the stay
In the village of Dvorje, at the foot of Krvavec and the Kamnik-Savinja Alps, stands a house the locals have called Pr' Menart since the 19th century, when the Podjed family lived here. Today the family estate holds eight carefully renovated apartments — oak furniture, underfloor heating, and windows that all point at mountains.
Each apartment is named after a member of the family — Janez, Ksenija, Magdalena, Rado, Angela, Janko, Jernej, Miha — and each has its own entrance, a fully equipped kitchen, and a balcony or terrace. They range from 40 m² for two up to 95 m² across two floors for six; the larger ones have their own sauna and a whirlpool tub. One apartment (Rado) is wheelchair-accessible.
Around the house: a garden, an orchard, and a forest with a walking path that leads to Strmol Castle. The hosts prepare a homemade breakfast from local farms on request. And the logistics are almost suspiciously kind — Ljubljana Airport is eight kilometres away, so the transfer from plane to silence takes about ten minutes.
Menart Estate, Dvorje 34, 4207 Cerklje na Gorenjskem, Slovenia.
sensory profile
Five sensory dimensions we specifically rate Menart Estate on.
Menart Estate peaks on calm — a village edge with a forest behind the house and mountains in every window. The mild trade-offs: the estate is shared with other guest families, and the grounds, while green, are not endless.
daily rhythm
Predictability matters for neurodivergent children. Here is the rhythm you can rely on — and prepare your child for in advance.
what to pack
A practical list for ND families. Alpine weather has moods — pack for all of them.
Layers
alpine mornings are crisp
Walking shoes
forest paths & meadows
Swimsuits
whirlpool & sauna evenings
Sunscreen
mountain sun is sharp
Insect repellent
forest walks at dusk
Headphones
for the journey
Favourite pillow
new place, familiar sleep
A book & board games
for rainy mountain afternoons
property plan
Walk through the plan with your child before the trip. North is up — and the mountains are everywhere.
what is nearby
Pharmacy, doctor, supermarket — places worth knowing in advance. Gorenjska distances, mostly by car.
sense of place
why we recommend it
For families whose children pay for every hour of transfer, Menart solves the cruellest part of alpine holidays: getting there. And once you're there, the estate is built for eight separate rhythms.
Ljubljana Airport is about ten minutes away by car. For a child who unravels during long transfers, this changes everything: you land, and before the meltdown window even opens, you're standing in a quiet garden under the Alps. (And no, you don't hear the airport from the house.)
Every apartment has a private entrance and a fully equipped kitchen. No shared hallways to navigate, no dining room schedule. For picky eaters and unusual mealtimes, your kitchen is your freedom.
The larger apartments have their own sauna and a whirlpool tub. Deep pressure, warmth, and water — three of the most reliable regulation tools — available without a public wellness centre, without strangers, without waiting.
The forest path from the estate leads to Strmol Castle — a walk short enough for small legs and with a clear, motivating destination. Repeat it daily and it becomes a ritual: same path, same trees, same castle. Predictability you can walk.
The hosts prepare breakfast from local farm ingredients on request. No buffet hall, no morning crowd — the day starts at your own table, at your own pace.
Warm floors for barefoot children, solid oak furniture, calm modern interiors without visual clutter. The materials are new and predictable — nothing creaks, nothing surprises.
Apartment Rado is fully wheelchair-accessible — rare in alpine family stays. It also makes the estate workable for grandparents with limited mobility joining the trip.
Krvavec's cable car is ten minutes away — skiing in winter, meadows in summer. Lake Bled and Ljubljana are both about half an hour. You can fill a week without ever driving far, or spend it entirely in the garden.
why it worked for us
We came in spring, when the meadows under Krvavec were just waking up and the trails were still empty. That was the point: a holiday in the gap between seasons, when a mountain village belongs to the people who live there — and to the one family walking the forest path to the castle every morning. That family was us.
The transfer was the shortest of our lives. Ten minutes from the airport carousel to the apartment door. Our son usually needs a day to recover from travelling; here there was almost nothing to recover from. By the first evening he had claimed his spot by the window with the mountains in it.
The castle walk became our anchor. Same path through the forest, same bend where the trees open, same castle at the end. By the third day he was leading us. A walk that repeats is not boring for a child like ours — it's safe. And safe is where the good days grow from.
Evenings belonged to warm water. A whirlpool behind our own door meant regulation without negotiation — no public pool noise, no strangers, no queue. Twenty minutes of warmth and bubbles, then a calm dinner on the terrace while the Alps turned pink. I don't think we've ever had smoother bedtimes on a holiday.
— Andreabest suited for
One family fits in a single apartment; two or three families — or a family with grandparents — can each take their own apartment and keep separate rhythms under one roof. The accessible apartment (Rado) makes it one of the few alpine stays that works with a wheelchair.
Ideal off-season: spring and autumn are quiet, green, and crowd-free. Works year-round for children who need calm, structure, and a daily walk with a destination.
what to watch for
Alpine weather changes fast — a sunny plan can turn into a rainy afternoon, so bring indoor backups (books, games; the sauna helps). A car is useful: the shops, pharmacy, and restaurants are in Cerklje, about 2 km away.
The estate hosts up to eight families at once. Entrances are private, but the garden and parking are shared — in high season expect other children around. The smaller apartments don't have their own sauna; if that matters, book Angela, Janko, Jernej, or Miha.
booking & contact
menart in motion
The estate and the mountains around it, as we filmed them. Watch with your child before the trip, so the place feels familiar on arrival.
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