It’s not often that we’re so impressed by an accommodation that I would devote an article to it. If you visit beautiful, affordable Croatia, however, I highly recommend you stay a night on the road at the Klet Kozjak. We were traveling from southern Croatia to Vienna, Austria, by way of Slovenia, and it was a very convenient stop.
Klet Kozjak is a lovely B&B with a surprisingly gourmet restaurant in both appearance and cuisine named The Pond. The facility is located in Krapinske Toplice, which is the first exit on the A2 perhaps 15 miles (24 km) south of the Slovenian border, and just five minutes from Roses Fashion Outlet Center in the Holy Cross Začretje. The shopping outlet is clearly visible from the motorway and is quite extensive if you want to pick up some shopping at reasonable prices.
Nice Rooms and Great Eating
Klet Kozjak opened in the summer of 2008, so the facility is clean and in excellent condition. The rooms are nothing special, although quite comfortable, but the rates were very pleasant after viewing some of the other hotels and B&Bs in the area. However, the breakfast that came with the room was really incredible, with delicious homemade bread, both ham and cheese omelets, a platter of cold cuts, and some homemade spreads for the bread, including their tangy goat cheese. You know it’s fresh because you can sit outside and watch the goats graze as you eat!
The Pond restaurant provides both indoor and outdoor dining and offers some nice local wines and a very good menu. Both pork and chicken were served in cordon bleu style, and the duck was excellent. None of our party had steak, but I’m sure it was just as good. Every single dish was enjoyed by our party of four, and the prices were unbelievably low. Although we arrived around midnight, they still offered us complete menu service.
A Family Business
Just as importantly, Kozjak is a family-operated establishment, with Mama and Papa running the B&B and daughter and son-in-law in charge of the restaurant. This made for very personalized attention, as friendly and accommodating as we could have imagined in a country atmosphere. During the day, you can take a walk in the beautiful surrounding hills or just sit and view as you sip some wine. There’s even a small playground for children in the backyard!
Unfortunately, their website is entirely in Croatian (they have both English and German options, but they don’t work!), but don’t let that stop you from visiting both the site and the B&B. The son’s English was quite passable, so there were no communication problems.
www.klet-kozjak.hr