Jewel of the Adriatic
It takes a bit of getting to, but Lošinj in Croatia is a beautiful place to get away from it all, writes Alison Gray
Escape to Croatia’s spectacular Lošinj island
It’s fair to say that Croatia is having a moment. But while Dubrovnik might be the best known destination in the Balkan country, thanks in no small part to Game of Thrones, there are so many other places to visit, including our pick, an island off an island.
It’s a little bit of a trek to reach Lošinj, but it’s completely worth it to experience island life Croatia-style.
Lošinj Hotels & Villas owns six hotels on the island with two of the loveliest neighbouring each other on the glorious pine-scented curve of Čikat Bay, first declared a climatic healing resort by those Austrian spa fanatics at the end of the 19th century.
We spent three days in Hotel Bellevue, all glass and airy white spaces. It sounds like it might be austere, but actually the opposite is true as the neutral decor is the perfect backdrop for the daily scene stealers of endless blue skies and crystal clear water. Take a dip in the Adriatic before breakfast on the terrace, followed by a spot of paddle boarding or just reading, snoozing and sunbathing on a day bed.
Restaurant Alfred Keller, named after the Austrian architect who designed the Bellevue’s sister hotel Boutique Hotel Alhambra in 1912 is the flagship place to eat, located on the ground floor of the hotel. The restaurant has a refined French feel, whilst they make the most of the local fresh Croatian produce on offer including Adriatic fish, shellfish, and Cres lamb dressed with aromatic island herbs.
The Alhambra is smaller with a more boutique, clubby feel, complete with library and snug.
There are plenty of dining options along the bay – try Japanese food at Restaurant Matsunoki or go traditional at Konoba Cigale – we learned a konoba is an authentic tavern, serving simple dishes from the surrounding area like stuffed squid.
Both hotels have spa facilities with the larger Bellevue offering a quite bewildering range of treatments. Spa lovers could happily spend a fortnight in the light, bright surroundings of this space which describes itself as a clinic as its offer includes medical aesthetic services as well as beauty treatments. A 30 minute back, neck and shoulder massage was sheer bliss on arrival and a few days into our stay it was a pleasure to return to experience the Detox Massage by Pharmos Natur incorporating cooling aloe vera. There are two couple’s suites for those twosomes who do everything together and for a wellness experience you definitely couldn’t enjoy at home there’s an outdoor seawater pool surrounded by daybeds and a spa garden. Fitness is also a big part of what the spa has to offer. A personal trainer can take you on a guided hike around Čikat Bay while group activities include Introduction to Yoga and sessions like How to Stretch. I’m only slightly ashamed to admit paying no attention whatsoever to Abs Attack or Upper Body Workout and showing quite a lot of interest in discovering the King range of Croatian ice creams, similar to Magnums, but somehow much better.
Our greatest desire on setting sail, OK hopping aboard a bijoux speedboat to explore two of the islands beyond ours in Čikat Bay was to clap eyes on any of the 120 bottlenose dolphins which reside in these waters. Although I had been advised that they tend to stay further out to sea during the summer season, avoiding the many pleasure boats and several mega yachts that criss cross the waves I may have expressed my wish a bit too feverently – as well as
Take a dip in the Adriatic before breakfast on the terrace
frequently – as I caught our young captain for the day Ivan rolling his eyes. While there were no smiling bottlenoses on this tour we did see a good-sized loggerhead turtle swimming on the surface which more than made up for the absence of Flipper and friends. First stop was Susak, famous for its sandy beaches, shallow bathing water perfect for children to learn to swim and a rather fruity wine. With no roads, no vehicles, and just 151 permanent residents, it’s a paradise off shore from our paradise. Stop here for a coffee and a look around or just drop anchor and swim in the limpid waters off the back of your boat. Next stop is Ilovik where you can moor up for a seafood lunch featuring grilled scorpionfish and langoustine, known as scampi in Croatia. A crisp glass of local wine Malvasia is the ideal accompaniment. After another dip in Kvarner Bay you’ll return, bouncing across the wake of your fellow seafarers and feeling just a little more adventurous than when you stepped off your lounger. If your desire to see dolphins remains strong perhaps seek out a tour with Dolphin Watching Adriatic (www.dolphinwatching.com) at Veli Lošinj. A family ticket for two adults and two children costs 1,000kn (around £120).
Although you might get more than you bargained for like the Belgian sports diver who in 1996 was taking a picture of a fish 45m below the surface of the waters southeast of Lošinj when he spotted a hand reaching up to him from the deep. In a painstaking recovery and restoration story that took almost 20 years a Greek bronze statue, 2,000 years old, once more stands on dry land in a museum dedicated to his fascinating tale. Opened in 2016 Museum of Apoxyomenos (www. muzejapoksiomena.hr/en/) is a miniature marvel and a completely unexpected find on a holiday island first on the map for fishing and boat building and now with tourism as a key part of the economy. Apoxyomenos is an athlete captured in the act of cleaning the small curved instrument called a strigil, used to scrape sweat and sand from the body. The Croatian find is the best preserved example of the eight known Apoxyomenos statues in the world.
Mali Lošinj is the bigger of the two villages on the island with shops and cafes lining a smart boardwalk where people promenade of an evening. The harbour can accommodate larger vessels than neighbouring Veli Lošinj including, to great excitement this summer, Jon Bon Jovi’s yacht. In tribute to the seafaring ancestors of the settlements there is a museum boat in front of the Museum of Apoxyomenos, a lugger designed as a perfect replica of the ships which first sailed from here.
Our own voyage involved a flight from Edinburgh to Pula with Jet2. com (from May to September). You’ll need a hire car – we used Holiday Autos (www.holidayautos.com) – and drove from the airport, heading for the car ferry (www.jadrolinija. hr, £151kn/£18 for a car and two passengers) which crosses from the mainland at Brestova to Porozina on the island of Cres. It takes about an hour to reach the ferry but be aware that in the busy summer months quite a queue can build up – even with two ferries shuttling back and forth on the 20 minute crossing. After you arrive on Cres it’s a drive of around an hour before you reach your destination, on the way crossing a bridge to arrive on Lošinj. A more glamorous way to travel would have been to arrange private air transfer through the hotel which can organise taxi flights from most airports in Europe and Croatia to Lošinj, including from Pula. Currently only small planes are able to land, but there are plans to expand the airport so that more tourists can arrive in this way. For information and reservations contact booking @ losinjhotels.com
Destinology, the luxury travel experts, offer a six night, twin-centre holiday to Lošinj, with three nights B&B at Hotel Bellevue and three nights B&B at Boutique Hotel Alhambra from £2,129 per person, based on two sharing Deluxe Sea View accommodation and including return easyjet flights from Glasgow to Split, and private car airport transfers. Tel: 01204 474801, www.destinology. co.uk; www.losinj-hotels.com