Occidental Ljubljana

The bed was very comfortable, breakfast was good, and the staff were helpful. The hotel is lovely and right in the city center, but getting luggage out at the entrance is awkward because there's nowhere for a car to wait and unload. I found the bathroom arrangement strange. The toilet, shower and tub are all separate. It worked, but I didn't like the setup.

For under €200 a night in Ljubljana, this was the best hotel option. Elizavella at reception was very understanding and sharp, and sorted out a few issues with our booking. The rooms were clean, and breakfast had lots of choices and good quality food.

We were at the Occidental Ljubljana over Valentine's weekend, arriving early Friday morning and leaving Monday. We paid extra for a city-facing room and breakfast. The location was fantastic, right in the center overlooking a square, with the castle in view. The river, shops and restaurants were a two minute walk one way, and museums and galleries were just as close in the other direction. There's an underground car park at the hotel, and a Lidl below it for snacks or a bottle of wine. The airport is around a 30 minute drive; our Uber cost €35. Our recently refurbished room felt stylish and quite high end, with big floor-to-ceiling windows, sheer and blackout curtains, and views over the square and main road. It was surprisingly quiet. Storage was limited but enough for a few days, and there was a safe, free-to-use fridge and toiletries. The room was clean and the beds comfortable, but our double was two single beds pushed together, each with its own bedding. It didn't feel very romantic, and they slid apart when we tried to sleep close together, leaving a big gap. We tried wedging things under the feet, but it didn't help. The TV had a Google nest (??) attached, so we thought we could stream our subscriptions, but it wasn't working. That left us with the channels already on the TV, mostly Slovenian, German and a couple of other languages. Luckily the winter Olympics were on, so we watched in German. The restaurant areas looked modern, clean and recently redone. One evening we ordered tapas from La Santa Maria, but it was very average and overpriced. The patatas bravas were just wedges with ketchup and aioli. Breakfast was okay, with pastries, yogurt, fruit and cereal, but after 8:30 there were no eggs except hard-boiled ones. Staff let us leave our bags behind the desk before check-in and after checkout, and they spoke good English. They were accommodating, though not especially friendly or forthcoming when we asked for information. We had a great stay and would recommend the place for its location, convenience and value.

The buffet breakfast impressed me, with a good variety of food. The room was spotless, the location was great and the staff were very nice. There's a small gym if you want to work out, just don't expect much: it has only a few free weights and cardio machines.