Why Lošinj is the unsung jewel of the Adriatic
Evening Standard
8/10/2018
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.
That evening, the scooter came in handy for dinner at the Providenca viewpoint, which I had passed earlier on my way to Krivica beach. Terraces dug into the hillside are covered with tables, chairs and walking trails; they’re all in a prime position for spectacular sunsets and views of Lošinj and its surrounding islands in the Kvarner Gulf. With the sky on fire and a seafood platter of octopus, bream, mussels and sea bass in front of me, it was pure magic.
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.
Back in Mali Lošinj, just to keep the seafood fest going, I had plump calamari at Bocca Vera by the harbour. For a place that looks like a tourist trap and is indeed full of tourists, it’s not actually touristy. And it also makes a mean wood-fired pizza.
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.
Evening Standard
