The Retreat, Livek

Holiday Cottage in the Soca Valley

Total and utter, peace and quiet.

The Retreat offers the opportunity not just to get away, but to escape. An idyllic traditional cottage sitting alone in its alpine meadow above the village of Livek with views out over the Soča Valley, you can forgive the house for being a bit pleased with itself; it really is one of a kind.

Inside

As with all our holiday accommodation we've made sure the Retreat is not just bearable for a week, but a fantastic holiday cottage you'll be dying to come back to. In the living room there's the Kamečka Peč - a traditional, tiled Slovenian stove - which makes sure the house is nice and cosy in the winter and the two foot stone walls keep it cool in the Summer. A super squishy sofa, two-metre wide bed plus the modern kitchen and bathroom mean you'll have all the comforts of home, while the lack of a TV, radio and telephone means that you can forget about all the things you have to deal with once you get here. Leave your mobile on if you must, but honestly, we wouldn't recommend it. (Psst: there is an iPod dock though - good music we need!)

Outside

The Retreat sits in a genuinely idyllic rural holiday location. Step out of the front door and you can turn right to the picnic table or left to some of the best hillwalking the country has to offer. From the cottage you can trek straight up into the surrounding Alps overlooking the stunning Soča Valley. The views make it worth while even for the most determined couch potatoes.

If hiking isn't your thing, you can lounge around in the meadow outside or laze indoors with one of the well-thumbed books on the shelf, flick through a magazine or two or catch up on some important snoozing. If you start to feel a little too lazy, the Soča river offers Europe's most spectacular white water rafting and kayaking, or you could head into to Kobarid or Tolmin to grab coffee and stretch your legs- under the table.

Total and utter, peace and quiet. That's all.