HI Bovec - A Hostel That Evokes a Sense of Home

We browsed through some Instagram photos and did some web searching to make a basic plan of what we wanted to see and experience. We only needed a place to stay and that’s where Anja from Hostelling International Slovenia came to our aid by helping us get in touch with Samo and Sanel, the owners of HI Bovec. The two friends and former sportsmen are now business partners. They first opened a hostel in Koper and later also in Bovec. You can read how the hostel came to be in their interview.

Hostel Bovec is located just outside the town centre – we exited the roundabout and drove slightly uphill and then turned left after driving past the church. There’s the hostel’s logo welcoming you on a wooden fence. That’s how we knew – even before our navigation confirmed it – that we came to the right place. We parked in a large car park in front of a block of flats (right across the hostel) and knocked on the door of the reception room. We were welcomed by Samo and we shook hands, went through the formalities and then went on a tour of the hostel. Samo showed us our room and bathroom and then took us upstairs. The upper floor had a large living room with a fireplace, a kitchen, showers and toilets, in addition to other guest rooms.

I immediately noticed that the rooms were named after the natural attractions in Bovec (Virje, Boka etc.). Bathrooms, which included showers, were renovated and the toilets were also new. The hostel also has Wi-Fi. It’s especially pleasant in the evening when you simply stretch yourself in an armchair next to a fireplace and with a beer in one hand, after spending the whole day outside, exploring Bovec and doing some climbing. The dining room can also be found in this part of the hostel. You can choose from different types of spreads, jam and cereal, and you can make coffee or tea in a coffee machine. Chocolate and jam filled croissants and Kaiser rolls are always served freshly baked and warm.

The building is a big, albeit an older house that has been sensibly renovated and refurbished. It’s a small hostel with 50 beds and there are rooms with either two, four, six or eight beds. This is probably why it evokes such a strong sense of home, intimacy and casualness. At times it seemed as if we were visiting our relatives in the country, rather than staying at a stranger’s house. The fireplace and the large common room certainly added to that feeling. The staff take great care to make sure the hostel is cosy, clean and safe and are ever mindful of the well-being of travellers. Hostel Bovec is a part of the HI network of hostel, which means all members with a HI card get a 10% discount when staying at the hostel.

There’s a large terrace in front of the house and taking a nap on a sunny afternoon while being surrounded by mountains certainly feels good. Unfortunately, we had some bad weather during our stay, so the deckchairs were stored in a safe place under the roof and the barbecue seemed so sad and empty in the terrace.

The hostel has a small car park, but there’s only space for three cars, however, there’s a large car park across the street, so travellers usually have not trouble parking their vehicles. The town centre with its restaurants and bars is in a walking distance of 5 minutes as is the tourist information centre office and the nearest shop is 10 minutes away.

Here are some things to do in Bovec. You can find some tips in the Summer Adventure in Slovenia article. But if you’re interested in the sights we visited and want to find out which waterfall fascinated us the most, then stay tuned for the next issue. And while we’re at it, we owe a big thank you to Samo for making sure our stay at the hostel was enjoyable and for showing us great hospitality. We just can’t wait to visit Bovec again.