Guesthouse Ošterija

I stayed 3 nights in Osterija Branik in September 2022. I was travelling around by public transport and wanted to do some hiking in the area, and visit the karst hilltop village of Stanjel, and I wanted, if possible to stay somewhere rural, and Osterija Branik seemed to fit this. I chose it as one of the few, (maybe the only) guesthouse in this rural area that is easily accessible by public transport. There are a number of buses each day to Sezana and Nova Goriza, and also to the karst hilltop village of Stanjel. And the village is served by train as well. The guesthouse is on the main road 204 from Sezana to Nova Goriza, in the village of Branik. It is in the Branica valley, the smaller neighbouring valley from the Vipava valley, and the countryside is absolutely stunning beautiful. The owners and the staff are very friendly, and all spoke at least some workable English. I arrived on a Monday, when the restaurant is closed, so it took some time at first to get hold of someone, but once he turned up, he was very helpful. The rooms have comfortable beds, and a good bathroom, (shower only), and are air conditioned. They are well appointed with desk and (open) wardrobe and have a reasonable amount of power sockets. Breakfast, served to each guest with cereals, bread, meat, jam and cheese, and fruit, but nothing cooked. I was impressed by the quality of the cold meats, some of which was also present in the cold meat and cheese starter in the restaurant. The guesthouse has e-bikes for rent. There isnt a lot of infrastructure for hiking in the area, so if you are hiking, you need to make your own research. I walked over the low mountain ridge north of the valley to the Vipava valley. A beautiful walk, mostly on sealed roads through forest, vineyards and other farmland, with amazing views over the hilly landscape and the surrounding mountain ranges. The guesthouse is attached to an excellent restaurant and pizzeria. There is a small supermarket and a post office in the village, 5 minutes walk from the guesthouse.