Take a peak – the secret’s out about Slovenia See stunning Ljubljana, head for the Julian Alps and dine with the ghost of Kruschev or enjoy fine dining on the Adriatic coast

As a travel writer there are some countries I just cannot help going back to. One of my favourites is Slovenia, a bijou Europe in miniature that boasts Alpine peaks and lakes, world-class food, superb wines, and a slice of Mediterranean coastline, not to mention one of Europe’s most engaging capitals.

My love affair with Slovenia began back in the early 1990s. I was writing about the brutal war in Croatia but crossed into neighbouring Slovenia, too, which had just broken free of the shackles of Yugoslavia to become Mitteleuropa’s youngest country.

I returned a number of times and then wrote one of the earliest Englishlanguage guidebooks to Slovenia, for Bradt, back in 2004. The same year I also authored the first guidebook to the capital, Ljubljana, and ever since I’ve been writing monthly updates on Ljubljana for easyJet’s magazine.

This time I flew into Ljubljana, an airport that now handles flights from all over Europe. I was met at the airport by a friend from my early days in Slovenia, Vesna Tisler. She summed up the positivity of this great wee country: “Back then we were just waking up to Europe, but today we’re proud to be very much part of the European family of nations and enjoy our lives.”

I was in Ljubljana back in 2004, when Slovenia joined the EU, and I remember the sheer excitement on the streets. Slovenia, for me, lies at the heart of Europe. Geographically, she sits between Italy, Croatia, Austria and Hungary. The Slovenian capital’s architecture is also like a greatest hits of European architecture with art nouveau, medieval, baroque and socialist retro styles all starring.

I love that Ljubljana is a city that, since independence in 1991, has bent over backward to put its citizens and visitors first. Traffic has pretty much been banned from the chocolate boxpretty city centre and the old town across the Ljubljanica River. This leaves the core of Ljubljana as a pedestrian oasis where kids can whirl around and adults can stroll without a care.

A major change over the years has been the rise of the city’s restaurants. On the first night of my visit this time I popped in for dinner with an old friend, Janez Bratovž, at his renowned JB restaurant, once voted among the world’s 50 best restaurants.

I was glad to see another fine dining retreat, Strelec, up at the landmark Ljubljana Castle is no longer just trading off its epic city and mountain views. Its innovative recreation of Slovenian dishes this time was nothing short of miraculous. The same could be said of newcomer Monstera Bistro. The young chef here, Bine Volčič, was a judge on Slovenia’s version of Masterchef and he has created a relaxed, informal bistro that utilises ultra-fresh local ingredients to the max. Like most places to eat and drink in Slovenia, it offers great value too.

Pushing on from Ljubljana, the old slogan the tourist office used to use sang around my head as the KamnikSavinja Alps rose up to greet me on my trip north to Logarska Dolina. It read Slovenia – The Sunny Side of the Alps, brilliantly summing up some of the best of what the country offers.

In Logarska Dolina I had lunch with the lovely family behind Vila Plesnik (www.plesnik.si). They were delighted when I showed them the front cover of my Bradt guide as it featured the view from the terrace we were having coffee on! It is a jaw-dropping vista with otherworldly peaks soaring up from a

lush Alpine meadow, a view up there with anything the Swiss or Austrian Alps can offer.

My next stop was again in the mountains but this time further west, in the Julian Alps, basically an extension of the Alps proper. These papier-machelike mountains are remarkable and look their best at Lake Bled, a picturesque glacial lake with a castle overlooking it and a wee island with a church dramatically set in the lake. I was based on this picture-postcard lake at the Vila Bled (www.brdo.si/en/vila-bled).

I felt in grand company here at Vila Bled as Marshal Tito once entertained everyone from Nikita Khrushchev to Indira Gandhi at this lavish 1950s retreat. I savoured dinner with their ghosts on the terrace.

The next morning I got up early to hike four miles around the lake – highly recommended – before a dip from the private lakeside terrace at Vila Bled. I then took one of the free rowing boats that they lay on. It was a sublime experience, heading out in the morning mists towards the small island where an impossibly romantic little church rears its head. Non-guests can also hire a rowing boat and head out to explore.

As my trip neared its end I took a scenic drive south through the remarkable Soča Valley, the rugged mountain netherworld that was the scene of horrific fighting in the First World War. Ernest Hemingway was wounded here as he drove an ambulance. I took time to stop off at the Kobarid War Museum. It’s well worth a stop and is one of the most engaging and moving war museums on the planet.

The Soča Valley is rated for its restaurants these days, too, and local chef Ana Roš has just been voted the world’s best female chef. Her restaurant was closed on the Monday I visited and her new informal bar alternative was a week away from opening. I’ll be back to check both out and suggest that you do too.

After a truly breathtaking day-long drive I made it to the coast, to the Adriatic, with Italy in the distance to one side and Croatia rearing up on the other. I was lucky enough to be staying at the palatial Kempinski Palace Portorož (www.kempinski.com).

I enjoyed dinner on the terrace, sampling superb local produce such as Adriatic prawns and Istrian truffles. I also savoured fine local wines, a feature of my trip to Slovenia, which dishes up first-rate wines that are finally becoming renowned around the world.

I spent my last day on the coast’s most picturesque town, Piran, This Venetian-era gem sports a vaulting campanile – the locals reckon you can see Venice from here on a good day – and a fairytale pretty old town. I enjoyed a seafood feast for next to nothing at an old favourite, Trattoria Ivo, before taking a dip in the Adriatic.

The tourist office’s current slogan is: I Feel Slovenia. I certainly feel the love and thoroughly recommend you take a trip here soon.