Why you also want to go to Croatia now
Last week I was in Croatia with a super fun group, in the province of Istria. I had never been to Croatia before, no idea why. It's beautiful, fun, super close (an hour and a half flight: huh?), it has the most beautiful sea water and there are incredibly nice people living there.
We were invited by Grand Hotel Brioni, which recently reopened after a major renovation. This super deluxe hotel has everything. The location and the view are stunning, it has a bizarrely beautiful design infinity pool, the most luxurious sunbeds and romantic cabanas by the pool and by the sea, several very luxurious massage rooms (including double rooms), a beautiful indoor pool, saunas, and a gym.
In addition to all this luxury, the hotel has three cozy bars and three top restaurants, one of which is very special: Sophia The Beef Club, named after Sophia Loren, because Istria is her favorite place.
If you are a vegetarian but, like me, don't want to miss out on the food, then this is where it stops. Here you eat the best of the best Boskarin meat.
The hotel rooms are extremely luxurious with miniatures of Acqua di Parma, delicious fluffy thick bathrobes and slippers. Unprecedented is the pillow menu next to your bed. If you want different pillows, you have a choice menu at your disposal.
Because the hotel rooms are ten centimeters too narrow, the hotel does not receive five stars. Don't always be tempted by the number of stars or their classification. This hotel has only not received five stars based on those ten centimeters, but rises with luxury and service far above all other five-star hotels.
If you happen to leave the hotel, there is a lot of beauty to see and do.
1. Visit to Pula
Close to the hotel you will find the town of Pula with the ancient amphitheater from Roman times. This beautiful theater now serves for many festivals and concerts, and the chance that something is happening while you are there is great. Greats like Sting, Pavarotti, and Jamiroquai have performed there.
2. Olive oil tasting
Istria is known for its beautiful olive groves and cultivation, with trees over four hundred years old. If you want to taste real quality olive oil that is truly extra virgin (but only five percent of all olive oils are truly that), you really should do a tasting. It's so much fun! You get to taste several olive oils so you can recognize the taste of really pure olive oil, and find out what you like. If you also want to try these award-winning olive oils, book a tasting.
3 The Brioni Islands
A short drive from the hotel is the fishing village of Fazana, from where you can take a boat to the Brioni Islands (about twenty minutes). You will sail to Veli Brioni, the former summer residence of Tito, who was president of Yugoslavia until 1979. At his summer residence, he received celebrities from all over the world: Sophia Loren, Pavarotti, Queen Elizabeth, Juliana, Yasser Arafat, Elizabeth Taylor, and many other famous people. No one lives on this beautiful island, but there are two hotels. A fun thing to do is to take the electric train that takes you around the island and where you hear a lot about the former president.
There is so much more fun to tell about Croatia, such as the fact that Jay-Z and Beyoncé are huge fans of this country. In fact: the name of their daughter Blue Ivy is said to be inspired by a blue ivy that Jay and Bey saw during their vacation in Croatia. The mayor of the Croatian island of Hvar has named Blue Ivy an honorary citizen, which I believe means she gets free access everywhere.
