Laketastic. (Hotel Vitranc, Podkoren, Slovenia)

Search for Best Café in Europe 2014

Day 7

As the weather today looked fine, if a little cloudy, it seemed like a good day to find a new cafe to check out for the Cake Crusader European cafe of the year 2014 competition. I had been joined by my brothers family so there would be 8 Frazer guest reviewers on today's alpine adventure. Like a scene from the sound of music, minus the singing and nuns, the von Frazer famille set off on bikes down the purpose built cycle path.

The von Frazer famille setting off on an adventure

For today's ride we would be heading to the near by Italian lakes. They may not be lake Lugano or lake Como (although Perry Como once came here to record his "classic Italian Christmas songs" album, possibly) but they were lakes and in Italy so that was good enough for me.

The Ride was mainly flat with a short up hill sting in the tail so we were all a bit out of breath when we reached the imaginatively named Lago 1 (lake 1).

Lago 1 (lake 1)

We parked our bikes and went for a pleasant stroll round the lake before deciding to following the signs to the rather more descriptively named Lago 2 (lake 2) for lunch.

Preparing to have lunch by Lago 2 (lake 2)

Although both lakes (lagos) had cafés neither looked like potential winners of the Cake Crusader European cafe of the year 2014 so not wanting to waste the opportunity I suggested we head back to Slovenia and try out the better looking prospect of Hotel Vitranc which we had passed on the way.

The ride back was on a very pretty cycle track and has inspired me to start a new feature named "my top 10 stretches of cycle path any where in the world what I've been on". This is the first entry.

1st entry of the top
10 stretches of cycle path anywhere in the world what I've been on so is currently in first place.

We arrived at the Hotel Vitranc in the pretty village of Podkoren and settled into the comfy chairs in the outdoor seating area.

Outside the Hotel Vitranc

Unfortunately you can't see any mountains from the outdoor seating area but you know they are there which gives a calm relaxing feel to the place. However to make up for the lack of mountain view you can see an apartment once featured in Channel  4's excellent property/travel series: A place in the sun (series 3 episode 12). Sitting here we were following in the footsteps of top property/travel presenter Amanda Lamb who may have once also had a drink and sat in the comfy chairs in the outdoor seating area at the Hotel Vitranc, although there was no actual evidence suggesting this had happened. I had expected at least a plaque. It all added up to being able to confidently award an 8 for ambiance and atmosphere.

We ordered drinks which were mainly beer and coke although for reviewing purposes I also ordered a hot chocolate. All were very good and another 8 was scored meaning a good display on the food front could see the Hotel Vitranc go to the top of the European leader board.

Local beer and hot chocolate

I ordered the apple strudel and was joined in this by some other members of the party. There was also an order for ice cream from Greg (age 11) our youngest ever reviewer.

Strudel and ice cream

Both the strudel and ice cream were top draw and thanks to an 8.5 food rating made the Hotel Vitranc Slovenia, officially the best cafe in the whole of Europe beating the previous Morgenstond cafe, Griendtsveen, NL (see rain rain go away). On hearing the news all the Frazer's were very excited and couldn't wait to text, tweet or Facebook (other forms of social media are available) their friends with the news that they had just been to the best cafe anywhere on the continent (within a 20 mile radius of where I have stayed this year).

I am hoping to maybe slip in one final alpine cycle cafe treat before moving on to the final leg of the search for the Cake Crusader European cafe of the year 2014 when I cycle to Paris with Big George.

European league table after 10 cafés.   

Cafe                                               Drink   Food    Ambiance  Score

Hotel Vitranc, Podkoren, Slov.                        8.        8.5             8            8.17 

Morgenstond cafe, Griendtsveen, NL             8        8.5            7.5           8.00

Central cafe, Baarlo NL.                                 8          8.75         7             7.92

Hererg de bonged, Bassel, NL.                      8          8.5.          7.            7.83

D'hefren van Baarlo, Baarlo, NL.                    6.          8.             9.           7.67

Gasthof W@nker, Arnoldstein, Austria            7.           8.           7.5.         7.50

De Ijsvogel (kingfisher mill to you),                  8           6            8.5           7.50

Arcen, Holland

Passi cafe, Horst, Holland.                             7         7.5           6.5           7.00

Gostinstvo in turizem cafe,                             7.5.      5              5.5          6.00

Monstrana, Slov

Dakepello, Panningen                                    5         6.5             5            5.50