Archive for October, 2009
October 30th, 2009 | 
Author: Zagreb is no slouch on the arts scene. In December a brand new Museum of Contemporary Art will open which should be the cultural event of the season. As a lead-up, Zagreb just hosted a highly successful Film Festival that broke all attendance records. Next up is the Vip Zagreb Jazz Festival which will boast an extraordinarily strong line-up. In only three nights (November 5-7) jazz lovers get to hear the Sonny Rollins Sextet, the Branford Marsalis Quartet and the Terence Blanchard Quintet. The Jazz Festival is only in its 5th year but to attract such a star-filled lineup, they must be doing something right.
Get more information about the Vip Zagreb Jazz Festival and more festivals in Zagreb.
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It’s amazing how certain coastal towns can be wall-to-wall with tourists during the summer while other, equally enchanting Croatian destinations can be nearly empty. Northern Velebit National Park, in northern Dalmatia has never gotten the attention it deserved despite its status as a national park. That may change now that the European Commission has named the park as a European Destination of Excellence (EDEN). The purpose of these yearly awards is to highlight destinations that manifest a commitment to sustainable tourism with the aim of helping to “de-congest over-visited tourist destinations”.
In awarding the prize the commission noted that “the park unites two different locales, the coastal region and the mountainous zone. Predatory animals such as wildcats, bears and wolves, roam the mountainsides, while deep sinkholes and caves give the park an unparalleled sense of multiplicity”.
“Multiplicity” here might also refer to multiple activities. You can explore over 150 caves (including Lukina Jama which is 1392m deep), hike, cycle, cross-country ski, and just enjoy waves of unparalleled scenery. There’s also multiple plant species: around 1500! The park has something to offer each season from flowery hillsides in spring, verdant hiking trails in summer, migrating birds in fall and snowy peaks in winter.
Find out more and see pictures of Northern Velebit National Park or discover other Croatian National Parks.
Congratulations to the Hotel Le Meridien Lav in Podstrana for winning four major awards this year from the World Travel Awards. Considered as the “Oscars” of the travel industry, these prestigious awards are voted by 165,000 travel professionals in 175 countries.
This year, the five-star Le Meridien Lav won in four categories: Europe’s Leading Casino Resort; Europe’s Leading Conference Hotel; Croatia’s Leading Hotel; Croatia’s Leading Spa Resort.
That’s quite a cluster or prizes! And the recompense is richly deserved. Located just a few kilometres outside Split, Le Meridien Lav is a palace of pampering with indoor and outdoor pools, a lavish spa and ultra-luxurious rooms. The only problem is that you may never want to leave!
Find out more about Le Meridien Lav or other luxury hotels in Split.
I’m a big fan of Vis Island and try to visit it as often as I can (read about my last visit to Vis Island) which is why I like to see little Vis get some press. The Guardian ran an informative article last week emphasizing Vis Island’s authenticity, its most endearing attribute. Although the subject was the island cuisine, naturally the writer veered off-course into Vis’s slow pace, rural rhythm and relative indifference to tourism. I knew that Vis-landers, like most Croatian islanders make full use of the farm-fresh vegetables, wine and fish that amass with their own hands. “Cooks here also typically think in terms of maximising the use of the ingredients, so that nothing goes to waste: uneaten vegetables will be cooked and bottled for winter; fruit becomes jam or is dried and spiced to keep longer; the broth from the stewed fish goes into the bean stew.” What I didn’t know was that islanders are now putting a few tables and chairs outside their houses to anyone lucky enough to stray by. They’re not exactly restaurants; it’s home-cooking for a small fee and it sounds wonderful. It makes me want to rush back!
Read my guide to Vis Island.
Are five-star hotels seeming a little too shabby for your taste? Looking for the hotel experience of a lifetime? Tiny Solta Island, a short hop from Split, has stepped up to the plate.
According to World Architecture News, a new resort is in the works that will include the world’s first rotating hotel. Ever had the experience where you and your wedding party want to rent out a hotel but not everybody can have a seaview room? Awkward. This new hotel will have three storeys on a giant turntable, rotating at the dizzying speed of 1.3 times per day. As the diameter of the place is 61m, you probably won’t get dizzy and you are guaranteed to experience a view across the bay to Split as well as the new luxury marina (yet to be built).
The planned hotel will have individual infinity swimming pools and an infinity edged swimming lake that drops down to a spa below in a series of steps.
Construction hasn’t yet started so you’ll have time to start saving up for your experience. Let the kids pay for their own damn college.
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