'You could easily do the whole of Vogel in a single morning,' an old hand said before we set off. He was not far wrong. But what a morning you'd have. On a clear day from the top of Sija - at 1,800m, the resort's highest peak - the view across the Julian Alps is staggering: a sea of glistening shark tooth spikes stretching to the horizon in every direction. Weighing in at just 20,000 sq km, Slovenia may be tiny, but into that space it packs 40 ski resorts. There's evidence that Slovenes were using skis four centuries ago. They did not, however, appear to be using them this morning. Chair after empty chair clanks round the lift and the slopes are quiet.
Although the black run down from Sija is a jolting mix of steep drops, bracing chutes and rolling, tree-lined narrows, the rest of Vogel's 36km of pistes, while lovely on the eye, are perhaps a little too easy on the body for advanced practitioners. It's perfect for beginners and early intermediates, though, and the bitesize skiing area comes at a bitesize price: a six-day lift pass for Vogel costs about £70, ski hire is £30, boots £17 and six days of tuition £70.
A bowl of meaty goulash at the Wild Boar gostilna (Slovenian for inn), served with chips and beer and followed by coffee and the obligatory pear brandy, costs about £6.
By way of contrast, from Vogel we drove - through a snowy, blowy, mountainous landscape straight of out Dr Zhivago - east to Catez, a thermal spa town near the Croatian border. Rheumatics have been bathing in the Catez waters since the 18th century, and today it's a fully developed spa complex, fed by three springs pumping out water at a sizzling 67C - so hot it has to be cooled before reaching the nine outdoor pools.
Terme, our hotel, offers a choice of massages, rubs, dips, tickles and tucks, but it is most proud of an elaborate process it calls a Roman-Irish bath. This involves scuttling between a scented spa bath (the Roman bit, presumably) and an icy plunge pool (the Irish, no doubt) for 90 minutes - and you do it naked, with no prior warning and no arguing once you're there. When we were there, a stranger came along and scrubbed our buttocks pink, wrapped us in fluffy towels and left us to sleep.
All of the above made dinner that evening, at the Castle Mokrice nearby, a more intimate experience. This medieval construction, now a hotel with a not quite so medieval golf course, is said to be haunted by the ghost of a 17th-century countess. Maybe she's just hanging around the castle for the wines, which are Slovenian and superb, or the food, which is equally fabulous. 'What's this?' I asked a waitress, as she put a plate down. 'Bambi,' she said.
Getting there:
Adria Airways (020-7734 4630, adria-airways.com), operates daily from Gatwick to Ljubljana (Brnik) airport and two flights a week from Manchester to Ljubljana. Gatwick fares start from £128 return.
Where to stay: One night's B&B accommodation at the Hotel Jezero in Bohinj (00386 4 572 33 75, bohinj.si/alpinu m/) costs from €30 per person, per night, based on a twin share. The four-star Hotel Terme in Catez (00386 7 49 36 732, terme-catez.si) offers rooms for €59 per person, per night, based on twin share on a B&B basis. The price includes unlimited use of the hotel's spa facilities - treatments are extra.
