Majerija

What an awesome surprise this place is!!! A very warm welcome, very approachable hosts. On your room keyholder it says, ‘Aroma Burje in Sonca’, Aroma of the wind and the sun, and it sure is. Sitting by the large herb and veggie garden listening the bees hard at work, watching the sun rise over the mountains and now highlighting the church tower of nearby village of Slap, I feel serene . Not far are a baby llama with mom and dad as well as some goats. Birds are beginning their early morning songs. Sitting on about ten hectares of prime-quality vineyards, orchards and fields, this place is peaceful, calm and lovely. I had a very restful sleep after a long day of biking to get here. The view is sublime. The initial house was built around the year 1700 containing the usual (kitchen, outhouse, bedrooms) as well as a ‘faladur’ (an old dialect word for an antechamber to the cellar where people socialized and drank), a room for grape/wine processing, a hay shed, a chicken coop, a granary, a stone vaulted cellar, and a stable. Matej and his wife Nataša finally bought this farmhouse, long dreamed about but without the necessary funds, in 1994 when he was still working as a chef in renowned restaurants and teaching at a hotel school in Trieste. She was also a teacher. It took them twelve years to slowly give shape to their dream and transform that abandoned place into what it is today. Since Majerija is a protected cultural property surrounded by land used for cultivation, the strict rules made it that the only possibility to make something special was to create a cozy, modern and innovative underground accommodation with completely natural materials. Of consideration was also the view. ‘Because the Vipava valley is so characteristic, I didn't want to change that too much when I wanted to start a hotel. Therefore, I decided to put the rooms not on top of the land, but under the ground. Now you are probably wondering whether there is enough light, but if you had looked closely at the vegetable garden you would have seen that there are large sheets of glass along it.’ Under the herb garden, you enter a simple room. Each of the ten rooms is named after an herb. I chose Rosemary but it could’ve been Lavender, Hyssop, Basil or… A gigantic painting of the said herb covers one of the walls of the room. Lavender is of course painted in that color and so are the others, the Rosemary room was painted in that green. Due to the good use of light, you do not have the feeling of being underground at all. There is little in the way of cupboards or chairs (hangers are provided), and no TV. There’s Wi-Fi and mobile reception. Skylights ensure you’re not starved of natural light, and the temperature is a constant 17C. Kudo to Matej and Nataša for their perseverance and amazing creativity while respecting the ancient feel of this place. A delicious breakfast is taken above ground and includes freshly picked fruits from the garden, homemade breads, jams