Croatia Travel Blog

Archive for the ‘Istria’ Category

With a web of international flights, Croatia should not lack for visitors next year. Here’s an early roundup of 2012 flights to Croatia:

Monarch Airlines will fly from Manchester, Birmingham and London Gatwick to Dubrovnik.

Croatia Airlines will start two weekly flights from Munich to Dubrovnik on April 16. Alas, this year’s service from Vienna and Istanbul to Dubrovnik will be retired. Zadar will get a direct weekly flight from Paris Charles de Gaulle starting on May 1. And this year’s popular Zagreb to Athens route will resume next summer, making it easy to extend your Mediterranean holiday to Greece. In more good news, fun-loving French  can spend New Year’s in Dubrovnik with a direct route from Paris Charles de Gaulle that will run twice weekly  all year.

Why do Russians visit Zagreb in winter? Who knows. Maybe Zagreb is warmer than Moscow. Maybe they’ll make a beeline to the balmier Dalmatian coast. This year Aeroflot will maintain daily flights between Zagreb and Moscow throughout the year.

Connections to Scandinavia and Central Europe are already scheduled for next year. Check out the following (with a thanks to Ex-Yu Aviation news):

Stockholm – Dubrovnik (March 25) SAS

Karlsruhe – Zadar (March 28) Ryanair

Copenhagen – Split (March 31) SAS

Helsinki – Dubrovnik (April 02) Finnair

Dubrovnik – Munich (April 16) Croatia Airlines

Zadar – Paris (May 01) Croatia Airlines

Bern – Split (May 05) SkyWork Airlines

Frankfurt – Rijeka (May 05) Condor

Frankfurt – Dubrovnik (May 13) Condor

Manchester – Pula (May 19) Jet2.com

Zurich – Dubrovnik (May 27) Edelweiss Air

Bergen – Split (June 25) SAS

Stavanger – Split (June 25) SAS

Copenhagen – Dubrovnik (July 04) SAS

Rotterdam – Split (July 07) Transavia.com

See more on cheap flights to Croatia!

What is a “design hotel” anyway? I know that was my first question before checking into the Hotel Lone in Rovinj. Will I need a user manual to turn on the faucets? Will my eyes open each morning to garish and puzzling paintings?

The answer to both questions at this remarkable new hotel is a resounding no. As the Hotel Lone explains on their website, a design hotel “nurtures the concept of interesting and functional spatial design”. Put simply, the Hotel Lone  is beautiful in every way and its beauty encompasses ease, comfort, and the simple  luxury of exquisite good taste.

Located within the Zlatni Rt forested park, a few minutes from Rovinj’s town center, the Hotel Lone is surrounded by old growth pine trees with the Adriatic glimmering a few hundred meters away. Now how do you create a thoroughly modern hotel in harmony with a wooded landscape? Why, you think of a cruise ship floating on the sea of course. The curving lines and stacked white balconies recall the prow and decks of an ocean liner floating on a sea of green.

For the interior of this 248-room hotel, the designers turned back in time for inspiration. The Croatian coast is dotted with massive but somewhat bland hotels built in the 70s to cater to package tourists.

The Hotel Lone design team used the spacious lobbies from that era but replaced the boxy look with an exciting and contemporary organization of space. The public areas incorporate three restaurants, a conference center that can seat 600 people, a night club, children’s club and a wellness center all organized around an atrium that stretches up six floors. Despite the size, the clever arrangement of furniture and decoration makes the lobby a comfortable place to relax.

The white, black and lustrous oak of the lobby area is carried over into the rooms each of which has a park or sea view and a balcony. Sure there are all the bells and whistles of a five-star hotel: plush bathrobes, top-end toiletries, flat-screen TV, free WiFi, separate tub and shower. But what really stands out is the sheer beauty of the design. Floor to ceiling mirrors are placed to reflect the outdoor scenery. A fabric wall covering illuminated from behind softens the bed area. Oak shutters separate the bathroom from the room which allows natural light to penetrate the bathroom while preserving privacy. The effect was soothing and I didn’t need to stress about how to regulate the AC, make a phone call or change channels on the TV. Everything was logical, well-explained and un-fussy.

Chain hotels have their place, but when I’m away from home I want to experience the country. Perhaps the most exciting aspect of the Hotel Lone is that it showcases the very best of Croatian artists, designers, architects and materials. The oak is from Slavonia; the architectural team is Zagreb-based 3LHD working in conjunction with the design team, Numen/ForUse; young Croatian artists Ivana Franke and  Silvio Vujčić contributed sculpture and decorative elements. Even lamps, chairs and desks are designed and manufactured in Croatia.

I could have spent a week in the Hotel Lone. Soaking in the wellness center, swimming in the pools (outdoor and indoor) strolling the grounds, sampling the restaurants or just gazing at the view from my balcony would have been enough even without nearby Rovinj and the magnificent Zlatni Rt park. Alas, it was time to move on and all that was left was a memory. But what a memory.

Find out more about the Hotel Lone and book a room.

It was sweltering in downtown Pula but we had to check out the Roman amphitheatre of course. A cleanup of the facade was underway which the ancient structure desperately needed. I especially liked the cool cellars underneath the amphitheatre which harbored an exhibit on the Roman presence in Istria.

Pula has a thriving cultural life all year round. In the summer, a regular series of performances are held in the amphitheatre. The rest of the year film, music, dance and theatre troupes continue to stage regular events. We were treated to a dance show in the town center which showcased the astonishing variety of styles taught in the local dance schools.

We stayed in Verudela, a resort area about 5km out of town, with a number of hotels and a stretch of rocky beach. It was peaceful but even better was heading out to the Premantura peninsula which has been turned into a protected nature park. There are a number of rocky beaches tucked away along the rocky shoreline. We chose Kamenjak Rt, a popular spot for bathing locals. No wonder! The water was incredibly clear and the snorkeling was fantastic.

We finished up our stay with a trip to the Brijuni Islands National Park a place of historical interest as it was the residence of former Yugoslav President Tito and of tremendous natural beauty.

It’s just a tiny village on Istria‘s tip but Savudrija has a lot of allure. The laid-back vibe is a stark contrast to busy Umag but for those who really need to get away, there’s a lighthouse you can rent.

For families, you can’t do better than Umag on the northern coast of Istria. Acres of land along the coast have been turned into a sort of giant theme park. Nearly every hotel has at least one pool, sometimes more. Plus there’s minature golf, paintball, tennis, pingpong and watersports. Although the “beaches” are actually rocky slabs, the water is shallow and safe.  Looking for a quiet, romantic hideaway? Move along. There’s nothing here for you.