Hiša Štekar

Beautiful location, wonderful staff.

Wow. We feel so lucky that we happened across Hiša Štekar. Set in a hillside vineyard, with stunning views of nearby villages, this lovely family run winery has a sparkling swimming pool and a beautiful shaded outdoor space for dining, as well as a covered and open air space. Without hesitation I would return. Tamara was friendly and professional, as well as accommodating. The winery offered dinner on three of the four nights we were there, and the food was the best we’ve had on this trip - mostly locally sourced I think, and homemade. We also did a winetasting with our dinner one night. Along with her knowledge of the wines, Tamara is a fantastic cook and even offers cooking classes on site. The location was in a great spot for visiting local wineries, nearby villlages, etc. We were there riding our bikes and they had no issue with my husband putting the bikes together, and they have a store room for bikes and other equipment. The road riding in the area was beautiful, and there are several routes nearby that you can find on a physical map at the local tourism office (we got ours in Smartno). We also took a day to drive to Bovec where we rode up stunning Mangart Saddle, and we drove 45 minutes to the beach in Italy. Hisa Stekar has 8 rooms, so not too big or impersonal. Hisa Stekar was an absolute highlight of our trip. Breakfast was included and that was also good. And there was free parking on site.

It was wonderful. No complaints.

Śniadnia smaczne ale raczej skromne. Domowe ciasta, trochę owoców. Podobała mi się lokalizacja z pięknymi widokami na wzgórza z winnicami oraz zieleń wokół domu. Kameralny rodzinny hotelik w winnicy. Miła obsługa i czystość bez zarzutu. Mały basenik.

The breakfast, the room and the view. The property itself has a lot of potential: the location is beautiful, the triple room was spacious, clean and comfortable, and breakfast was nice (delicious tomatoes among other things), prepared by the older owner who was also smiley and friendly. However, apart from her, overall it felt that there was little effort to make guests feel welcome, engage with them, or provide the experience that was advertised on the website.

It’s hard to give a review of this stay. I booked it because they are wine producers, one of the first to be organically certified in Slovenia, and I was excited to learn more about their wine and possibly have a wine tasting. I was also hoping to enjoy the calm and charm of the Brda wine region and its hills, and some peace and quiet. Unfortunately, none of these things happened. We arrived at 3:15pm instead of 4:00pm which is the check-in time. While I understand that rooms may only be available from 4pm, we were very disappointed that no one was present at reception when we arrived. We were exhausted, couldn't find parking, and would have liked to at least use the swimming pool while waiting for the (very late) check-in time. As we didn't know whom to speak to, we decided to take our car and return at 4pm. When we came back, check-in was rushed and impersonal. No one greeted us properly, and the only information given was about breakfast. There was no mention of the restaurant or wine tasting. Throughout our stay, no one asked us anything. During both days of our stay, four young children played and shouted in the courtyard continuously, which made it difficult to rest. I cannot say for certain who the children belonged to, but it seems that they were part of the owners' family (though I may be wrong). While it’s understandable that children want to play, it seems unfair that they can make noise for hours with no one asking them to be a bit calm for the sake (and respect) of guests who may want some peace and quiet. The situation didn't improve even when it rained and, as we couldn't sleep, we decided to leave the premises and go for a wine tasting 15 minutes away—which turned out to be a very positive experience.