More about our hotel

Hotel San Martin is located in Šmartno, an idyllic village in the Goriška brda, halfway between the Alps and the Mediterranean, a step away from Venice and the Soča Valley.
In addition to natural beauty, Brda is home to fruit and olive growers as well as world-famous winemakers. The wine-growing region has enabled Bogdan and Vesna to produce wines, so guests can taste Rebula and other San Martin wines. Every wine lover has a rich choice of wines from our wine production.

The boutique hotel is a place for every individual who wants to spend an active holiday in the Brda region or taste traditional dishes with a glass of wine.

The family-run hotel opened its doors in 2013 and is the result of the dedication and courage of spouses Vesna and Bogdan, two enterprising individuals in love with Brda. Due to their love for nature and the authenticity of Brda, Bogdan and Vesna wanted to place great emphasis on sustainable development and eco-orientation of the structure. Their efforts were rewarded in 2019, as the San Martin Hotel was the first hotel in the North Primorska region to meet all the conditions for obtaining the prestigious Eco label certificate and to be ranked among the Green Accommodations - green destinations in Slovenia.

The family-run hotel is ideal for any individuals who want to spend a relaxed or active holiday in the Brda region. Fine wine enthusiasts can taste the San Martin wines and have a wide selection of wine cellar tours troughout Brda. The hotel also invites guests with pets, and is accessible for people with disabilities and especially tempting for motorcyclists.

The hotel has 20 thoughtfully furnished rooms that can accommodate up to 50 people. Each room has a french balcony or terrace, central heating and cooling, a flat-screen TV, WI-FI connection and a private bathroom. In addition to overnight stays, we also offer a bar with a panoramic terrace and a bistro, a private sauna, a meeting room, a conference hall and 14 electric mountain bikes.

The view from the hotel terrace is unique; on one side the medieval core of Šmartno with its fortress behind which the Alps are peeking, and on the other a panorama of  the villages, vineyards and olive groves and cherries, behind which the view reaches to the Adriatic Sea.

Surrounded in nature, the hotel is not just one of many touristic points, but a symbol of the courage and passion of Vesna and Bogdan Valentinčič, who saw more than an abandoned building in the once abandoned school. 

Vesna, an entrepreneur with experience in sales and winemaking, and Bogdan, a level 3 sommelier, set San Martin on its feet, which is not just a hotel but a life project and their second home.

With their energy and joy of work, they also inspire the staff day by day, here the guests are greeted personally and are seen as individuals who will find their own home here at the San Martin Hotel.

The hotel and its history

From its opening until today, the hotel has flourished and developed with the desire to become the primary point of cycling, hiking and active, outdoor tourism in Brda.

On the hotel grounds there once used to be a Yugoslav school, then an Italian one, which was later abandoned. The building began to decay, with no real purpose and no real owner to see the potential of the building.

Vesna and Bogdan saw much more in this part of Šmartno than just a failing school and resolutely reached for their biggest dream - the family eco hotel San Martin.

The construction was vigilantly supervised by the whole family - aeven by the youngest member

Today, the hotel is managed by more and more members of the Valentinčič family. In addition to Bogdan and Vesna, their children also found a second home and career here; Martin, Miha and Ana.

ECO Hotel San Martin

San Martin is not fused with the surroundings and intertwined with nature only in appearance, the entire construction and finesse are thoughtful and in line with eco standards. Natural and sustainable materials, wood, iron, stone and concrete, were mostly used during the construction. Many functionalities are also solved in an environmentally friendly way. The hotel heats with chips furnace and cools with a water pump. There is also a double water supply system throughout the hotel, which enables rational and smart wastewater management.

Due to these features, the hotel, as the first hotel in the North Primorska region, in 2019 obtained the prestigious Eko marijetica certificate and its place among Green Accommodation - green distillations in Slovenia -  Slovenia Green.

San Martin is a hotel that is ideal for everyone. Families can walk around Šmartno and have an great starting point to any village, larger town or Italian Veneto. Hikers can stop at the hotel on their way along the Alpe Adria trail or exercise their feet on the vast and hiking-friendly terrain and cherry paths. We take care of cyclists with a bicycle shed, the possibility of bicycle garages and more and more cycling routes. For true relay lovers, the hotel is ideal for a relaxed or active holiday with an abundance of cuisine, history and wine culture. The natural beauty and the environment, which changes with each season, guarantee guests a unique experience.