MALI RAJ POD KOSTANJI 'Little Paradise under the Chestnut Trees' 2: Penthouse

Karst estate on a sunny terrace with semi-detached house for 4 persons and penthouse for 4 persons, rambling Sub-Mediterranean garden estate with old stock of trees, panoramic view on the medieval village of Stanjel and the Karst, art gallery, indivdual art courses for guests, meeting room for art courses/group activities, solar heated and roofed saltwater pool (May through September), small Oriental wellness oasis with whirlpool and Turkish shower (December through February), Rent-a-bikes, free broadband WLAN/LAN.

Both holiday apartments can be rented together or separately. For lovers of nature, art and gardens, who seek relaxation and creativity. Great for extended families, friends sharing, art courses/group activities. All year round perfect for hiking, bicycling, experiencing art and nature, tasting of Karst wines and specialties (air-dried ham). Only 25 km from the Adriatic coast (Trieste, Sistiana). Pets on request.

FEATURES OF THE KARST:
The Karst is a sparsely populated plateau (300 - 400 m above sea level) at the northeast edge of the Gulf of Trieste at the border between Slovenia and Italy. Pristine nature and a characteristic stone architecture with narrow old towns and paths lined with stone walls are the main features of the Karst. Famous are his wines, specially his dark red wine Teran (Terrano) and his old varieties of white wine like Malvazija (Malvasia) and Vitovska. A special feature is also the Karst ham dried in open air, the so-called Kraski prsut (Prosciutto), as also other types of dried meat.

The Karst is the sunniest area in Slovenia during November through March with even more sunshine hours than in Portoroz (Adriatic coast). The annual sunshine duration is 2250 h, between 100 h in December and almost 300 h in July.

GARDEN AND POOL:
The entire garden of sub-Mediterranean plants extends on several sun terraces directly below the former estate of Max Fabiani (mulberry) in upper Kobdilj. The cultivated ornamental plants garden (5,000 m2) with over 100 different varieties of roses, oleanders and many other ornamental plants, features its rich trees (chestnuts, walnuts, laurels, palms, figs, cypress trees, olive trees). The mostly fenced ornamental garden is adjacent to another non-scale natural forest and natural grassland plot (17,000 m2). The garden offers numerous panoramic views on the sparsely populated Karst with its vineyards, dry meadows and mixed forests, as well as on the opposite hill with the medieval village Stanjel. Painting and photography in the garden are possible.

The ornamental plants and also the art gallery have been introduced in several magazines and media in Slovenian and English language. In 2008 the first programme of the Slovene national television filmed a 20-minute programme about the garden and the art gallery which has been aired several times since.

Our heated and roofed famliy swimming pool can be shared by guests from the midth of April to the midth of October daily from 9 a.m. till 7 p.m. (use at their own risk!) - no chlorine odour as it is run by saltwater, poolsize 8 m x 3.5 m, depth 1.6 m, roman stairs, pool roof made of polycarbonate.

INDIVIDUAL ART COURSES FOR RESIDENT GUESTS:
We offer individual art courses for small groups for up to 4 people - exclusively for our resident guests. Compose your art course individually by comprising up to four different half-day and one-day course modules (renewable as you wish):
• Acrylic
• Collages with various materials
• Graphics - aluminum engraving
• Graphics - Linocut

The rate for one-day courses (2 x 3 hours) is: € 60 for a single person, € 100 for 2 p., € 140 for 3 p., € 180 for 4 p.
The rate for afternoon courses (1 x 3 hours) is: € 30 for a single person, € 50 for 2 p., € 70 for 3 p., € 90 for 4 p.

In addition, we also offer half-day art and craft courses for our youngest guests aged 6-12 years (parents are also welcome!).
The rate for afternoon courses (1 x 3 hours) for children is: € 30 for a single child, € 50 for 2 p., € 70 for 3 p., € 90 for 4 p.

We supply course tools for free and course material at cost.

For detailed information on our range of art courses please contact us on our homepage.


RENTING OF BICYCLES:
The Karst is a true cycling paradise - and that almost the whole year through. A dense and well-preserved local road network with little traffic invites you to explore the rich cultural landscape and nature by bike.

Kobdilj is a good starting point for a variety of family-friendly routes, which run on the Karst plateau, with its gentle hills and only small differences in altitude. They are ideal for cyclists who want to explore the countryside at their own pace and without too much effort. For more sporting cyclists there are both shorter and longer round trips from Kobdilj to the hills at the northern Karst edge with stunning views on the Alps and the Adriatic with differences in height of 500 m (1h-4h return). If this is still too little you may drive from Kobdilj on scenic back roads to the pre-Alps and ride up straight 1,000 meters (5h-6h return) or perhaps you would prefer to ride just to the nearest Adriatic beach at Sistiana mare (I ) (3 hours return).

For resident guests we rent bicycles with helmets for 5.00 EUR/day. Altogether there are available six trekking bikes with 21 gears (3 men's bikes, 2 ladie's bikes and 1 youngster bike).


ORIENTAL WELLNESS OASIS WITH WHIRLPOOL:
Resident guests who wish to fill up with heat in the cool season and to fully relax, can on a exclusive basis rent our little oriental spa oasis. On slightly more than 20 m2 the oriental flair of the wellness area with Andalusian tiles, Venetian plaster and Arabic ornaments will enchant you in a different world. The hot spa with 28 massage jets, a starry sky with 200 twinkling 'stars' and the large open Turkish shower for two people will help to revive your spirits.

The Oriental Wellness Oasis with the associated dressing room is at disposal of our resident guests from December to February daily between 9:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m.. The rent for 90 minutes of exclusive use of the wellness oasis for an occupancy of up to 4 persons is 25.00 €.


MEETING ROOM:
The meeting room we rent also to our resident guests for various group activities (seminars and various courses). The daily rate is € 30. In the meeting room are two large pull-out tables with 12 chairs.


WINE TASTING:
We organise also a visit to a local wine cellar with wine and sparkling wine tasting (also dark red Teran sparkling wine). Tasting of homemade air-dried meat specialties is included.