Ahhh yes, it's been a while since we were at the InterContinental hotel, and I must admit, we were looking forward to the experience orchestrated by this hotel chain again. We opted for InterContinental Ljubljana, which is the only 5-star hotel in this Slovenian metropole city. Well, probably not for long. Just across the street, rises another tall building, and I have a hunch, it will be a serious rival to this one. Now let's check our InterContinental Ljubljana Review and see if this hotel is prepared for a possible "hospitality battle."
Kind staff at the Intercontinental Ljubljana will suit your needs in no time.
Ambiance
The modern exterior of the tallest hotel in Slovenia is glassy, decorated with a native cross stitch pattern. Contemporary touch breaths airy sophistication in every part of the hotel, including the B-Bar on the 20th floor. There you'll feel that the Ljubljana castle is only a touch away; furthermore, on the other side, you will have a nice view of the Julian Alps.
Exterior of Intercontinental Ljubljana can be described as modern glass "skyscraper"
The lobby is bright and airy, with a long reception desk on one side and the other's street view, where we left our car to the valet. In the lobby are visible V-shaped concrete supporting beams, an excellent detail. Another designer touch is behind the concierge desk; you'll notice the Ljubljana cityscape outline.
The window decal is based on local Slovenian handicrafts of cross stitch and embroidery.
InterContinental Ljubljana is the only 5-star hotel in a city. At least for now.
Anyway, this spacious lobby plan is working great with interior design. Dark marble, warm wood, and light floors are perfect with a hint of gold and pastel colors. The mustard pastel colors are continuing to the sofas and cushions as well. Sculptural lighting is doing its job and keeping this place classy as it should be.
When lights align, sides don't matter.
Our Room
InterContinental Ljubljana has 165 rooms in four categories – Superior, Deluxe, Club Rooms, and Suites. We stayed at a spacious, bright, and airy King Deluxe room with an evident layout.
Fresh fruit and madeleines for a warm welcome.
Nevertheless, I should warn you, club rooms and suites are in high demand, so make sure you make a reservation well in advance. Probably, this is the result of the first 5-star hotel in Ljubljana.
Our room reflected peace and comfort.
The room design is contemporary with a modern luxury feel. Dark wood, gold details, and bold lights are always a great touch. Speaking about lighting, InterContinental Ljubljana has a neat lighting setup. We took advantage of the bed lights and made a little photoshoot.
Ambient lights give the heartwarming charm to the hotel room.
Result when we get some decent lighting :)
Bathroom
The bathroom is spacious with a freestanding bathtub as a centerpiece. Enjoying the bath time might be more peaceful if the toiled space would be separate — something like we had at the Sofitel Damansara Kuala Lumpur.
Freestanding bath is tempting but so is the very spacious shower behind the closed doors.
We liked ambient lighting, which makes night bathing even more relaxing. The view is undoubtedly more superior in the bathroom than in the room, where it faces the rising building. Naturally, the bathroom has also a bright walk-in rain shower and a large floating sink. Another thing we liked was the invigorating scent of Anne Semonin Exotic Verbena toiletries.
Images of architectural details pay tribute to the Slovenian great architect Plecnik.
Cleanliness
The cleanliness around the hotel is pitch-perfect. Probably this is the only way in this pandemic times.
Clean lines, warm brown shades and plenty of daylight work in synergy.
Food and Drink
InterContinental Ljubljana has three dining options. The first one is the Bloom Bar on the ground floor, where they serve light snacks and coffee. As the day turns into the night, it becomes a cocktail venue.
Golden bar at the Bloom Lounge
At the Bloom Lounge on the ground floor you can enjoy some light snacks or coffee during the day, while in the evenings it becomes a cocktail venue.
Still, we advise you to look around the rooftop bar. The B-Bar is located on the 20th floor and is a fabulous lounge bar. Here you can read our B-Bar review and check their artisanal cocktails.
Just go up to the B-Bar and check their cocktail list!
On the same floor as B-Bar is also B-Restaurant, where they serve contemporary dishes. Some more international, others reflecting Slovenian legacy. However, their menu didn't get our attention. Probably because of all the fine dining options Ljubljana has to offer. We warmly recommend a visit to Restaurant Strelec, which is perhaps the best restaurant here in Ljubljana.
B-Restaurant Ljubljana has a chic design with a lot of natural lights.
And where is the light there are plants. I would love to see much more of them, for sure.
Breakfast
Pandemic rules shaped the self-service breakfast at the B-Restaurant with extended ala carte and "long reach" buffet. Even though the offer on display was stunted, it still held the westbound must-haves handed to us by request.
Offer on display was stunted due to the pandemic guidelines, but it still held the western must-haves handed to us by request and had an extensive ala carte menu.
Smashed avocado with perfectly poached eggs, Brie cheese, and arugula.
Despite the unfortunate obstacle, everything went smoothly, and our breakfast couldn't be fresher. We liked every dish we had and confirm that chef Komnen Bakić's menu suits a wide range of taste preferences.
Delicious omelette with mushrooms and black truffle had some lovely greens on a side.
Spinach and cottage cheese burek.
Fluffy buttermilk pancakes with creamy dried plums and chantilly cream were wonderful.
Amenities
The first thing we want to compliment is the charging station with a bunch of different types of USB connectors. While charging a phone, we enjoyed complimentary tea and coffee. We were able to choose from the Puro freeze-dried instant coffee and the expresso from the capsule. Both were delicious, but the fair-trade Puro coffee exceeded our expectations. The tea lovers get four different Ronnefeldt options, two energy-boosting, plus fruity camomile and sweet berries. Naturally, the fresh madeleines were perfect with coffee and tea, but we left the fruit for later.
We were happy to see the glass water bottles at the Intercontinental Ljubljana. Finally!!!
Luxury French toiletries by Anne Sémonin, who is a pioneer of the "made-to-measure" concept.
Facilities
On the 18th floor, you'll find a recreational and wellness center with the Saruna SPA. Close to the SPA, you'll find the large heated indoor pool and a separate steam bath. The same space as the zero-edge pool is also Finnish and infrared saunas and a steam room with the resting area.
Zero-edge heated indoor pool on the 18th floor isn't the biggest, but it is functional.
The recreation center has Finnish and infrared saunas, plus a steam room with the resting area.
In the same time frame, from 6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. is possible the use of a spacious and well-equipped gym with a vitamin bar that has freshly squeezed juice on hand.
A spacious and well-equipped gym with a vitamin bar has freshly squeezed juice on hand.
In addition to that, just one story up, the Intercontinental hotel Ljubljana holds flexible meeting rooms for smaller and bigger events.
Conclusion
All right, we got almost to the end of our InterContinental Ljubljana Review. In conclusion, I can say that the rooms here are majestic. I love how much light is there, the layout and overall feel. On top of that, the staff at InterContinental Ljubljana is super nice and professional, which only helps to achieve - pleasant stay.
A clear signpost will keep you in the right direction.
Is there anything we would change? Sure, a time without pandemic going around... And yeah, we wouldn't mind some lit common space where one can escape the room and enjoy some alone time.
There is some room for improvements, but overall - InterContinental Ljubljana is great modern luxury hotel
InterContinental Ljubljana Review Card
- ATMOSPHERE – 9.3/109.3/10
- CLEANLINESS – 9.2/109.2/10
- ROOM – 8.9/108.9/10
- FACILITIES AND AMENITIES – 9/109/10
- FOOD AND BEVERAGE – 9.3/109.3/10
- SERVICE – 9.6/109.6/10
- VALUE – 9.4/109.4/10
Price and Location
King Deluxe room like ours with breakfast will cost you about 200 USD. Regarding the location, Intercontinental Ljubljana is located near the main bus and train station. Only 10 minutes walk will get you to the old part of Ljubljana and all the main sights, which is great. Here is a link to the location for easier navigation.