Posted on Friday, 2 December 2016

Pohorje, in Slovenia, is off the radars of most UK winter sports fans, but with great facilities, beautiful scenery and low prices, this is sure to change. Danny Gleed and his family experienced Pohorje last winter.

In the summer, Pohorje is well-known for its glorious lakes, waterfalls and peat bogs – and all the activities that are so wonderful in hotter months. But mountain biking, hiking and swimming weren't on our minds as we arrived in Pohorje last winter: we were seeking the soft white stuff – and lots of it.

As we checked into Apartmaji Bolfenk, located near the top of Pohorje, we quickly realised that our home for ten days was very accurately described. Indeed, if anything, the description omitted some of the best features: Bolfenk was very quiet with no running cars outside – a reassuring fact if you're travelling with children. It was also a lot closer to the slopes than we'd imagine – the ski lifts were no more than 50m away.

The terrace would prove a wonderful trap for some wintry sun and we would later find some great restaurants nearby for some low-cost family dining – when we weren't cooking for ourselves. But this is all by-the-by: was the skiing any good?

While Pohorje is a far cry from the black runs of some fancy French resorts, it is ideal for a chilled-out family ski trip. The ski and snowboarding school was perfect for my two young daughters – and for giving my wife a refresher course. The course prices were the lowest I've seen anywhere.

If I were here alone I might have wanted a little more of a challenge from these slopes, but the combined pleasures of seeing my family's ski skills improve and the general beauty of the area, made it a trip to remember.

With 16 ski lifts and the capacity for no less than 21,000 skiers per hour, one of Pohorje's best attributes is the space it gives you to enjoy the piste. Only on Saturday and Sunday did we feel even slightly crowded out. The sparse visitors added to the peaceful, relaxing atmosphere of Pohorje.

But there was scope for more urban fun, too. On two occasions we travelled into Maribor city in search of our favourite foods. On the first trip we found the city's only Indian restaurant, Indijska restavracija Srečni slon, which served us some very decent Thalis. On the second visit we had pizza on our mind (or at least our daughters did) and we were lucky enough to stumble upon Pizzeria Pomodoro – who create wonderful stone-baked pizzas and other Italian dishes. They didn't speak much English, but even if we were given meals we hadn't ordered, I believe they would have been just as mouth-watering.

Forays into Maribor aside, it was the clean, healthy buzz of skiing and the relaxing family evenings in Apartmaji Bolfenk that made our visit to Pohorje so memorable.

The only difference between this resort and comparably sized ones in in Italy or France is the price. And located just one and half hours from Ljubljana airport, it is also very easy to reach for UK holidaymakers.

How to reach Pohorje:

• EasyJet runs regular flights to Ljubljana from Stansted in Essex. Wizz also flies to the Slovenian capital – from Luton Airport.
• Regular buses run from Ljubljana to Maribor.

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