj as a young person – their English is fluent.

That's us – in a nutshell. Welcome!

Lidija