The mountains, lakes, and forests of Slovenia create a picturesque landscape. Photo: Traveler Sandra Lawrence

Our recent one-week trip to Slovenia was fantastic. None of our group of four had been to Slovenia and therefore we were intrigued to go. Wendy and Brooke introduced us to our planners and they knocked it out of the park. Great suggestions on where to go and what to see.

Ljubljana is a wonderful city and the perfect place to start. We could’ve stayed longer, including our excellent hotel. The country is absolutely beautiful with its mountains, lakes, and 60% forest. The food is delicious. Slovenia grows or raises almost all their food, so everything is fresh and healthy and mouthwatering. The wine is excellent. The three hotels we stayed at were 5 Star. We didn’t want to leave. The history, the castles, the caves, the museums, the capital and the lakes were all incredibly interesting. Most importantly, the travel arrangements were perfect and our guides excellent.

A shout out especially to Mitja who was incredibly organized, knowledgeable, and flexible. When Mitja is not doing cultural and historical tours, he is a ski instructor, white water kayak instructor, and climbing instructor. He also loves to cook and knows a great deal about food, as evidenced in the exceptional restaurants he took us to and his knowledge of local food. His English is perfect, and when we asked where he learned English, he said YouTube and TV. Wow.

Thank you all for a wonderful time. Everyone should go to Slovenia!

From start to finish everything went very smoothly! Every driver/guide/skipper was excellent and always punctual. The activities were excellent and we loved the hotels. Ivana and Emina were also always available and quick to respond to anything we needed. Thank you for the recommendation!

My husband and I recently returned from our first time traveling to Croatia arranged by Alan and Ivana’s team. We allowed them to plan our first week there, as our second week was already arranged with our immediate family, 3 generations, aboard a private yacht. Starting in Dubrovnik, I questioned why we were not staying inside the city walls, but it proved to be wonderful staying at the Villa Dubrovnik, which was a 10-minute walk from the old town. The cliffside accommodations were beautiful and the seaside views were stunning. Each night we had different yachts anchored in front of our balcony.

Our experiences with each guide and driver were fantastic. We spent time with a local winemaker, celebrity chefs in their family homes, and enjoyed learning so much from them. We then continued our week in Split, and once again stayed at the Ambassador, which was a 10-minute walk outside the old town. It allowed us to watch all the yachts going in and out of the port. We loved our time in Croatia, even though it was high season mid-August, we never felt it was too crowded to enjoy all we did there. We took our planners’ recommendations for restaurants several evenings and always got in without having a reservation. I would certainly not hesitate to have the team plan our next visit to Croatia.

Travelers Brad, Janice, and their daughter JoAnne at a wine tasting lunch at Stemberger Wines.

Our Slovenia adventure began as we were transported from Trieste, Italy to Ljubljana by Peter, our excellent guide, who was a former snowboarder on the Slovenia National Team. On the way, our first stop was at Stemberger Wines in the Karst region of Slovenia. Our hostess, Loredana, was generous with her time and shared her passion for wine, local food, cooking, and family as she welcomed us in for a tasting and authentic Slovenian lunch that she prepared. We tried several wines, but “orange wine,” made from macerated grapes used for white wine, was their organic specialty. We learned that Slovenia is the third most forested country in Europe, following Finland and Sweden.

After our fantastic beginning, we reached Ljubljana, the capital city, to wander the lively streets of old town, which is reserved only for pedestrians, making it quite unique and peaceful. Many outdoor restaurants and shops predominantly line the river and its lively boat traffic in town and encircle the castle that overlooks the city.

The next day we tasted our way through Ljubljana, with the help of a terrific tour guide, Stasha. Did you know that there are 25 different gastronomic regions in Slovenia? We sampled products from a curly haired pig, alpine dairy items, pasta with truffles and wild garlic, gelato, and a dessert called Struklji made with phyllo, cottage cheese, and raisins. Our guide also was super knowledgeable about the city’s history and shared with us about her upbringing in Slovenia. Really fun and informative.

Our guide Peter took us from Ljubljana to visit Lake Bled the following day. Lake Bled is famous for its castle on an island in the middle of a pristine lake in what’s called the Julian Alps of the Upper Carniolan region of northwestern Slovenia. Only 35 km from Ljubljana, it was truly a fairy-tale environment in which Peter was born and raised. His parents still live in the family house today.

The personal touches of this tour were incredible. Not only did we see and experience a beautiful country, but we also got to know and share ideas with many of the friendly and informative guides who made the trip come alive for us.