Vila Muhr: Luxury on the foundations of an old hunting villa next to Lake Bohinj

The sun is slowly setting behind the Laz mountain plateau above Bohinj, as we descend into the valley along a winding macadam road. Some 18 old wooden cowherds’ huts are scattered across the green slopes at an altitude of 1,560 metres, just at the tree line, and here it seems that the world stopped a century ago.

Giant wheels of Bohinj cheese are delivered from this fairy-tale mountain landscape to Vila Muhr, a one-of-a-kind luxury boutique hotel and restaurant in the Gorenjska region.

Vila Muhr was originally built as a holiday hunting lodge for a wealthy Austro-Hungarian merchant named Adolf Muhr. More than a century later, it has succeeded in preserving the spirit and the style of that era in a practically completely new version, under the pine trees, only a stone’s throw away from Lake Bohinj.

Muhr, who also owned Bled Castle and built another two villas in Bled, did not inhabit his Gorenjska estates very long. He died in 1903, only a year after he had built Vila Muhr. His sons inherited the villa, which later became the property of the Yugoslav Karađorđević royal family.

In August 1934, Prince George, Duke of Kent and uncle of the late Queen Elizabeth II, and Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark, got engaged in the villa, then called Vila Royal. The couple were married at Westminster Abbey in London at the end of that same year.

The four luxurious suites in Vila Muhr measure 90 square metres. Each has subtle lighting, and the scent of pine needles gives an impression of sleeping in a mountain cabin. They have been named after the members of royal families who stayed here. In addition to Prince George and Princess Marina, there are also the suites of Princess Olga of Greece and Denmark and Prince Paul of Yugoslavia.

After the departure of the royal family at the beginning of the 1940s, the villa was abandoned. It later provided high-end accommodation as the Hotel Kompas until the winter of 2014. That was when the roof gave way under the weight of snow and glaze ice and the building collapsed, leaving only the stones of the ground floor intact.

Reinterpretation of old crafts

The owners of the neighbouring Hotel Bohinj commenced a thorough renovation on the foundations of the old villa. This involved the architects of the Ofis company closely following the original design, even going so far as to contact the Gorenjska Museum to find the correct patterns and the wood charring procedure used for the window frames.

In short, the appearance of Vila Muhr today is no mere perfunctory effort. The designers intentionally tried to reinterpret the skills and knowledge of the old Gorenjska master craftsmen, as reflected in the Bohinj hayracks, haylofts and cowherds’ huts found on the alpine dairy high-mountain plateaus, such as the Laz mountain plateau.

The original stonework of the ground floor was used, too. The wood originates exclusively from Slovenia with spruce serving as the basis. Modern sustainability guidelines of natural wood processing were followed regarding materials and elements. No glues or other chemicals were used.

The dark façade was processed as carbonised charred wood and treated with natural pine resin. Centuries ago, this process was used by the ancient Persians and the Vikings to protect wooden buildings and boats.

The goal with Vila Muhr was to make the building appear as if it had been there forever, so that it is only when a person steps inside that they notice its modern interior design. It must be stressed that the principle of sustainability was particularly rigorously adhered to because Vila Muhr is located in Triglav National Park, a setting which adds to its attraction as the surrounding natural landscape is truly breathtaking.

Experiences: From horseback riding to Mt Triglav

For the most part, the upper-class guests include those who want to experience the destination, and if they come from large urban centres, they are particularly keen to get in touch with nature.

The experiences organised in Vila Muhr are designed to provide the ultimate connection with nature. They include a climb to the bivouac under Mt Skuta at 2,045 metres and an ascent of Mt Triglav, Slovenia’s highest mountain, with a private guide.

In fact, you do not have to search long to find providers and locations that excite even the most spoilt and well-travelled guests. At the Mrcina Ranch in the village of Studor, you will be welcomed with a shot of homemade schnapps. “This is how we do things in the Bohinjsko, my friend,” laughs owner Robi, who has been in charge of the ranch for over 20 years.

A few bends away, but still in the same village, we stop at the Gartner Tourist Farm, where they make cheese. Lucija Gartner puts before us a heavy wooden plate laden with slices of Bohinj cheese, smoked Bohinj cheese, tender albumin cottage cheese, artistically cut butter with an imprint of edelweiss and Mohant cheese. The latter presents the greatest challenge due to its distinct aroma and flavour.

Gartner, a geographer and ethnologist by profession, used to work for the Turizem Bohinj organisation. She later decided to stay at home and take over the farm together with her brother. Gartner is in charge of tastings at the farm and spends summers in the family-owned cowherds’ hut on the Laz mountain plateau.

She drives cows from Studor to the mountain at the start of June. The hike takes some five to six hours before they reach the Laz mountain plateau, and there they stay until the beginning of September. “The cheese is made in accordance with the traditional procedure for Bohinj cheese, which is a hard cheese similar to Emmentaler. We also offer cheese by-products, such as albumin cottage cheese (or cheese curd as it is known in this area), buttermilk and whey,” explains Gartner as she covers the fresh cheese with a snow-white gauze.

She invites the children of friends and acquaintances to the mountain to help her with daily chores. Some 20 children aged between 10 and 19 take turns over the summer and learn about the craft of cheese making while surrounded by majestic mountains. This is an experience that no money in the world can buy.

The Gartner family also rear pigs on the Laz mountain plateau. These are fed leftovers of the cheese production and, yes, some of those pigs may also be served at the tasting.

Hotels and restaurants in the surrounding area buy most of the products of the Gartner Farm. Their products can be found in Michelin-starred restaurants, and at the Hotel Bohinj and Vila Muhr as well.

Gartner is exceptionally glad that large hotels increasingly recognise the significance of local products and buy them to introduce the flavours and traditions of Bohinj to foreign guests at their breakfast buffets.

A young Croat with Slovenian flavours

The sky above the calm, mirror-like Lake Bohinj is turning pink as the first guests arrive for dinner at Vila Muhr. The ambition of the restaurant is as high as that of the villa’s hotel section.

The 27-year-old Croatian chef, Davor Arnautović, who gained his experience in some of the most renowned kitchens in Europe, including the Schloss Schauenstein, El Celler de Can Roca and Restaurant Frantzén, and worked in the one-Michelin starred Boškinac Restaurant in Croatia, is responsible for the entire culinary experience in Vila Muhr, the evening tasting menu and breakfast.

At Vila Muhr, dinner starts with amuse-bouche in their wine cellar. The glasses are filled with sparkling wine and older vintages of Puro sparkling wine by Movia Wines. These compare favourably with French bubbly.

The menu changes with the seasons, as Arnautović uses local ingredients, cooperates with small local producers, and wherever possible relies on the gastronomic traditions of the Gorenjska region, while elevating them into a fine dining experience, as befits a boutique destination such as Vila Muhr.

Dinner under antlers and roots

The impressive dining room is made from natural wood and boasts the fragrances of a pine forest and freshly baked bread. The interior design borrows motifs from nature and features deer antlers adorning the walls, as well as an extra added touch of royalty. The chandelier made from the roots of a beech that was felled on the lake’s shore by a storm looks very impressive. The floor lamps are made from old skis and the table from renovated old Gorenjska hayracks.

Brick elements behind the bar, which is made from old charred wood, and the fireplace, are decorated with ornaments resembling the vent holes of haylofts, while the space is further enlivened with caddies containing local teas, and ceramic pieces made by Pia Mršek using old Bohinj embroidery patterns.

Butter, olive oil and deliciously creamy Gartner minced lard is served with house sourdough bread. The starter – tomato and burrata cheese – is light and fresh, just perfect for the last hot days of September. The chef uses three tomato varieties, which are first marinated and then served with fermented tomato vinaigrette and Slovenian burrata cheese from the Pr’ Matevž Farm in Škofja Loka. The chef collects all the herbs and edible flowers in the idyllic herbal garden behind the hotel, overlooking the mountains from which the dairy products are sourced.

Next is a salad with marinated crayfish, barley, wild seasonal salad and pumpkin seed dressing. Despite the change of menu, you can always find at least one dish at Vila Muhr with lake trout from the Zupan fish farm. In the autumn, the trout is served with cauliflower and beurre blanc.

Homemade pasta is accompanied with wild garlic sauce, fresh champignon mushrooms, dehydrated egg yolk and hazelnuts, while lightly smoked Danube salmon is served with a fennel polenta foam and fish cream with fennel.

For the grand finale, we were served a goat kid shoulder roulade with goat kid demi-glace, parsnip and pear cake, and parsnip cream.

Breakfast with a view

As with the Milka Restaurant, another boutique destination in Gorenjska, the Vila Muhr team does not hide its high ambition regarding the restaurant section, as well as the hotel section. Based on what we have seen, they have everything necessary to position themselves as one of the best Slovenian restaurants despite their youth.

This is also evident in one of the best breakfasts served in the country. In addition to fresh sourdough bread, they serve delicious local butter, cream cheeses, homemade chicken liver pate, house jams and a wide selection of honeys, such as linden, spruce, acacia, silver fir, and chestnut.

The rye bread with a cream cheese topping, smoked Zupan trout and pickled red onion is divine. The omelette is absolutely perfect, but the true star is the fragrant and soft Kaiserschmarrn, served with fresh blueberries and raspberries. After tasting it, you will want to prolong your stay in Vila Muhr.