Why Lošinj is the unsung jewel of the Adriatic
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They call it open-air aromatherapy. Step on the Croatian island of Lošinj and you’re enveloped in the most heavenly scent of wild herbs and plants. Zillions of them. Then there’s the Adriatic Sea in every shade of blue and green, waters so clear that you can count the pebbles. Add to this the colourful baroque sea captains’ houses lining the deep harbour at Mali (meaning “little” — more on that later) Lošinj and you have sensory overload of the most welcome kind.
I’m not usually one to be impressed by a royal seal of approval but I could immediately see why the Austro-Hungarian emperor Franz-Joseph turned Lošinj into a 19th-century hotspot for a healing holiday. Like the emperor, I was based in Čikat Bay, which is fringed by cooling forests of Aleppo pines. Rising like a stately ocean liner — but discreetly hidden behind the trees — the gleaming white Hotel Bellevue has its own sprawling swimming platform to go with its seawater pools, spa and terrace of individual hot tubs. It was the least stuffy and most relaxing five-star hotel I’d stayed in for a long while.
It was also a superb base from which to explore the island. I had one of Lošinj’s best bays right in front of me, sheltering pebbly coves under the pines. All around the headlands — covering much of the island, in fact — was a shaded path that went past one enticing beach after another, most enjoyably explored on a rented bike. Cycle, stop, swim, sunbathe, repeat — all the while inhaling the heady fragrance of juniper, pine, thyme and rosemary.
To cover a bit more ground, I hired a scooter and headed first to the fishing village of Veli Lošinj (which means Big Lošinj, even though it’s smaller than Mali Lošinj, just to confuse things). Here there’s more than a whiff of Venice, specifically Burano, about the bright baroque houses that surround the pretty port. I followed the footpath out of the village along the coast where beaches were carved out of the rocky shore. With sandy beaches a rarity, Croatians are extremely adept at turning the most unlikely spots into places to swim. Just stick on a pair of swimming shoes and dive in.
I had already become addicted to Lošinj’s seafood the night before during a maritime festival that took over the harbour at Mali Lošinj. It was a lively scene, with stalls selling plates of grilled fish and seafood along with glasses of wine from nearby Istria. There was even ancient history to discover, namely the impressive bronze statue of a Greek athlete dating from around the second or first century BC, displayed in its own Apoxyomenos Museum.
My love affair with Lošinj reached its peak with a final dinner at the romantic waterside terrace of Lanterna Grill on Čikat Bay. I missed the sunset but arrived in time for beautifully grilled squid and the most gorgeous lamb from the neighbouring island of Cres.
I felt like I’d been in a blissed-out daze for days, happily drunk on the island’s natural fragrances. My favourite was smilje, a herb rarely found outside Croatia and one that always brings back childhood memories. The French call it immortelle — and it’s as everlasting as Lošinj’s beauty.