A mountain lodge that witnessed the engagement of Prince George, Duke of Kent, an uncle of British monarch Queen Elizabeth II, to Princess Marina in 1934 has been restored to welcome discerning guests to the lakeside resort of Bohinj once again.

A decade after it collapsed under the weight of snow, Vila Muhr has been rebuilt from scratch and turned into a four-suite hotel by the company of Slovenian crypto millionaire Damian Merlak as part of his effort to revive iconic Bohinj hotels.

Affording views of Lake Bohinj, the villa in the village of Ribčev Laz was built in 1902 as a holiday hunting lodge for Vienna coal merchant Adolf Muhr, who at the time also owned Bled Castle overlooking Lake Bled.

Holiday home of royalties, hospital and a ruin

Later it was bought by Yugoslav King Alexander I Karađorđević but mostly used by his cousin, Prince Paul, regent of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, and his wife Princess Olga of Greece and Denmark.

The couple hosted Olga's sister Princess Marina and Prince George at the lodge in 1934 on which occasion the latter pair got engaged.

After WWII, the villa was used as an eye hospital and a convalescent home for patients and war orphans, and by the 1970s it served as a tourist accommodation facility run by travel company Kompas.

The listed villa then gradually fell into disrepair and it finally collapsed under the weight of snow in 2014. When Merlak bought Bohinj hotels from the Pačnik family in 2019, plans were launched to rebuild the villa.

Original stones and wood preserved

Jure Repanšek, director of Alpinia, the company running Merlak's hotels in Bohinj, says the new villa was built using stones saved from the old villa, and reconstructed wood, using a special pine resin waterproofing technique.

They did their best to preserve the identity of the old villa, including its hunting lodge feel.

Vila Muhr features four unique suites, named after the four royalties that left their mark there in the past, as well as a conference room and a restaurant, which will also offer tasting menus to outside guests.

An underground passage links the villa to Hotel Bohinj nearby to give guests easy access to the hotel's spa facilities. Spa services such as massages are also available at the suites.

Guests some for beauty of nature

"We are going for a slightly different kind of tourism, an individual approach to the guest," said Repanšek at the villa's inauguration on 20 January.

Before arrival, guests are asked to fill in a questionnaire about their favourite teas and wines, and the sommelier prepares a special selection in the wine cabinet of their suite. Guests are greeted at the entrance with champagne, tea or a snack.

Villa Muhr has already welcomed the first guests, who have given positive feedback. Apart from the elegant facilities and welcoming ambience, the main asset is the staff, Repanšek said.

Guests have also been offered 24-hour guided tours of the destination, lest they should not have enough to do in Bohinj. However, they have explained that they did not come to Bohinj for the glamour, but for the tranquillity and beauty of nature.