Hotel Waldinger is the first hotel with four stars in Osijek that enjoys protection as a cultural and environmental monument. The staff is extremely professional and the accommodation is fabulous. It is very close to the city center, and quiet that a man can rest well. Breakfast is abundant and very tasty.

DIVERSITY

We plan to stay in Osijek and discover Slavonia by car. If you want to explore Osijek, you will notice that everyone is cycling. The promenade is the main pedestrian zone where you will feel the real pulse of the city.

In Osijek you have plenty of activities, so you will enjoy secessionist style (Art Nouveau) while exploring beauties of Osijek’s Tvrdja complex. Take a photo with Father of the Nation, dr. Ante Starčević overlooking the co-cathedral. We love to sugar our afternoon up, and what is better than homemade sweets than Gold by Waldinger? The best part is that it is just across the hotel so it’s very convenient when you get sugar overdose to roll yourself up across the street.

One cannot visit Slavonia, without paying tribute to Nature park Kopački rit. Nature park Kopački Rit is a natural wetlands reserve with a flood area of approximately 17,000 hectares.

The park offers bird watching and photo safaris with expert guidance. To enjoy the unique richness of nature you can choose an attractive tour by eco boat, canoe, bicycle, or tourist train. There are four main fishing areas in the Kopački rit Nature Park, where sport fishing is allowed with a fishing license.

They say that history is made every day. Halfway between Ilok and Vukovar is Mohovo. The village is known for numerous finds of mammoth, rhino, bison, hyena bones… Moreover, for those who would like to know more about war, pay a visit to Vukovar Memorial center of Homeland War.

Do you know where the oldest continuously inhabited town in Europe is? The scene of the famous murder on the Orient Express? Home to the oldest European calendar? The correct answer is Vinkovci. Do your research and go.

As you can see, Slavonia, the whole of Slavonia – offers a handful of unique experiences.

Photo credit: Ivan Vuković Vuka

Zagreb is within easy day-trip distance of countless sites of natural beauty and cultural heritage. Hrvatsko Zagorje is a must visit!

For instance, we are going to explore the surrounding areas. We start with Kumrovec. It is a place where you can breathe a strange peace and the memory of the presence of Tito. In addition to beautiful landscapes, visitors to Kumrovec are true history experts. They are very well familiar with terms such as the Iron Curtain, Communism, Socialism, Marxism, and all other political terms from the last century.

UNIQUE MUST VISIT MUSEUM KUMROVEC

During Tito’s life, Kumrovec was an unavoidable point in honor of his birthdays. After his death, with the symbolic act of planting 88 maples, people from Kumrovec wanted to plant one maple for each year of his life, to preserve lasting memories of Josip Broz Tito.

Fun fact: Josip Broz Tito was born in a place 20 km away from the place where the first Croatian President Franjo Tudjman was born.

The story is inspired by a journey Agatha Christie had on the very train. You can still see the little part of that train crossing through Kumrovec, entering Slovenia, and going back to Croatia.

Near is relaxation zone Terme Jezerčica and Krapina where you can visit Neanderthal Museum. As you are already there, pay your visit to a just of couple km away to the magnificent Veliki Tabor castle. One of the most important cultural and historical monuments of secular architecture in continental Croatia.

 In addition to this, are you familiar with Ludbreg? According to local legend, Ludbreg is considered to be at the center of the world. We now approach another interesting spot, Podgarić. Here we see a monument dedicated to the Revolution of the Moslavina citizens during WWII.

After driving on side roads, you can return by highway to Zagreb. We continue our way to discover the place where Dunav river kisses the sky. Slavonia. 

Photo credit: Ivan Vuković Vuka

Travel and the Coronavirus: Post-COVID-19 in Istria. Think of it as Tuscany 50 years ago!

You’ll find a wide assortment of hotels from luxury to budget with camping experience option in nature with Maistra Camping. Camping is considered the safest way to holiday in these unfamiliar times as direct contact with other guests is minimised. 

TRAVEL AND THE CORONAVIRUS: POST-COVID-19 IN ISTRIA

We are starting our journey in Rovinj. Rovinj enjoys an unchanged charm. To fully appreciate it, we are recommending following the five colours guideline.

The white of the pave street stones; the red of the roofs and facades of the buildings; the intense blue of the sea; the dark green of the pine forests that line this Croatian town. And the colour of the hotel Adriatic, located in the heart of Rovinj on the northern coast of Croatia, the oldest and only hotel on the main square.

The feeling is phenomenal when you enter the hotel and see all of the stuff following COVID-19 prevention and control. Check-in runs smoothly as we are taking our luggage to the room as a no-contact policy.

The best part is they serve breakfast till 11 a.m. with a set menu. Tip: sip a mojito at sunset sunk into the cushions of their “Caffe Bar Adriatic” which offers the widest choice of whiskeys in Croatia.

To see and feel Istria, avoid Istrian Y Highway as the works on the construction are underway. Villages to visit and get lost in is a must! As we drive, the beauty of Istria unfolds in front of our eyes. When travelling take the time to see Lim Channel, Vrsar, Novigrad, Motovun, Pula. The vibe is so relaxing as there is almost no one on the road.  Rolling hills as far as the eye could see, so much have reminded us of our favourite landscapes such as those of Tuscany, Umbria and Provence. 

Did you know the largest truffles ever found weighing 1.31 kg of Guinness World Records fame comes from Istria? Truffles are abundant here and are dug up by hunters and their dogs (traditionally with pigs) fresh in the mornings. 

In addition to the sea, nature and characteristic villages, Istria is huge in the gastro scene as winegrowing is in the blood of the local people. In Croatia, however, there are two types of Malvasia – Istrian Malvazia and the Dubrovnik Malvasia. Records from 1424 found in the Dubrovnik Republic show a prohibition of the sale of Dubrovnik Malvasia wine. Visiting Meneghetti winery is a must! 

Istria has something for everyone, it doesn’t disappoint. Now it’s time to explore Hrvatsko Zagorje. Croatian fairy tale at hand.

Photo credit: Ivan Vuković Vuka

Travel and the Coronavirus: Post-COVID-19 in Dalmatia. The Mediterranean as it once was. Think of Croatia as Italy 30 years ago

We have met here our good friend Tiho the owner of Apartments Parun, enjoyed typical family-style lunch and explored a typical Dalmatian village of well-preserved stone houses nestled at the foot of Mount Biokovo where everybody knows each other very well. “Igrane” name is tracked back to 1430 and means “The Game” or “To Play”.

Corona hottest free travel destinations are always the best so we spent overnight at isolating friendly Mediterranean stone house underneath Mount Biokovo close to the highway and with beautiful vistas of Adriatic, with the nearby island of Brač.

You have many COVID-19 free activities you can do around this area. Hiking to Biokovo Skywalk glass viewing platform, The Shrine of Vepric, or cycling through the stunning landscapes of the Makarska Riviera.

Travel and the Coronavirus: Post-COVID-19 in Dalmatia.  How to get to Vodice?

As highways are boring to explore the country, take the old road (Adriatic highway) to Vodice so you can stop by in small cities like Trogir and Primošten along the way. When you approach Vodice you will find its significant landmark Olympia Sky in a cruise ship shape. They did a remarkable job in feeling responsible stay safe during your stay. To provide each guest with maximum comfortwith prescribed measures they are working with 50% accommodation capacity but with 100% staff. 

Hotel stuff is serving you breakfast and dinner with minimum contact. Cooperating with local family farms and small fishermen is what they are serving to you.

In Olympia Sky, you can book an excursion to discover history of Vodice, day trips to Vrana Lake Nature Park, zipline Šibenik, panoramic flight, or wine and bike tour. Vrana Lake Nature Park is the largest natural lake and one of the last Mediterranean wetlands in Croatia. It is perfect for a relaxing holiday in nature, fishing and birdwatching with only 20,00kn ticket per person (parking included).

Located 4 km from Vodice is Tribunj, another small Dalmatian fishing town worth visiting. Try their local cuisine at konoba Bepo, a family restaurant first started back in 1978. Šibenik is only 10km away, and with only 1 hour of drive, you are at National park Paklenica. Perfect for walking, hiking, climbing while experiencing the wilderness.

Why go to Andalusia, Spain when you can drive around Vrana Lake Nature Park and have lunch at Maškovića Han, an oriental inn in Vrana, the most impressive and refined monument of Islamic secular architecture from the period of the Ottoman Turks.

Beauty is a hard thing to quantify, which is why you should visit this part of Croatia and stay tuned for our next post-COVID-19 Istria adventure.

Photo credit: Ivan Vuković Vuka

Travel and the Coronavirus: Post-COVID-19 in Dubrovnik situation
HOTELS

With stunning views of the Old Town and the Adriatic Sea, the iconic Hilton Imperial Dubrovnik has been opened through the entire pandemic providing the accommodation to the health care stuff and it will remain open for the season. Hilton Imperial Dubrovnik is only 50 meters from the historic entrance at Pile Gate. As it has always been, the safety and security of their guests and team members remained their highest priority. Check-in is adjusted and physical contact with the guests has been reduced introducing a new standard of hotel cleanliness and disinfection by HiltonCleanStay program. They measure body temperature to all employees as a measure of prevention when arriving at work. If staying at their hotel, it is not necessary to use public city transportation for sightseeing or for going to the beach, which is currently a priority. Join Hilton Honors and please click here for additional information about their Commitment to their Guests.

6 kilometres south of Dubrovnik, along with Dubrovnik Riviera Sheraton hotel, is situated in the vicinity of sandy beach shopping mall and numerous bars and restaurants. It’s the perfect location if you want to enjoy the sun and sea opening its doors July 1st. It’s the place for hiking and tracking or just walking around exploring nearby fishermen villages and some abandoned locations. As Sheraton hotel is huge it’s easy to keep a social distance. Given the current situation, it is likely that they will have a custom rather than a standard breakfast buffet. They will adapt their usual workstations where meals are displayed and the breakfast buffet is set up by directing guests to ‘show cooking’ stations instead of workstations.

Keep up to date, as they will present special offers that will, for example, include a free transfer, massage or discount in their restaurants and bars when booking accommodation.

PRIVATE ACCOMMODATION

Apartment Eja is located in a private house in a peaceful location above the Old City of Dubrovnik with amazing views, while Laneli apartment is situated in Lapad area in a residential building with free private parking closed to some famous beaches. You can easily self-isolate here and its a perfect place if you choose to stay in Dubrovnik for longer than three days.

Travel and the Coronavirus: POST-COVID-19 IN DUBROVNIK SITUATION

WHERE TO EAT

Restaurants and bars have been opening up and excited to greet guests. If you fancy pizza, Pizzeria Castro in Old Town is a great place to visit. While you are eating pizza you will be sitting at the Gundulić Square, reminding guests of Italy and Spain. Many locals frequent Taj Mahal. It’s known for its authentic Bosnian cuisine and charming ambiance.  At the moment they are offering a 15% discount at their Taj Butcheraj meat boutique to everyone who spends above 100,00 Croatian kuna at their restaurant which is good if you choose cooking while on holidays. When you are ready for a glass of wine, cold beer or coffee, multiple places have opened up on Stradun and Prijeko Street.

Travel and the Coronavirus: POST-COVID-19 IN DUBROVNIK SITUATION

COVID FREE ACTIVITIES  

There is plenty of COVID free activities you can choose from. You can go to Lokrum island to spend a unique day relaxing in nature or you can go swimming from Banje Beach and enjoy the stunning views around you. You can choose to do some activities like hiking to Srđ, as Dubrovnik Cable Car has suspended its operations until further notice, or you can explore Dubrovnik by boat with Rewind. If you are more into culture, pay a visit to the House of Marin Držić and learn why we love him so much. All of them are respecting the instructions given by the Croatian Institute of Public Health.If you want to buy souvenirs, none of the souvenir shops are currently open. You can contact Crafts & Stones and Clara Stones online, and get your unique souvenir produced in Dubrovnik.

So if you choose to have your summer vacation the destination is safe, affordable, accessible, English is widely spoken, great food and wine, lots to see and do. German airline Lufthansa has announced the resumption of its fleet in June with flights to tourist destinations, including Dubrovnik. Freedom of movement is one of the fundamentals of Europe.