Fairytale European holiday with huge castles and ‘fairy lakes’

MARCHING  into the Dolen­jska forest, we’re struck by its fairytale beauty. 

A dusting of snow fell overnight, making the Sušica river appear even more turquoise as it snakes deep into the alpine mountains.

ShutterstockLake Bled’s stunning scenery and mighty castle are a huge draw[/caption]

SuppliedIn the Dolen­jska forest, we’re struck by its fairytale beauty[/caption]

We are in north ­Slovenia on a guided walking tour through the picturesque Julian Alps.

My whistle-stop trek begins on the small but mighty coastline, the Gulf of Piran, nestled between Italy and Croatia, home to Fonda Fish Farm.

The vast waters on the farm are backed by the Italian Dolomites and we soak up the views from our boat, weaving through the buoys and dozens of giant blue rubber rings which mark the sea bass cages. 

The sea bass and mussels here are of the finest quality, recently  recognised with a Jakob Award, meaning there is no healthier or fresher fish in the Mediterranean.

“We want our fish to be appreciated like a fine wine,” Irena Fonda, the farm’s head biologist, tells me. “The world is obsessed with good wine, but we are obsessed with healthy fish.” 

 And the best place to sample that fish? A couple of hours’ north of here, at Lake Bled’s Kavarna Park restaurant, which  not only does terrific sea bass but also boards of deer salami, local cheese and breadsticks dipped in zaseka — a bacon jam. 

We tuck into portions of white fish, which  has a melt-in-the-mouth texture, accompanied by white wine from Slovenia’s Bjana winery. 

Aside from the restaurant, Lake Bled’s stunning scenery and mighty castle (€13pp entry) are a huge draw, as well as the medieval church, awash with legend and standing proudly in the middle of the lake.

GettyBefore flying home, we stop at our third castle fortress in the capital city of Ljubljana[/caption]

Couples from around the world flock here  to get married — and ­legend says, to ensure a successful marriage, the groom must climb the 99 steps up to Mary’s Church with the bride in his arms.

Legend claims that fairies created Lake Bled. And another, less happy tale, reports a young widow who lived in the castle paid for the church  bell with her fortune, after her husband was killed by robbers and his body dumped in the water.

What’s not a myth, though, is the therapeutic energy of the thermal springs all across Slovenia which has been used as a healing source since the 13th century. 

It began with Roman Catholic monks who cultivated the salt fields near the coast making the world- famous Piran Salt. Doing so, they realised saltpan workers rarely got sick and so they cultivated thalassotherapy remedies (sea-water therapy) to treat the wider population. 

The centuries-old medicines are still in practice today. Slovenians are given free treatments at the country’s many spas and health resorts. 

The Wellness Hotel Sotelia is one of them and on the drive there I am startled to see it rise into view in the form of a huge dark glass dome set into an emerald hill, enveloped by forest and facing centuries-old houses on the hills opposite it.

Inside the giant dome, visitors are padding around in white robes and slippers and there are dozens of jet fountains to ease my muscles after Nordic walking, as well as  thermal pools lit up in colours of lilac, emerald  and orange.

Unbelievably, a spa night here starts at just €85 with breakfast, but it’s worth heading elsewhere for ­dinner.

In nearby Brežice, restaurant Ošterija Debeluh (Fat Man) serves  Slovenian haute-cuisine dishes, from just €12, alongside local wines.

A  smoked butter mopped up with chunks of bosman — a scrummy light bread — and  smoked trout with baked pear, horseradish and trout egg are to start.

Then, for main, their signature dish Fat Cake, which is beef tartare soaked in a cold nutmeg broth, goose liver and quail egg seasoned with coffee.

Before flying home, we stop at our third castle fortress in the capital city of Ljubljana. 

A walk up its 11th century tower offers panoramic views of the old town and the cream, yellow and rusty pink  rooftops. Now I really do feel like I’m in a fairytale.

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