August 2023
Rogaška Slatina – Spend your retreat with the best company
Our trip to Rogaška Slatina started on a Thursday morning. We drove from Ljubljana and it took us less than 2 hours to reach our accommodation for the night.
The moment we arrived at the parkway of the Pomono we were greeted by Janko, our host and the owner of this fantastic relaxing nature guest house. He welcomed us with open hands, and we immediately knew it would be a tremendous stay. We were taken inside the dining area for breakfast, of what is otherwise a fairytale corner in the countryside of the health resort Rogaška Slatina. We could hardly call it a corner, since Janko owns an extensive farmland that offers completely sustainable tourism. The farmland is all about pears, herbs, flowers, grass, and water. But we’ll get to that later on.
Janko continues telling us the story: All the rooms in a separate object are named by a different fruit sort. We picked an Apricot room for ourselves. And we weren’t disappointed. Each room comes with a modern feel as well as wooden floors. The wooden beams of the building are thoughtfully incorporated into the interior design.
After a breakfast that already felt like the highlight of our day, we were then taken around Janko’s land. Be ready to have your mind blown away by all the projects Janko has realized or is still working on. There is a whole wellness area that allows a guest to completely relax (saunas, natural pool, beehives bed…).
When going further, Janko took us through a 120m long bridge he has built over the part of his land, where looking down you can observe all different types of trees, shitake mushroom garden, pigs,… it’s like a small ecosystem right below your feet.
But it doesn’t end here. He then takes you to his herbs garden, vegetable garden, and water-powered greenhouse, and tells you that all you will eat at Pomona guest stay comes from this exact land.
Continuing the “learning path” as they call it, you soon pass by an extensive pears’ orchard. (Hint: buy their homemade pear jam and thank us later)!
This path ends with Janko’s introduction of his future projects and needless to say they are futuristic, as well as have a meaningful idea behind them. We won’t even start by trying to explain them – you should go and see them for yourself!
We had lunch and dinner both organized in Pomona’s restaurant. We had such an amazing opportunity to try all the traditional flavors in a modern and innovative version: local, healthy, prestigious, and VIP menu. And Janko went out of his way to introduce us to some local wines as well – and we were simply stunned. We were so grateful for how Janko and his team treated us, with warm hospitality and making sure we are always having a lovely time. They made sure we had all that we needed and still felt like we were at home, and we were so happy to continue chatting with Janko and getting to know his vision even after closing time.
The next morning, we visited the city center of Rogaška Slatina, which is known for its laid-back, relaxed environment, and it did not disappoint. We were brought to the Medical center, where we had a scheduled morning: Mini regeneration. We took a short break to relax and gain new strength. It included: 1 on 1 Body and nutrition consultation, 1 Donat drinking card (be sure not to skip it) and 1 body massage with magnesium oil.
The whole experience was as relaxing as it gets. It’s exactly what one needs at the end of a working weekend!
But what better way to connect the dots of these two days than ending the trip with a visit to Anin Dvor, where lovely Saša introduced us to the whole history of this place.
The legend goes that It has been a long time since Apollo, the God of light, healing, and beauty, (and today’s trademark deity for the healing mineral water Donat), encountered the winged horse Pegasus. With a powerful strike of his hoof, the winged horse revealed a mineral spring at his command, the power and fame of which are still with the people of Rogaška Slatina today.
Not only did we learn why everyone in this region is so laid back and relaxed, but we also got to know the most famous Glassware brand and its history and impact it has on this region, Swiss patron Kurt Müller’s Graphic Collection, Local History Collection of the local creator and collector Nani Poljanec, Park Collection of Rogaška Slatina’s native trees, Water Collection with water scenery for relaxation, Beauty Collection of the leading Slovenian cosmetics house, and the famous multipurpose Event Hall.
And no, this is not your typical museum, but instead an extremely interactive and versatile museum collection. Trust us.
We would once again like to emphasize how lovely the people of Rogaška Slatina were. How welcoming and warm they are with any newcomers, and how relaxing and calm the whole place is.
We’re so grateful we got to know this part of Slovenia, and we will surely be coming back in the future!
Nika & Mik
Photos by: Nika and Mik
