Sun 31st May – Thurs 4th June
Accommodation: Grand Park Hotel, Rovinj
Sun 31st May
It was another beautiful morning for our drive down to Rovinj, Croatia and the boys had one last Trieste ride and us girls had one last walk. The drive down was rather uneventful except I would say the roads in Croatia are better maintained than of those in Italy.
It was just after 2 pm by the time we arrived and we had a drink at the bar whilst waiting for our rooms to be ready and then Mark and I spent some time by the pool. Our accommodation for this location was in a hotel set just outside the old town as I specifically wanted the option of a pool to give us some quality R&R time, however the weather might have different plans. Whereas we’d been baking in glorious sunshine for the last week there was a bit of rain on the radar. Rovinj is described as ‘the pearl of the Adriatic’ and it was clear to see why. From our hotel we looked out across the small harbour to the old town with the striking bell tower of St Euphemia crowning the hill top town making for a most picturesque vista. You could just sit there and take photos of the scene all day, which we did!
We were all rather tired after our travel so opted to stay in and dine at one of the hotel’s three restaurants, Laurel and Berry. This was lovely but a bit too fine-dining for us to want to do every night so we took a stroll along the lungomare after dinner to find some alternative options for future evenings and we found we had an enormous number of options to choose from, starting from just outside the front of the hotel facing the lungomare (waterfront promenade). After that it was back to our rooms to turn in for the night.
Mon 1st June
The forecast was accurate and the rain arrived on schedule meaning it was a gym morning for Coll and myself and no cycling for the boys. It eased up after our breakfast though and we were able to walk into the old town to do some exploring. We used the GPSmyCity walk as navigation and this was quite useful to give us some background about the area. The name Rovinj is believed to have originated from the Etruscan word “Ruginium,” meaning ‘hilltop’ which is quite apt given the town is perched on a small hill jutting out into the water. The area was originally an island but was connected to the mainland in 1763.
Rovinj remains an active fishing port and this was evident by the number of fishing vessels in the harbour and by the huge number of fish restaurants lining the crystal clear water of the lungomare walk into the old town. Luxury tourism has made its way into the area recently though, as evident by the hotel we were staying in that was only built in 2019 but, for the time being at least, it seemed there was a nice balance between traditional fishing village and not too much tourism. It was again, like some other places we’d been to on this trip, an area that seemed to be full more of local tourists with just a few Germans, some older English folk here and there and us; we’d not heard or seen any other Aussies. It was not overrun by tourism that you hear about in other Croatian cities, like in Split and Dubrovnik. Perhaps the lack of a suitably deep harbour for cruise ships helped to spare Rovinj from the massive cruise ship influx? Apparently, the size of the town and harbour restricts vessels to the smaller, luxury end of the cruising market. The other thing we’d noticed was, despite our proximity to Italy, the people here were a totally different size and shape to the Italians we’d just left in Trieste; the change was quite amazing. They were taller but paler and generally stockier.
Strolling the narrow, winding cobbled streets of the old town was a most delightful experience and it was slow going as there was so much to look at along the way; from the many charming artist shops, clothing boutiques and beautifully colored houses to the pretty alleys with historic stone cottages festooned with pretty flowerpots. It was a photographer’s dream and I saw a number of professional-looking folk, those with large cameras rather than just their phones, taking shots around the town.
It only took an hour or so to explore the small old town area which was rather handy as the sun had come back out and it was very hot. Our phones told us it was only 22 degrees but it felt much hotter so we headed back to the hotel to rest up a bit before heading to the pool to rest some more! Dinner tonight was down at Maestral Restaurant, right on the water, which was about a 10 minute walk from our hotel and it was so good we booked to go back there on our last night.
Tue 2nd June
It was a beautiful morning so the guys made the most of this and set out early for their first bike ride in Croatia. We had rain yesterday morning and rain is forecast for tomorrow so this might be the only opportunity for a ride in this part of the world. Colleen and I went for a walk along the lungomare and then we all caught up for a swim down in the ocean, just down from our hotel.
We had initially intended to take one of the tourist office’s walking tours but we changed our mind as that would’ve meant rushing too much to make the 10 am start. We were seriously slipping into holiday mode here! Instead, we all set off, after our very leisurely breakfast, to do some more exploring around the old town. It was a fun morning of strolling the pedestrian old town and shopping and, before we knew it, it was lunch time. We stopped off to have a coffee and then parted ways; David off to have a massage and the three of us took a loop on the tourist train which was nothing to rave about but at least we got to see the outer, coastal region of Rovinj.
The afternoon was again spent by the pool and we then readied ourselves for an evening boat cruise that was cancelled at the last minute. This was a bit annoying but couldn’t be helped so it ended up being a quiet night all around.
Wed 3rd June
A storm developed overnight and the rain was still with us for the early morning. It eased up just enough though to enable us to get out for a short walk through the old town though and it was lovely to see the place without the crowds!
Our main activity for the day was a visit to the Croatian city of Pula, about a 40 minute drive down the coast from Rovinj. We were very lucky with the weather as it rained for our drive down and back but we had clear skies and sunshine throughout our time in the port city. We had a 2hr walking tour booked for 2 pm with Ervin, a young local guide, and he showed our small group around the main historical sites of the town with great energy and enthusiasm. Pula is a much larger city than Rovinj and boasts the only amphitheater in the world to have its four towers still intact and it is also one of the best preserved of all colosseum-type structures. We had a great afternoon being showed around by Ervin and this is an activity that is well worth doing if you ever make a short visit to Pula.
It was after 5 pm by the time we got back and it was still drizzling so we didn’t head to the pool but, rather, rested in our rooms until we gathered again at 6.30 pm to head down to town for dinner. We went back to Maestral for dinner again and we all had delicious meals so this is a place I’d strongly recommend for dinner. The views over the water from the restaurant are to die for and the food is great. We had one last stroll through the lower part of the old town before winding our way home but it was slow going as the scenery along the way was just spectacular and we kept stopping to take photos. It is a photographers dream around here for sure!
We had loved our four-night stay in Rovinj and it was a great place to rest and relax a bit as well as to do some gentle and relaxed sightseeing of the local area. Our hotel was absolutely lovely and is the only place I’d suggest to stay if you ever visit this part of the world. It is well located being just a short walk to the old town and has lovely rooms with most rooms, the pool and bar area having great views out across the water and the picturesque old town. The pool area was huge with loads of sun-beds so there was never any issue finding somewhere to put down your towel. The other great bonus was that breakfast ran until midday so those of us who like to fill the morning with activity before breakfast were well pleased. If you do ever choose to stay at this hotel, choose a Seaview room as they have the lovely view and get the sunshine. Our room was number 251 and the secret is the last two digits. The higher the last two digits the better the view and the closer to the elevators; as you are further north along the lengthy building. For example, we were first given room 211 which had a minimal view, despite being on the same floor, and was a huge distance away from the elevators.
Tomorrow we leave Croatia and head inland to Slovenia where our first stop is Ljubljana (pronounced: Loo-blah-na).
