Hotel Starkl - Heritage & Unique

Hotel Starkl is a beautiful, freshly renovated hotel directly at Lake Bled, a bit off the buzz. We loved the atmosphere and the tranquility of the place. Boats to the island are departing directly in front of the hotel and it’s only a short walk along the lake to the centre of Bled. The restaurant was excellent and the staff there extraordinarily friendly. We will definitely come back!

A very nice small hotel in Bled, located directly across from row boats to the island. Beware - no elevator. Rooms are quite nice and rooms 104 and 204 have balconies overlooking the lake. Restaurant and bar service. About 1 Km from other restaurants. Excellent breakfast buffet included.

We decided to treat ourselves to a room with a balcony. As the rooms are small this added some extra space and provided a lovely view of the lake. This was particularly nice at night when the traffic had calmed down ( the current roadworks don't help but I am sure will be gone soon). The hotel is a good 20 minute walk from the main restaurants and hotels but just across the road from the boats that take you to the island. The Arriva bus from Ljubljana stops outside the hotel- stop Bled Mlino- and was excellent value. We ate in the hotel restaurant on our first night and would recommend doing do. Excellent food and wine- the gluten free chocolate cake is delicious. Breakfast was good but nothing special. I was not a fan of the coffee machine and would have preferred freshly brewed coffee. Staff were a bit hit and miss. Some were very friendly and helpful. Some just lacked a smile. Bled itself is lovely but very touristy. I preferred Lake Bohinj which is easily accessible by bus which leaves from outside the hotel.

A really lovely restaurant. The food was delicious and well presented. The staff were so friendly and kind - special mention to Bojan our waiter who could not have been more lovely and attentive. Would heartily recommend a visit - it was a gorgeous evening.

Lovely stay - Very welcoming and accommodating staff nothing was too much to ask. Breakfast options were vast and varied, fresh warm bread every morning - gluten free and also vegan options available - the staff knew my husband liked a big mug of tea and would bring him a mug specially for him every morning which I thought was such a lovely touch. The rooms are clean airy and newly decorated in a lovely style and also smelt lovely - we had daily maid service who gave clean towels and made the bed. Yes the rooms are small and also the shower I'm 5ft and found my self banging my elbows on the shower door the first few times! With two suitcases there really wasn't any more wriggle room - but what I will say is the view over looking the lake makes up for all of that - it was so lovely to look out every morning you felt like you were on the lake its self - good AC and double glazed windows - a suggestion for the room would be if there could be some hooks added just so you can hang things up and also a few small shelves to put things on I think this would really help with the layout of the room and make things more accessible. location wise there is a restaurant attached to the Hotel - we ate here once - lovely view and attentive staff serving a range of different dishes - you even get a complimentary glass of bubbles which was a lovely touch - its around a 20min walk in the main town of Bled where there are more restaurants and bars - there is a free shuttle bus that comes around but we found this unreliable and found it easier to walk - right outside you can get a row boat or gondola boat over to the lake bled island or just along for that chill out on the bank and go to a lovely dip in the beautiful lake bled - overall we had a beautiful stay and would recommended to anyone thinking of going - thank you!

As soon as I walked into this charming boutique hotel, I felt right at home! It had beautifully stylish decor, and smelt gorgeous thanks to the Green cardamom Rituals fragrance diffuser - same as what I have at home :-) The staff were super efficient and friendly. We were given a complimentary glass of Prosecco each at the on-site restaurant which was a lovely touch! They also provided us with complimentary Julian Alps cards which are very handy for various discounts. The room (junior suite) was beautiful, very comfortable and included amenities like slippers, tea, coffee, 2 TVs etc. The hotel had kindly left a colouring book and crayons for my 6-year old boy - again, a nice, thoughtful gesture. The bathroom had my favourite Rituals toiletries which I so appreciated! Breakfast was lovely and I especially enjoyed the fresh fruit and smoothie bowls. The views of the gleaming Lake Bled from the dining area made breakfast extra special. In the evenings, we mainly dined at the on-site Restaurant Starkl which served very generous portions and was very good. The bus stop is opposite the hotel making it very convenient when visiting Bohinj or going into Bled village for example. Lake Bled is the most magical setting - its’s like stepping into a fairytale. The hotel’s location is unbeatable as it’s right opposite the lake and a 15-min walk into the “centre” of the village, the castle, the Waterpark etc. Opposite the hotel, you see the gorgeous pletna boats that take you to Bled island. The hotel has set up a pop-up bar/cafe on the other lake shore opposite the road which is great especially in the evenings as you watch the sunset while sipping a cocktail while listening to the soothing church bells from island. As I write this review several months after my stay, I’m transported back to the serenity of the lake and its surrounds and the joyful memories of being there. We throughly enjoyed our 6-night stay at this fabulous hotel. On check out, the staff surprised us with a lovely gift (Prosecco and a toy puzzle for my son) which was so unexpected and kind. If you want to stay at a welcoming, stylish hotel in the most magical setting, this is the place :-) Book it now!