Garden Village Bled

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Our treehouse at Garden Village Bled

Now this place is one that's come straight out of a fairytale. When we were at Bled, we stayed in the most magical treehouse - yes, treehouse! - at an eco-resort by the name of Garden Village. It's such a sight to see. Perched in what seems to be a middle of a small forest, the entire place is self-powered and sustainable and you can see the property working for itself through its abundant food forest and river system all at the front door of your treehouse / pier tent / glamping tent (oh the options!).

The entire resort here is like a daydream as it's not really like any other hotel / resort you'll ever stay in. I've spent so many minutes wandering around the gardens watching food grow, poking my head around the quirky fittings of our treehouse, shopping for unique gifts at the gift shop and just enjoying the grounds and the Lake Bled area in general. Words can only say so much, so here is a little tour from our time here. As you may have read from my post on Lake Bled

, a good portion of our stay at Lake Bled was thunderstorm packed, but still I love how the fresh rain (which you can see in most of these pics haha) only adds to the charm of this place, making you feel like you've floated away into some magical hideout with no one around. I miss it already!

Have you ever dreamed of living in a treehouse too?Also see more of this pretty place on Instagram here

OUR TREEHOUSE

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Wearing: Lonely Hearts Lonely Lounge Piped Robe in floral pink (sadly sold out now) | Boohoo oversized stripe tee | Boohoo denim pinafore dress | PANDORA earrings | Fossil original boyfriend chronograph watch in navy | Happy socks Filled Optic socks (available in womens and mens) | Fjallraven Kanken Backpack in sky blue

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There are six tree houses at Garden Village Bled & we stayed in treehouse #1. The treehouses here are connected by a wooden suspension bridge within the resort and are the most magical things ever. The moment I walked in, I was completely in love. I'm not sure what the massive honeymoon treehouse (yes there's one for honeymooners!) looks like, but in our one it was a two storey space with a double bed, little dining area, bathroom and kitchenette downstairs and a crazy cool hammock, relaxing area and double bed upstairs too. There's a balcony on the front, side and back also so you can have a cup of tea outside and enjoy being surrounded by nature. And yes, the comical looking massive wooden key is the key that unlocks this childhood dream!

THE RESORT GROUNDS 

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And the grounds! The treehouses are perched on top, the pier tents sit on the bottom right next to the river that runs from Lake Bled and the glamping tents around the corner with the food forest (I'll show you that below). You can rent fishing gear here and go fishing in the river yourself and if you catch something, you can bring it to the restaurant and they'll cook it for you for dinner. The outdoor open space area is where yoga classes are held (reminds me of Bali!) and that suspension bridge and the stairs connects everything here together making it seem like a magical maze through nature.

THE RESTAURANT

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Wearing: Gorman Moth Moon marle tee | Owl bag from a market in Split, Croatia

Over here is Restaurant Vrtnarija which is also in Garden Village Bled and if you're staying here, it's where buffet breakfast is served every morning. Again, bits and pieces of nature are woven into every element of this restaurant design - yes that is real grass on the table top and yes they are fresh herbs that you see on the table top as well! You're free to pick them to add to your meals. Vrtnarija is also open for lunch and dinner and I heard that they incorporate organically grown food straight from the food forest that they planted on the grounds which you can see below.

THE FOOD FOREST

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Leaving my favourite bit of this green resort til last - a love note about the overflowing produce planted throughout the resort grounds. To anyone who has a vegatable garden at home like me or has an interest in growing their own fruit and veggies, walking through Garden Village Bled will give you a massive mental update to your Pinterest inspo boards. Every piece of earth here is put to good use and is packed with organically grown food. Most of it is planted in the glamping tents area with a massive garden area towards the back corner of the property. A lot of food is also planted in crates in and around the restaurant too and from memory, I spotted tomatoes, capsicum, chilli, strawberries, cranberries, blueberries, raspberries, apple trees, persimmon trees, lettuce, chard, watermelon, rockmelon and quite possibly the largest pumpkins I have ever seen. There was even kale shooting out from the edge of the reception building. Guests here are welcome to pick food for their own consumption too. I heard the gardener who looks after all the produce has a PhD in agronomy! I have never seen such an abundance of fruit and vegetables in one spot and am now feeling so, so inspired to grow even more food in my own garden too.

Photography: Thomas Debono & Connie Cao