Juncture between the natural, cultural, ethnological, healing and culinary heritage of the Karst in one place.
Hostel Ociski raj offers you a special experience – sleeping on lavender pillows. Part of the hostel is also a lavender flower bed and a small herb garden. Herbal garden, which can compete with the best herbal gardens in the world is located in village Kačiče on Homestead Belajevi, only 9 kilometres from the hostel Ociski raj.
Homestead Belajevi with herb garden is an example of revitalization of the Karst identity in a sustainable manner. It is a friendly meeting of 200 years of experience, useful discoveries from today and the future that is focused in sustainability.
This is a home of boldness, authenticity, homely atmosphere and simplicity. Karst ambiance is unique and distinct because of its simplicity. The homestead offer is built on four main pillars, or "four hearts": the herb garden, old Karst house with an ethnological collection, annual garden of local delicacies and experiential homestead.
What is the story behind the heart? The owner Andrejka gleefully explains that during the restoration of the oldest facility, they found a heart-shaped holy card with a cross in the middle, hiding under the plaster. Andrejka has incorporated things into her work that are dear and precious to her. This is where her views intertwine with the world, memories, desires, values, experiences, childhood dreams and her nature. They say that if you find a four-leaf clover, it will bring happiness. She has found it and is happy to share the happiness with everyone who visits the homestead.
Where the food still has real flavour and is seasoned in a creative way
If you visit the Homestead Belajevi, you will be able to try simple local homemade dishes, which are enriched with herbs from the homestead. They will be happy to offer you tastings in the form of cold and warm snacks, which are light and hearty at the same time. Along with it, you need to try their heart-shaped bread, which is to be torn with hands, as it was done in the past. Through tastings you will learn why winter savory (wildgrown Karst herb) once had a reputation as pepper of the poor and as a bean herb, why monks in the Middle Ages were not allowed to grow it in monastery gardens and how it ended up in home-brewed herbal beer, why oregano was originally put on pizza, why hot mint tea is recommended to drink on hot summer days, why basil was proclaimed as a sacred plant, what is the herbs’ mission in the dishes and how to elicit as many mysterious powers from them... Family Belajevi will give you many useful natural solutions that can enrich and improve the quality of meals and, consequently, health. Everything is spontaneous, easy, leisurely and at times even playful there. You can enjoy yourself at the borjač courtyard under the grapevine pergola, the štirna well, the herb garden or even in the old kitchen kuhnca. They would love to prepare some of the dishes in front of and with you. Instead of silk tablecloths and fancy cutlery, they have imaginative table settings. In addition to satisfying your taste buds, you will come home richer in experience, new knowledge, and applicable information for yourself and loved ones. It is very likely you will add the visit of the Homestead Belajevi to your collection of precious memories. Belajevi will be very proud of it, trust us.
The learning experience in "kuhnca" is designed for closed groups. Tastings are prepared for at least eight people, are always freshly prepared, therefore prior booking is necessary.
Where the richest collection of medicinal plants, herbs and wild food in the Karst is on display
Curious spirit, discovering what colourful and fragrant nature is hiding, being happy with having hands in the soil, respectful and sustainable relationship to Mother Earth and sincere desire to share the experience about solutions with the help of nature – these are the reasons that the owner of the homestead has set up a herb garden – a herb classroom in the open, intended for experiential learning visits. In about 600 m2 of landscaped area with walking paths, you will be able to get to know a large number of valuable medicinal herbs, spices, wild grown edible plants and vegetables. There are over 160 different types, which are proudly on display in different periods of vegetation. During the guided tour, you will be able to deepen the knowledge on some of the plants and see their benefits in phytotherapy and gastronomy. Herb garden has charming corners where you can take a rest under a treetop, or you can even complete the summer experience with an herbal footbath. The garden has possibilities for numerous forms of socialising, the goal is to preserve, strengthen and deepen the ties between people and revive genuine contact with the nature’s wealth. The outdoor herb classroom is for closed groups, therefore the visits and guided tours need to be booked in advance.
