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IF YOU GO

Getting there: The easiest way to get to Losinj is by private prepare and serve all your meals, which are included with your
plane arranged by the Jadranka Group. Flights are available stay. Rates range from $7,800 to $10,000 a night, depending
from most European airports. Fares start about $400 for up to on the number of guests.
three passengers flying one way from Pula on Croatia’s Istria
peninsula. Double the fare for the six-passenger plane. Most hotels offer multi-day health and fitness packages. Get
more info about Losinj lodging at www.Losinj-hotels.com.
Ground transfers from various Croatian airports to Losinj,
which include a van for up to eight passengers, a driver and Dining there: The island’s rich natural setting provides the ba-
ferry tickets, start at about $220 one way from the Rijeka sis for its healthy Mediterranean-style cuisine. Seafood, olive
Airport. It’s about $325 from Zagreb. oil and fresh herbs are staples of most menus. Locally raised
lamb dishes are popular. There are plenty of moderately
Staying there: Hotel Bellevue, overlooking Cikat Bay, is priced seafront restaurants. Among my favorites:
TripAdvisor’s number one rated among 13 hotels on Losinj.
It reopened three years ago after a major redo. Today there Veli Zal, where we shared “peka” family style. It’s a traditional
are 185 rooms, 21 suites, three dining venues and a luxurious Croatian dish: just-caught skarpina (a cod-like fish) slow-
27,000-square-foot spa. Rooms for two start at about $270 cooked in a clay pot with potatoes, carrots, fennel, onions,
a night, including garlic and olive oil.
a lavish breakfast
for two. At Konoba Cigale,
where we dined
Steps from the under the stars,
Bellevue, the savoring shrimp
Boutique Hotel tartar, perfectly
Alhambra is all grilled sea bass
about small-scale on a bed of light
luxury. Designed pesto risotto and
as a Villa in 1912 by a dessert of berry
leading Austrian strudel with ice
architect Alfred cream, we decided
Keller, it was com- the experience de-
pletely renovated served an encore.
in 2015 and is It was just as good
now a member of on our second
prestigious Small visit.
Luxury Hotels of
the World. There Restaurant Alfred
are 51 rooms, two Keller at Boutique
restaurants and a Hotel Alhambra,
full-service spa. Service is white-gloves, but not stuffy. Rates is recognized by Gault & Millau as one of the best restaurants
start at about $450 a night including breakfast for two. in the world. It’s known for its haute cuisine, extensive wine
list, wine-pairing dinners and MasterClass events featuring
Vitality Hotel Punta in Veli Losinj is a family oriented com- some of the most important vintners in the world. I joined a
plex with 289 guest rooms, indoor and outdoor pools, tennis class led by Herve Gouin from Chateau Mouton Rothschild.
courts and a full-service spa. The hotel was built in the ‘60s, He introduced us to a dozen or so Rothschild vintages. Later
renovated in 2014. Rooms for two start at about $150 a night, I savored an exquisite six-course dinner paired with some of
including breakfast. the wines we’d tasted that afternoon. Extraordinary. Wine-
pairing dinners at Alfred Keller can run $350-$400 per person,
Villa Hortensia on Cikat Bay dates to the Austro-Hungarian depending on the winesv served.
era – but inside its 10 bedrooms (and 10 baths) are ultra con-
temporary. There’s an indoor sauna, whirlpool and fitness stu- Learn more about travel to Losinj at http://visitlosinj.
dio – plus an outdoor pool filled with heated seawater. There’s hr/?lang=en-GB
a 10-person staff – including a chef and kitchen crew to

Above: Dining on Adriatic tuna on the
outdoor terrace at Hotel Bellevue.
122 WDT MAGAZINE SPRING 2017