Fleewinter

Where elegance meets tradition. Ljubljana’s most prestigious hotel is a favoured haunt of the rich and famous. The lavish Art Nouveau architecture lends it a presidential air right in the heart of Europes most charming city.

Located in the heart of the city centre, where the road network meets the large pedestrianised zone that helps makes Ljubljana so special. Overlooking Prešeren Square, the Triple Bridge and the Ljubljana Castle, it is the perfect base to explore the city.

The Grand Hotel Union is fit for a Queen (in fact, Queen Elizabeth has stayed over) with its faultless, friendly service and range of amenities. Rarely for Ljubljana, there is a swimming pool, up on the top floor with an open terrace and views of the castle. There is also a sauna and treatment rooms for massages, as well as a gym that is open 24 hours a day. Downstairs you’ll find a range of boutiques and the helpful concierge desk, while beneath the hotel is a large underground parking garage.

The grand Art Nouveau dame that houses the Grand Hotel Union is a work of art in itself. Dating back to 1905, it has a towering creamy stone façade, topped with a distinctive iron-domed roof that makes it a landmark building in this city full of architectural big hitters. Despite its lengthy history, the hotel still feels modern, its capacious hallways enjoying an airy, light feel. Slip inside from the busy city centre street and enter a world of old world calm and charm. Marble and hardwoods are plentiful, as are chandeliers, paintings and period furniture. A grand staircase also neatly set the stones sweeping through the heart of the hotel.

On hot summer days the Restaurant Union’s tree-shrouded garden terrace offers welcome cool, along with dishes such as dry-cured local ham with mozzarella and lemon-scented chicken fillet. For coffee and cake head to the street front Kavarna Union, a traditionally grand old café. The extensive breakfast buffet is served in a large, bright room overlooking the hotel’s central courtyard. The buffet is probably the most extensive on offer at any Ljubljana hotel, with a lavish spread of meats, cheese, fruit and drinks, and a range à la carte options also available.