Croatia cuisine & culture holiday in Kvarner
| country: | Croatia |
| departures: | Available all year round |
| price: | From £1045 (8 days) per person excluding flights, minimum 2 persons |
the amazing things you'll be doing
Discover the landscape, food and culture of Croatia’s Kvarner riviera best known for its glittering coastline, mild climate and habsburg-era nostalgia.
Our gourmet and discovery holiday in the Kvarner Riviera explores the gastronomy and flavours of the Riviera’s distinctive regional cuisine and its links to the culture, land and people. We journey deep into its rural heartland, to markets, mountains and country kitchens where culinary traditions are rooted. Here you will find wild herbs and berries, mushrooms, truffles and asparagus, honey, figs and cheese. On the coast we visit Lovran’s seaside promenade, its belle epoque summer villas and lush Mediterranean gardens. A specially prepared slow food gourmet dinner in the seaside town of Lovran explores the Riviera’s culinary links with nineteenth-century Vienna. Holiday highlights include shopping for produce at the Art Nouveau market in Rijeka, cooking at a rural farmhouse in the hills above the sea, hiking in the Ucka Mountains Nature Park and walking with a local herbalist.
Gourmet Lovran features:seven nights accommodation in the boutique hotel or residence of your choice three, private escorted day trips with local guide and/or chef including lunch or dinner, wine and brandy car hire and transfers Gourmet Notes and maps Your choice of accommodation includes the properties listed below. All are located in or near the picturesque seaside town of Lovran:
About the area
Croatia’s Kvarner Riviera is a meandering of heavily forested coastline washed by the temperate blue waters of the northern Adriatic. Attracted by its mild climate and rich Mediterranean vegetation, nineteenth-century Vienna chose the area as the Habsburg’s summer playground and winter health resort. Here the rich and famous – among them musicians, actors, writers and European aristocrats – came to stroll along the seaside lungomare and dine in the sumptuous salons of its grand Neoclassical hotels and villas.
One hundred years later, the area still retains an air of bygone gentility. The pastel facades of its elegant summer residences have all been restored. Palms, cypress and massive oak trees punctuate the lawns and flower beds of its botanical gardens and parks. The health spas and resorts that made such towns as Lovran popular with European royalty, now include wellness centres, yachting clubs, diving centres and world-class marinas.
Hotel Draga di Lovrana
Hotel Draga di Lovrana, set on a rocky promontory four hundred metres above the sea, commands a breathtaking view of the Kvarner Bay and Ucka Mountains. The hotel has four comfortably furnished ensuite double rooms, as well as a luxury two-bedroom penthouse featuring jacuzzi-sauna bathroom, living room, fireplace, kitchen nook and bar. The property has recently been restored and features a stunning wrap-around gourmet restaurant and terrace. Trails leading into the Ucka Nature Park and Medveja beach make it an ideal destination for nature lovers and romantics looking to escape the crowds and summer heat.
Hotel Villa Astra
Villa Astra, built in 1905, is typical of the seafront villas and summer residences commissioned by rich industrialists at the turn of the twentieth century. Set in a garden of palms, oak and laurel, this beautiful Venetian Gothic villa, with its exquisite ornamental detail and balustraded balconies, was renovated by its present owners in 2002. The villa, now a small boutique hotel, features six double rooms, all with ensuite bathrooms and terraces overlooking the sea and gardens. Spacious interiors, polished hardwood floors, rich fabrics and harmonious colours make for an eclectic blend of old world elegance and contemporary class. The added perks of an outdoor heated pool, wellness facility, bar and restaurant set this property apart.
Oriental Residence
The Oriental Residence occupies the ground floor of a lovely two-storey ochre villa, the Villa San Giovanni. Like most of Lovran’s fin de siecle summer residences, the house enjoys a splendid seafront location, its own garden and a large sunny terrace shaded by palm trees. While ideal for a group of six, the Oriental Residence may also be divided into two smaller apartments (a one-bedroom and a two-bedroom). The décor and furnishings have a contemporary eastern flair with chocolate, ebony, ivory and ochre hues predominating.
Villa Adela Residence
The Villa Adela is a turn-of-the-century Neoclassical villa perched above Lovran’s meandering lungomare. The lovely refurbished Art Nouveau residence is located on the first floor and consists of living room, dining room-kitchen, two double bedrooms and two bathrooms.
Hardwood floors, elegant textiles and period furniture lend it an air of classic refinement. French doors open onto a private balcony/terrace with views of the sea.
Hotel Villa Eugenia
The cream-coloured Art Nouveau Villa Eugenia was built in 1910 at the behest of a wealthy Habsburg aristocrat. Like many of Lovran’s grand old summer residences, it too has recently been transformed into a modern luxury boutique hotel. It offers fifteen beautifully-appointed ensuite guest rooms, a number of which enjoy private balconies overlooking the palm trees and seaside promenade a block to the south. It features a stunning two-storey winter garden, café-bar, bistro restaurant and jacuzzi sauna room.
Our gourmet and discovery holiday in the Kvarner Riviera explores the gastronomy and flavours of the Riviera’s distinctive regional cuisine and its links to the culture, land and people. We journey deep into its rural heartland, to markets, mountains and country kitchens where culinary traditions are rooted. Here you will find wild herbs and berries, mushrooms, truffles and asparagus, honey, figs and cheese. On the coast we visit Lovran’s seaside promenade, its belle epoque summer villas and lush Mediterranean gardens. A specially prepared slow food gourmet dinner in the seaside town of Lovran explores the Riviera’s culinary links with nineteenth-century Vienna. Holiday highlights include shopping for produce at the Art Nouveau market in Rijeka, cooking at a rural farmhouse in the hills above the sea, hiking in the Ucka Mountains Nature Park and walking with a local herbalist.
Gourmet Lovran features:
About the area
Croatia’s Kvarner Riviera is a meandering of heavily forested coastline washed by the temperate blue waters of the northern Adriatic. Attracted by its mild climate and rich Mediterranean vegetation, nineteenth-century Vienna chose the area as the Habsburg’s summer playground and winter health resort. Here the rich and famous – among them musicians, actors, writers and European aristocrats – came to stroll along the seaside lungomare and dine in the sumptuous salons of its grand Neoclassical hotels and villas.
One hundred years later, the area still retains an air of bygone gentility. The pastel facades of its elegant summer residences have all been restored. Palms, cypress and massive oak trees punctuate the lawns and flower beds of its botanical gardens and parks. The health spas and resorts that made such towns as Lovran popular with European royalty, now include wellness centres, yachting clubs, diving centres and world-class marinas.
accommodation
Your choice of accommodation includes the properties listed below; all are located in the picturesque seaside town of Lovran. Hotel Draga di Lovrana Hotel Draga di Lovrana, set on a rocky promontory four hundred metres above the sea, commands a breathtaking view of the Kvarner Bay and Ucka Mountains. The hotel has four comfortably furnished ensuite double rooms, as well as a luxury two-bedroom penthouse featuring jacuzzi-sauna bathroom, living room, fireplace, kitchen nook and bar. The property has recently been restored and features a stunning wrap-around gourmet restaurant and terrace. Trails leading into the Ucka Nature Park and Medveja beach make it an ideal destination for nature lovers and romantics looking to escape the crowds and summer heat.
Hotel Villa Astra Villa Astra, built in 1905, is typical of the seafront villas and summer residences commissioned by rich industrialists at the turn of the twentieth century. Set in a garden of palms, oak and laurel, this beautiful Venetian Gothic villa, with its exquisite ornamental detail and balustraded balconies, was renovated by its present owners in 2002. The villa, now a small boutique hotel, features six double rooms, all with ensuite bathrooms and terraces overlooking the sea and gardens. Spacious interiors, polished hardwood floors, rich fabrics and harmonious colours make for an eclectic blend of old world elegance and contemporary class. The added perks of an outdoor heated pool, wellness facility, bar and restaurant set this property apart.
Oriental Residence The Oriental Residence occupies the ground floor of a lovely two-storey ochre villa, the Villa San Giovanni. Like most of Lovran’s fin de siecle summer residences, the house enjoys a splendid seafront location, its own garden and a large sunny terrace shaded by palm trees. While ideal for a group of six, the Oriental Residence may also be divided into two smaller apartments (a one-bedroom and a two-bedroom). The décor and furnishings have a contemporary eastern flair with chocolate, ebony, ivory and ochre hues predominating.
Villa Adela Residence The Villa Adela is a turn-of-the-century Neoclassical villa perched above Lovran’s meandering lungomare. The lovely refurbished Art Nouveau residence is located on the first floor and consists of living room, dining room-kitchen, two double bedrooms and two bathrooms.
Hardwood floors, elegant textiles and period furniture lend it an air of classic refinement. French doors open onto a private balcony/terrace with views of the sea.
Hotel Villa Eugenia The cream-coloured Art Nouveau Villa Eugenia was built in 1910 at the behest of a wealthy Habsburg aristocrat. Like many of Lovran’s grand old summer residences, it too has recently been transformed into a modern luxury boutique hotel. It offers fifteen beautifully-appointed ensuite guest rooms, a number of which enjoy private balconies overlooking the palm trees and seaside promenade a block to the south. It features a stunning two-storey winter garden, café-bar, bistro restaurant and jacuzzi sauna room.
tailormade holidays
As this trip can be tailormade to your requirements it would be helpful if you could you provide the following information: Rough budget per person (without flights), preferred date of travel, length of trip, number of passengers, specific interests, type of accommodation, your address, postcode and contact phone number.how this holiday makes a difference
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This holiday is designed for travellers who wish to experience the lifestyle and culture of one of Croatia’s premiere destinations – the Kvarner Riviera. The programme is operated exclusively by locals who have partnered with our company and who are uniquely positioned to tell their stories and present their destination from an insiders point of view. The accent on gastronomy, culture and local organic products reflects proud traditions that the Riviera, particulary Lovran, is keen to promote. Our holiday supports those endeavours and offers our guests the opportunity to experience the landscape and lifestyle close up and interact directly with the people who live there. Our Gourmet Notes encourage our guests to further explore the area on their own and offer suggestions on a variety of restaurants and tavernas famous for their culinary traditions, fresh Adriatic seafood, local cheese, meat and produce, olive oil and wine.
The boutique hotels and private residences offered in this holiday are owned and managed by local families and entrepreneurs. All of the properties have been beautifully restored in keeping with their original designs and materials. The owners are all active members of the community. Some have received national recognition for their achievements in the area of environmental protection and sustainable development. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've lead the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |